Andre Yoskowitz
13 Dec 2008 1:54
The blockbuster smash The Dark Knight has set a new Blu-ray sales record, selling 600,000 copies in the US on its first day of release. According to Warner Home Video, Blu-ray sales accounted for over 21 percent of the total units sold.
Warner President Ron Sanders believes the movie will hit 1 million Blu-ray copies sold in its first week, a milestone for the format.
“We think we will hit 1 million this weekend,” said Sanders. “What’s really encouraging about it is that the Blu-ray version did exceptionally well across the board. It wasn’t just selling in Best Buy or Wal-Mart, but also it did well in grocery and game stores. It was surprising to us just how well it did.”
The previous record holder was Iron Man which sold 265,000 Blu-ray copies on its first day on way to 500,000 units in the first week.
Possibly even more important for the Blu-ray format is the fact that 21 percent of total sales is much higher than the average 10 percent that most new Blu-ray releases garner.