While it is not a record, The Matrix Reloaded videos performed extremely well during their first day on sale, moving a combined 4 million DVDs and VHS tapes. According to industry sources cited in the Hollywood Reporter, the 2-disk DVD accounted for 95% of the sales. The first film in the Matrix series was an early hit in the DVD format back in September of 1999 when it became the first DVD to sell over a million copies, so it makes perfect sense for the DVD edition of the next Matrix film to dominate the VHS version so completely in today's market. The Matrix Reloaded DVD also benefited from an extensive television ad campaign, which was tied in with the November release of the final film in the trilogy, Matrix Revolutions. The question is, did the marketing campaign drive almost all the Matrix fans out to buy the DVD on the first day of sale, and could this mean that sales will drop off sharply? Time will tell, but there is no doubt that The Matrix Reloaded performed very well right out of the gate in the face of considerable competition, including the first DVD edition of Disney's mega-hit, The Lion King, which has sold more than 5 million units over its first week of release.
95% Of the Sales Are DVDs
Posted by ICv2 on October 16, 2003 @ 11:00 pm CT