Blu-ray Movie Sales Top 2 Million In Europe February 14, 2008

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The Blu-ray camp are making the most of the troubles afflicting the rival HD DVD camp by releasing some solid sales figures for Europe.

According to the Blu-ray Disc Association, speaking in London, European movie sales have hit 2.37 million, with industry watcher, GfK, confirming the figures. That means 1.37 million Blu-ray movies have sold in the last two months alone. Last August, European Blu-ray sales were just over half a million. The BDA said:

“DVD-Video was first introduced into Western Europe in 1997, and the following year some 230,000 DVD players were installed and 2 million discs were sold through. In comparison, Blu-ray Disc made its first tentative launch in Western Europe in 2006, and the following year some 3.2 million PlayStation 3 consoles and 34,000 standalone players were installed, while 2.3 million Blu-ray discs sold through.”

GfK noted that almost 80 per cent of high-def movies sold so far in 2008 were Blu-ray titles. The biggest selling HD Christmas movie was a feather in the cap for good ole Cap’n Jack, with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End notching up nearly 100,000 sales. This was followed by The Simpsons [odd HD choice that] and Casino Royale.-Martin Lynch

[DVD Times via The Hollywood Reporter]