Blu-ray Players and Movies Off to Record Start

According to a report by the British Video Association show that Blu-ray sales were very strong this Holiday season. The surge in sales of Blu-ray discs was driven by a strong performance throughout the year, credit crunch notwithstanding. Blu-ray disc sales hit a new high in the run-up to Christmas; 1.5 million discs were sold in December alone, up almost 400% against the same period in 2007. In total the format has sold 3.7 million units in 2008, demonstrating the public's enthusiasm for high quality picture and sound in the home.

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Dark Knight (Warner Home Video) has taken the crown for best selling Blu-ray title of the year with 281,000 copies sold (including sales of the box set with Batman Begins) on the high definition format in just three weeks. Released in early December it became the best-selling Blu-ray title in history, selling more copies on Blu-ray in its first full week (178,000 copies including Batman Begins box-set) in the shops than any other movie ever released on the format.

While Blu-ray has increasingly established its position as the number one choice of next generation of home entertainment, DVDs have also enjoyed a solid year. Mamma Mia! - The Movie (Universal Pictures) officially became the UKs fastest-selling DVD in history, achieving sales of 3.1 million in its first full week in the shops, and 5.1 million by the end of 2008. This is an unprecedented performance by a title with just five weeks on sale. While specific figures are not available, the title was heavily pre-ordered months before release to ensure no one missed out on the Abba magic for Christmas!

While these sales are based in the British market, we'll have to wait and see if the same is true here in the U.S. but I would suspect the same results. I know I bought a new Blu-ray player and dics over the holiday's so I know I added to the sales.