It didn't take much — only the biggest-grossing film of all time — to create a huge bump-up in Blu-ray's share of the video-disc piece in the movie's first partial week in release.
Blu-ray's typical revenue share in the low teens, (the previous week is was 12 percent) soared to 22 percent, thanks to the four days' of 'Avatar" sales in the most recent week-long reporting period. (A second new release, "Crazy Heart,' likely helped, too, coming in at the runner-up slot after the sci-fi blockbuster.)
And if high tides lift all boats, then standard DVD sales also were greatly helped, too, by "Avatar" — with standard DVD sales rising nearly 40 percent over the same period a year ago. In most weeks, DVD sales are even or below the previous year's numbers.
Blu-ray titles' revenue in the week ending April 25 was more than $66.5 million (up a whopping 243 percent over a year ago). DVD sales, meanwhile, were more than $231 million (up 39.5 percent), according to Home Media Research.
Overall Blu-ray/DVD sales were just under $298 million —up nearly 61 percent over a year ago.
