TORONTO, ONTARIO (Top40 Charts/ High Road Communications) - In the release issued at 10:43AM ET December 18, 2008 there was an error in the first sentence. The sentence read "fastest selling DVD of all time yesterday", it should have read "fastest selling DVD of all time on Tuesday". The complete and corrected release follows.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment Canada is pleased to announce the hit film Mamma Mia! became its fastest selling DVD of all time on Tuesday - shattering first-day sales records for the company. This outstanding DVD success follows the Golden Globe-nominated musical's phenomenal summer run, which exceeded all box office expectations and brought in over $500 million worldwide.
Released on DVD in the United Kingdom in late November, Mamma Mia! shot down the previous Week One sales record in that country, a spot formerly held by Titanic. The momentum for this feel-good film has been similarly unstoppable on this side of the Atlantic, knocking off previous records for Universal held by the likes of King Kong, The Bourne Ultimatum and Jurassic Park - all, special effects-laden, big budget adventure films. Thanks to a strong cast and broad appeal, Mamma Mia! has transcended typical DVD success stories.
"We are thrilled with the results - it is our best Day One performance this year," said Mike Gludish, division merchandise manager, Wal-Mart Canada. "Mamma Mia! has surpassed our sales targets and we expect that to continue right through the holidays."
Elsewhere, Mamma Mia! has left retailers stunned at the level of demand. At HMV Canada, president Humphrey Kadaner and his team knew they had something special on their hands early on.
"Prior to its release, we had more consumer requests in our stores for Mamma Mia! than for any DVD release this year, so we knew it would be a massive seller," said Kadaner. "However, its rate of sale in our stores has even exceeded our very high expectations - Mamma Mia! is flying off our shelves!"
Mamma Mia!'s success isn't limited to retail outlets, either: the movie shot to the top of iTunes movie download charts in Canada on Day 1 and continues to hold the top spot.
With barely a week to go in the busiest shopping season of the year, Mamma Mia! will continue to top holiday wish lists. Universal Home Entertainment is doing everything it can to ensure that retailers have plenty of stock to meet demand.
"We threw on 'Dancing Queen' for a minute to let everyone here celebrate, but quickly got back to work," said Steve Dorman, president, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Canada. "This is an amazing way for us to end the year, but we want to make sure everyone can enjoy this wonderful movie over the holidays."
Mamma Mia! is available on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def in a single Disc DVD, a 2-disc Special Edition widescreen DVD and 2-Disc Blu-ray Hi-Def with digital copy: the Special Editions both include the "Sing Along" special feature.
About Universal Studios Home Entertainment Canada
Universal Studios Home Entertainment Canada is a division of Universal Studios Canada Inc. (www.universalstudioscanada.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network, a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.
