Lionsgate, the leading next generation studio, reigned supreme for the second week in a row as the high concept action thriller Gamer, produced by Lakeshore Entertainment, sold 1.4 million DVD and Blu-ray units in its first week to debut at number one on both the DVD and Blu-ray sell through and rental charts.
The number one opening comes just one week after Lionsgate’s successful relationship with writer/director Tyler Perry struck gold, once again, when Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself captured the top spot on the weekly charts. Gamer marks the third film from the writer/director team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor released by Lionsgate. Lionsgate also scored on the charts in 2007 when the Neveldine/Taylor film Crank debuted as the number one DVD in its first week of release. In 2009, Crank 2 High Voltage debuted at number two on the DVD weekly charts and also landed the number one spot on the Blu-ray and iTunes charts
After its first week, Gamer appears positioned to significantly over-index its theatrical box office performance on DVD, converting at over 100% of box office and reflecting another example of Lionsgate’s typically high theatrical box office-to-DVD conversation rate. Gamer achieved the highest box office-to-DVD conversion rate in the industry since the home entertainment debut of Lionsgate’s Crank 2 High Voltage in September 2009. Lionsgate continues to maintain the highest conversion rate of any studio–approximately 36% higher than the studio average.
The high concept action thriller, which earned over $20 million domestically and almost $40 million worldwide at the box office during its theatrical run, features an all-star cast including Gerard Butler (300), three-time Emmy nominee Michael C. Hall (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, “Dexter,” 2008 & 2009; “Six Feet Under,” 2002), Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (Crash) and Golden Globe winner Kyra Sedgwick (Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama, “The Closer,” 2007).
“Lionsgate continues to be the industry leader in box office to home entertainment conversion by releasing successful action movies like Gamer,” said Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate General Manager and Executive Vice President. “The combination of a high-powered cast and non-stop excitement appeals to audiences who consume home entertainment in all iterations.”
