B5 DVD R1 Sales

[Joseph DeMartino]

Well, Video Business Magazine has posted their U.S. domestic DVD sales results for the week ending November 10th, and the results look good for B5. Since this is the only source of reasonably objective sales data the general public is apt to have access to, it is worth taking a look at it.

First the bad news: B5 did not crack the "Top 15 Sellers" list, which reflects the aggregate sales at a number of top retailers. However, this top 15 list is slightly skewed, because it is not simply a list of best selling titles, but best selling editions. Thus Spiderman occupies the top two slots - the number one selling disc for the week being the widescreen version, and number two being the pan & scan edition. Mr. Deeds and Ya-Ya Sisterhood also occupy two slots each for p&s and widescreen versions. So 6 of the 15 places on the list are taken up by a mere 3 movies. Not surprising that the B5 boxed set didn't manage to snare one of the remaining 9 slots. In fact, the only TV series to crack the top 15 was HBO's Band of Brothers mini-series. Neither ST:TNG nor The X-Files made the main page.

When you look at the sales charts for some of the major merchants, however, you see a different story.

At Amazon.com B5 ranked 16 for the week. The TV series on their top 25 list were:

Band of Brothers (1)
The Simpsons: S2 (3)
SportsNight (Complete Season) (12)
24: S1 (13)
B5: S1 (16)
The Simpsons: S1 (20)
The Sopranos: S3(25)

No Trek, no X-Files

Best Buy's Top TV series (29 listed, total):

Band of Brothers (4)
ST:TNG S5 (18)
The X-Files: S5 (20)
B5: S1 (21)

Blockbuster has Band of Brothers at #4. No other TV series appear on its top 10 sellers list, but Blockbuster is slow to acquire TV series (major minis excepted) and it will probably be a couple of weeks before they even stock any of the regular TV shows released on November 5th for rental - and several more before it starts selling them.

Circuit City doesn't list B5 at all, but when I visited two of their stores last week they weren't carrying the set, and didn't have it on their inventory list.

TV shows from DVD Empire's top 20 list:

Band of Brothers (2)
ST:TNG S5 (5)
B5: S1 (13)
The X-Files: S6 (16)


Overall B5's average placement on the four lists that carried it was 12.5. Not bad for a little cult TV series that hardly anyone has heard of. No wonder Warner Bros. was "stunned". /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Regards,

Joe

 

[Shaal Mayan]

Gee, great news. Thanks for the input.

 

[A_M_Swallow]

In the town of Bournemouth in England Babylon 5 Season 1 appears to have sold out.

At www.amazon.co.uk the box set is at 71 in the hourly list with a 2 week order - so Amazon UK have sold out too. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

The shortage of sets in the U.K. may have more to do with Warner Bros. trying to fix the "Sky Full of Stars" problem than actual sales. I've heard of stores pulling the sets from their shelves. (But can't confirm this) WHV may be replacing them, or may be shipping replacement discs to be inserted in the boxes, which will then be put back into shrink-wrap by the merchants.

Regards,

Joe

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Hey, Joe, you've probably already given this info on more than one occasion but do you know where one might send a short letter of "thanks" for finally releasing B5 on DVD? Snail mail, not e-mail. Thank you. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Douglas Wadleigh
Vice-President, Marketing and Special Features
Warner Home Video
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Joe