Full house for "Casino Royale" DVD
In this file photo, Daniel Craig arrives for the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards at the Royal Opera House in London February 11, 2007. ''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.
Credit: Reuters/Luke MacGregor
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
