Twilight DVD takes lead in '09 video sales

Twilight DVD takes lead in '09 video sales

By Thomas K. Arnold cheap twilight

March 30, 2009, 06:40 PM ET

"Twilight"

With sales hitting 5.6 million units at the end of this weekend, Summit Home Entertainment's "Twilight" is now the top-selling home entertainment release of the year, according to Home Media Magazine's market research department.

The film narrowly surpassed the previous top seller, Paramount/DreamWorks' "Madgascar: Escape 2 Africa," which has sold an estimated 5.3 million units since its Feb. 6 release, according to Home Media research.

"Twilight," like the "Madagascar" sequel, wasn't released on the traditional Tuesday street date. Rather, the film arrived on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on Saturday, March 21 ("Madagascar" came out on a Friday).

The release sold 3 million units its first day in stores, Summit says, enough to send it to the top of the weekly Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart even though it was only on sale a single day.

As of the end of the day Friday, Summit Home Entertainment president Steve Nickerson reports, the film had sold 5.4 million copies, with the total shooting to 5.6 million over the weekend.

Just 3% of the film's total unit sales came from Blu-ray Disc, not surprising given the "Twilight's" Blu-ray Disc edition is being sold only at Target Stores and Best Buy until May 5. Buy Twilight