DVD Software Breaks Greatest Weekly Sales Record

Four weeks before the all-important Christmas holiday shopping season, Thanksgiving shoppers spiked DVD software sales as they snapped up movies and music videos over the celebratory weekend.Total DVD software sales for the week ended Nov. 28, 1999, were nearly 817,000 units, exceeding last year's Christmas holiday-week sales (722,000 units) by more than 13 percent, according to VideoScan.This all-time high represents the digital format's greatest titles sales for a single week since launching in spring 1997, nearly a 68 percent increase over that which was sold through to consumers during the Thanksgiving week in 1998.Although many blockbuster titles were released last week, the best sellers were still popular hold-outs from previous weeks. In its 10th week of release, ""The Matrix"" from Warner Home Video tops the list of the 20 best selling DVD Video titles for the week ended November 28, 1999.Music videos were also big sellers with Eagles' ""Hell Freezes Over"" from Geffen topping the best-selling music video titles in the DVD Video format, according to the charts released today from the DVD Video Group and VideoScan.An additional factor to the spike in sales is the growing number of titles that initially shipped more than 1 million units. ""Titanic"" (Paramount Home Video), ""The Matrix"" (Warner Home Video), ""Saving Private Ryan"" (DreamWorks Home Entertainment) and ""Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"" (New Line Home Video) have all shipped at least 1 million units, helping to underscore the growing popularity of DVD.""These consumer purchases show that DVD Video will be a remarkably popular gift item this holiday season,"" said Paul Culberg, President, DVD Video Group and Executive Vice President, worldwide, Columbia TriStar Home Video. ""It is exciting to see consumers embrace DVD with so much enthusiasm, and we expect to see more record-breaking sales over the next few weeks.""The DVD Video Group estimates that there are more than 3.5 million DVD players installed in homes and predicts that there will be well over 4 million DVD players in homes by year end.The weekly DVD Video sales charts are based on sales data collected by VideoScan from retail locations nationwide, including Best Buy, Blockbuster, Circuit City, Musicland, Tower Records and more, but does not include small specialty stores and mass merchants such as Wal-Mart and Kmart. The charts are available weekly on the DVD Video Group's Web site (www.dvdvideogroup.com).Since its inception in 1993, VideoScan has been providing timely video sales information and charting capabilities for major studios as well as home video divisions specializing in non-theatrical areas of interest. VideoScan's computerized point-of-sale tracking system currently collects data from more than 16,000 retail locations.VideoScan utilizes the same technology for its home video and DVD services that its sister company, SoundScan, presently uses to compile music industry charts and data.The DVD Video Group is a Los Angeles-based, industry-funded nonprofit corporation that exists expressly to promote consumer awareness of the benefits of DVD Video and to provide updated information to the media and the retail trade about DVD Video players, movies and music videos. Consumers can reach the DVD Video Group at 310 967 2940 or through its Web site at www.dvdvideogroup.com.TOP 20 BEST-SELLING DVD VIDEO TITLESFor the Week Ended November 28, 1999Rank Title Label1 Matrix Warner Home Video2 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me New Line Home Video3 Entrapment Twentieth Century Fox HomeEntertainment4 South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Paramount Home Video5 Haunting Universal Studios Home Video6 Saving Private Ryan Universal Studios Home Video7 Iron Giant Warner Home Video8 Titanic Paramount Home Video9 Big Daddy Columbia TriStar Home Video10 Mummy: Special Edition (Fullscreen) Universal Studios Home Video11 Enemy Of The State Buena Vista HomeEntertainment12 Mummy: Special Edition (Widescreen) Universal Studios Home Video13 Notting Hill Universal Studios Home Video14 Apocalypse Now Paramount Home Video15 Lady & The Tramp Buena Vista HomeEntertainment16 Blair Witch Project Artisan Entertainment17 Peter Pan Buena Vista HomeEntertainment18 Heat Warner Home Video19 Last Of The Mohicans Twentieth Century Fox HomeEntertainment20 Mulan Buena Vista HomeEntertainmentTOP 10 BEST-SELLING MUSIC DVD VIDEO TITLESFor the Week Ended November 28, 1999Rank Artist Title Label1 Eagles Hell Freezes Over Geffen2 Madonna Video Collection 1992-1999 Warner Music3 Sarah McLachlan Mirrorball Arista4 Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Angel AmericanGramaphone5 Metallica A Year & A Half In The ElektraLife of Metallica EntertainmentParts 1 & 26 Ricky Martin Video Collection Columbia Records6 Fleetwood Mac Dance Warner Music8 Eric Clapton Crossroads Center Benefit Warner Music9 Metallica Cliff 'Em All ElektraEntertainment10 Bee Gees One Night Only: Live ImageSource: DVD Video Group and VideoScan