Full house for "Casino Royale" DVD

By Thomas K. Arnold

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Casino Royale" blasted its way to the top of the national DVD charts Wednesday, proving the new look of James Bond is as much a hit in video stores as it was on the big screen.

The 007 thriller, which grossed $167 million in North American theaters, bumped reigning champ "Borat" to No. 3 spot on Nielsen VideoScan's First Alert sales chart and No. 2 on Home Media Magazine's video rental chart during the week ended March 18.

Also new was "The Holiday," which bowed at No. 2 on the sales chart and No. 3 on the rental chart.

"Casino," which stars Daniel Craig as the new 007, outsold "Holiday" by more than 3-to-1; in rental stores, "Casino" generated an estimated $9.2 million in revenue, compared with $8 million for "Holiday."

Sales of "Borat" remained surprisingly strong during its second week. The irreverent comedy is now the No. 3 DVD seller of the year, behind "The Departed" and "Open Season."

"Casino" also made a big splash on Blu-ray its first week in stores, outselling its nearest competitor, "Departed," by 9-to-1. "Casino" is now the No. 2 Blu-ray seller since the format's inception in June.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter