Dead Man's Chest opens with gold

Latest Pirates of the Caribbean DVD sells 5 million units on first day

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 12/6/2006

Dead Man's Chest is on pace to sell 10 million units in its first week.

DEC. 6 | The latest The Pirates of the Caribbean DVD dug up first-day sales treasure of 5 million units, according to distributor Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

That Dec. 5 haul equals the 5 million units sold on the first day of sales of Warner Home Video’s March release Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which had held the 2006 first-day trophy to this point.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is widely expected to be the year’s top seller, with Cars and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe also in the Top 5.

Based on its first-day sales, Dead Man’s Chest is on pace for first-week sales of 10 million copies.

Cars sold 9 million units during its first sales week, according to Rentrak Retail Essentials. Narnia and Potter follow at 7 million sold during each of their respective debut frames.

When it bowed theatrically in July, Dead Man’s Chest broke U.S. opening weekend box-office records. It has emerged as this year’s top-grossing film, generating more than $1 billion in worldwide sales.

“We could not be more thrilled with the incredible success of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” said Buena Vista president Bob Chapek. “This franchise is a genuine treasure for us, and we are ecstatic that the momentum generated at theatrical has continued with the DVD release. Consumers have an insatiable appetite for all things Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Retailers were hyping a bounty of exclusive Pirates tie-in merchandise in the hopes of luring customers from rivals. With Pirates purchase, Best Buy shoppers scored a free bonus DVD; Wal-Mart, a free T-shirt; and Circuit City, a free DVD game.

“It’s one of the highest week-one sales we’ve seen in quite some time,” Best Buy spokesman Brian Lucas said. “Right now, Pirates is exceeding our forecasts. It’s definitely one of the biggest titles for the holiday season.”

Regional chain Newbury Comics performed strongly with Dead Man’s Chest, selling 538 copies on its Dec. 5 bow. That outpaced first seven-day sales of other hot fourth-quarter releases Cars, Superman Returns and The Da Vinci Code at that retailer.

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