'Star Wars' breaks Blu-ray sales records
The disc set, featuring the entire "Star Wars" saga, is now the bestselling Blu-ray title of all time. The film made $84 million in its first week of availability.
After just a week on store shelves, "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" on Blu-ray has already set global sales records.
Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox have so far sold one million units of the Blu-ray box set, which launched on September 16, including 515,000 units in North America alone. With that many unit sales, according to the film studios, "Star Wars" is now the "bestselling catalog Blu-ray Disc of all time."
In addition, the "Star Wars" Blu-ray set generated $84 million in worldwide revenue in the past week, including $38 million in North America, the companies said.
The "Star Wars" franchise premiered in 1977 on just 32 screens across the U.S. But soon after receiving high praise from critics and a loyal following, the franchise's popularity skyrocketed, and it has become one of the most celebrated in history. Now more than 30 years later, it appears the titles have yet to lose their appeal.
Related stories:
• 'Star Wars' Blu-ray launch upped to September 16
• Lucasfilm changes original 'Star Wars' trilogy again
• Unboxing 'Star Wars: The Complete Saga' on Blu-ray
Much of the success of "Star Wars" on Blu-ray has to do with all the content available to buyers. Aside from the six films, the nine-disc set boasts a host of deleted, extended, and alternate scenes, as well as documentaries.
However, not everyone was so happy to hear about all the "enhancements" Lucasfilm was bringing to the films. Prior to the launch of the disc set, it was revealed that George Lucas had made some changes to the films, including a host of modifications to "Return of the Jedi." After learning of that, some fans said that they would nix plans to buy the box set to protest the decision.
Lucasfilm didn't comment on the outcry, but in its sales announcement last night, the company celebrated its fans' loyalty to the franchise.
"Once again, our fan's enthusiasm to celebrate 'Star Wars' continues to amaze us," Kayleen Walters, senior director of marketing at Lucasfilm said in a statement.
