‘Monsters, Inc.’ Sells 11 Mln DVDs, Videos in Week
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Animated feature “Monsters, Inc.” set a record in first-week sales of DVDs, leading to shortages at some retailers, creator Pixar and distributor Walt Disney Co. said on Tuesday.
The computer-animated comedy about a pair of monsters who harvest energy from the screams of frightened children to power their city sold 11 million videos and DVDs, second only to “The Lion King,” which sold 20 million videos in its first week in 1995, before the DVD market caught on.
The “Monsters” sales included 7 million DVDs, a record.
“This is definitely more than we had thought we would do,” Steve Jobs ( news – web sites), chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios Inc., said in a telephone interview. “We put a lot into this.” He declined to say what the impact on earnings would be.
Bob Chapek, president of home entertainment at Disney’s Buena Vista distribution arm, said Disney put its largest marketing campaign for a DVD ever behind “Monsters, Inc.,” which was also released with extra short films and footage.
Disney had shipped 20 million units to retailers before the video went on sale on Sept. 17, Chapek said.
“Most stores still have products, although maybe not as much as some of them would like, and that is why we are continuing to replicate,” he said.
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