Have you patiently been waiting the 28 day’s for Avatar to hit your local Red Box, or be sent to you from Netflix? Your wait is almost over. Tuesday, May 18th will signify the fourth week of James Cameron’s unstoppable film, Avatar, will have been in stores on DVD and Blu-ray. Last month we wrote about the deal that 20th Century Fox and Universal had made, similar to one made earlier by Warner Bros, in which Red Box and Netflix would be required to wait 28 days before renting out their new release titles, hopefully boosting sales. It would appear that this strategy has worked. This incredible record breaking film is only confirming that which the studios sought in creating this 28-day window with Red Box and Netflix. It’s only a matter of time before more studios try to write up similar deals with the rental chains.
Last week, the Hollywood Reporter told us about how Warner Bros saw a 9.8% profit gain in their first quarter, hinting that this delayed rental availability is working.
Deadline is reporting that the film has already sold 6.2million Blu-rays, and 13.5million DVDs in three weeks, flying past all previous record holders, including the Dark Knight.
It is pretty incredible, how Avatar seems to be the savior of both the Theatrical Experience and Physical Home Media, as before this film launched, many were predicting the death of both formats.
Did you pick up the DVD or the Blu-ray? Are you waiting until the release is available at your local Red Box? Will you re-purchase the film when the inevitable Directors Cut is released and breaks the single disc’s release? Leave your comments below.
Source: Deadline Hollywood
Ryan Gallagher
Ryan is the Editor-In-Chief / Managing Editor / Co-host, along with whatever else the site needs at the moment. You can find his own, poorly maintained blog at RyanGallagher.org, follow him on Twitter (@RyanGallagher), or send him an email to: ryan (at) criterioncast.com.