Home entertainment is the name of the game as people are being more careful with their cash and looking for cheaper forms of entertainment. All that has certainly helped the sales of Blu-ray discs with sales hitting a new high in the Christmas run-up. 1.5 million discs were sold in December, an increase of 400% from the same period last year. 2008 saw a total of 3.7million Blu-ray discs sold. The Dark Knight was rated the most popular Blu-ray disc with 281,000 copies sold in just three weeks. However, 178,000 of these copies where put of the Batman Begins box-set.
“We are not surprised that home entertainment is generally bearing up well; as people tighten their belts, many have rejected more extravagant outings in favour of a cosy evening at home with their favourite titles,” said Lavinia Carey, Director General of the British Video Association. “We expect the growth of Blu-ray to continue in 2009 on the back of strong releases such as Quantum of Solace, Tropic Thunder and The Duchess.”
Screen Digest predict sales of 17 million Blu-ray discs during 2009. DVDs are still going strong though. Feelgood musical Mamma Mia! The Movie sold 3.1million in its first week to become the fastest-selling DVD ever with 5.1million sold by the end of 2008. 241 million DVDs are predicted to be sold in Britain during 2009.
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