The Mummy Returns scored a sweet $68.1 million at the box office during its opening week on its way to becoming one of the top grossing films of the summer of '01.  But in spite of the huge number of fourth quarter video releases, including both this summer's blockbusters as well as classic films appearing for the first time on DVD (see 'Final Fantasy DVD Details Set'), sales of individual titles remain strong so far, and The Mummy Returns took in over $90 million dollars in video sales and rentals during its first week on video, dwarfing the total it earned during its first week of theatrical release.

 

More than two million Mummy Returns DVDs were sold along with a comparable number of VHS tapes.  Since profit margins on DVDs dwarf the share that the studio receives from box office admissions, it is likely that Universal stands to make considerably more money off the video release than it did from the theatrical exhibition of The Mummy Returns.  While many portions of the U.S. economy remain mired in a near-recession, the strong solid growth performance of the video market, fueled by the transition to DVD, remains a shining strong point.