Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, starring Johnny Depp, became the swashbuckler of home video Tuesday, topping 4 million combined DVD and VHS units sold through to consumers and rental stores during its first 24 hours on store shelves.
While Disney executives declined comment on sales or rental numbers, several national retail video buyers predicted the double-disc “Pirates” DVD to perform on par with Disney/Pixar’s animated Finding Nemo, which has become the top-selling DVD of the year and is a contender for best-selling home video of all time, a record that belongs to the original release of Disney’s The Lion King, which sold approximately 32 million VHS units in 1995.
Meanwhile, Fox’s X2: X-Men United dominated both sales and rentals its debut week ending Nov. 30, topping 6 million combined VHS and DVD units sold through to consumers and rental stores nationwide.
The mutant sequel topped Nielsen VideoScan’s First Alert DVD sales chart during its debut week and the “X-Men Collection” two-disc set with X-Men and X2: X-Men United came in at No. 9 during the same frame. When combining all four SKUs of X2: X-Men United, the dark thriller generated an estimated $17 million in weekly rental revenue its first five days on rental shelves, making it the nation’s second-best-renting title.
Universal Studios Home Video’s Bruce Almighty debuted as the nation’s top rental title its debut week ending Nov. 30, earning an estimated $19.13 million in rental revenue during its first five days on rental shelves. The comedy sold about 5 million DVD and VHS units during the same frame.
