Transformers is undoubtedly one of this year’s biggest films, so it should come to no one’s surprise that its release on the home video market quickly rose to the of the charts. Paramount Pictures today informed the media that Transformers is the top selling day one high-definition release ever.
Transformers on HD DVD sold 100,000 copies on October 16, making it biggest home video high-definition day yet. The release eventually gathering 190,000 sold over the first week, leading Paramount to boast Transformers as, “the fastest and best-selling week one release on either high definitionformat as well as the best selling HD DVD ever.”
“The performance of the Transformers DVD and HD DVD has demonstrated the phenomenal success of this global franchise,” said Kelley Avery, president, Worldwide Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures. “We’re happy to be kicking off the fourth quarter with a title that clearly shows home entertainment releases are still an event that drives consumers into stores — which is a win for both content providers and retailers.”
While no one will argue that Transformers is a title that all high-definition owners would like to have in their collection, the sales crown may still be undecided with Warner Bros.’ 300 release on both HD DVD andBlu-ray Disc. Warner announced a week after release that 300 sold over 250,000 copies, setting new sales records. It was later revealed that more than half of 300 sold on high-definition were on Blu-ray Disc.
One should wonder how much better Transformers may have sold if it were available on Blu-ray Disc, but as Paramount and Dream Works signed an exclusive deal, the robotic battle-filled film currently graces only HD DVD in 1080p.
Owners of only Blu-ray Disc players are likely jealously staring across the line at HD DVD owners – a feeling that Transformers director Michael Bay understands. Bay initially threw a fit after learning that his film would be released in high-definition only on HD DVD, threatening to not return for a sequel. Bay later posted on his blog in a different tune, praising HD DVD’s hardware pricing and said that he might indeed be back to direct Transformers 2.
With home video companies boasting about their record-setting high-definition sales, regular standard-definition DVD continues to cast a mammoth shadow both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc combined. Day one sales of Transformers on DVD hit 4.5 million, with the first week collecting 8.3 million – also setting records for DVD sales this year.