AFTER months of anticipation, following its smash success at the box office, the multi-award-winning The King’s Speech is now out on DVD and Blu-ray formats – and with over a quarter of a million sales across the whole market on its first day, the signs are that it will not only prove to be one of the biggest releases of 2011, but it will go on to become one of the biggest and fastest-selling period films in video history.
Based on huge online pre-orders and day-one sales of over 250,000 copies across the market, HMV expects a total well over 600,000 and perhaps approaching as much as 750,000 copies to be sold in the UK and Ireland by the end of this week – more than the rest of the top 100 combined.
Such a remarkable figure would be unprecedented for an ‘art-house’ period drama, and, in fact, would be more commonly associated with the likes of Harry Potter and other big blockbuster franchises.
The film was always expected to do exceptionally well when it came out on DVD, but HMV believes that it could also be benefiting from a bit of a Royal Wedding bounce.
HMV’s Gennaro Castaldo comments: “You sometimes get a film that really connects with the public in an unprecedented way, and we’re certainly seeing exceptional interest in The King’s Speech – it’s the kind of demand more commonly reserved for blockbuster franchises like Harry Potter rather than a period drama.
“The DVD was always going to do incredibly well given the film’s box office success, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s been given a further boost by last month’s spectacular Royal Wedding.”
MEDIA RELEASE posted by HMV. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Gennaro Castaldo
Phone: 020 7432 2033 / 07801 194 139
Email: gennaro.castaldo@hmv.co.uk
Website: http://www.hmv.co.uk
