Until this weekend, Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight had held the record for the most Blu-ray discs sold -- 2.5 million over the past 16 months. That record was shattered in just four days with the debut of Avatar on Thursday with sales of 2.7 million discs along with 4 million standard-definition DVDs. Early reports indicated that the Avatar home-video release probably set similar overseas records. Reporting on the record sales, the Los Angeles Times commented, "The huge debut for Avatar on home video dispels concerns that consumers wouldn't want to see it on a 2-D home television after most watched it in theaters in 3-D." Several analysts predicted that the movie would give the Blu-ray system the boost it needs to supplant traditional DVDs. (Retailers reported that many customers bought Blu-ray players along with the discs.) Home Media magazine quoted an unnamed long-time industry observer as saying, "When everyone sees what Blu-ray can do for this movie, they're never going to look back. ... This release will make the format."

26/04/2010