STAR WARS: The Complete Saga Blu-ray pulls in $84 Million!
Regardless of all the complaining from Star Wars fans because the changes George Lucas made to his classic films, and the several hardcore fans who said they were boycotting the Blu-ray release, they still came out in droves purchasing the Blu-ray saga. Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox has announced they sold one million units worldwide and made $84 million dollars! This makes the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray set the record holder for #1 pre-order and #1 catalog title since the launch of the HD Blu-ray format. These kind of numbers don't surprise me at all, we all knew it was going to make bank, after all... we're talking about Star Wars here.
Here's the full press release:
Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced today that STAR WARS is the bestselling catalog Blu-ray Disc of all time with worldwide sales totaling one million units, including 515,000 units sold in North America in its first week alone. This represents $84 million in worldwide consumer spend including $38 million in North America - unprecedented for a nine-disc Blu-ray collection at a premium price.
The thirteen-month campaign to launch the SAGA Blu-ray and engage consumers around the globe began in August 2010. From Darth Vader at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a first look at San Diego Comic Con, a first-of-its-kind partnership with eBay, to creating the world’s largest lightsaber in the UK, the power of the Force continued to resonate around the world as fans came out in droves to have fun with that galaxy far, far away.
"Once again our fans’ enthusiasm to celebrate Stars Wars continues to amaze us,” said Kayleen Walters, Senior Director, Marketing, Lucasfilm. “Our goal was to deliver a premium product that they could enjoy with their family and friends and we are thrilled that they are enjoying it as much as we hoped they would.”
"Star Wars is a franchise with universal stories that resonates as much today as it did 30 years ago," said Mary Daily, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Vincent Marcais, Senior Vice President of International Marketing for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. "With the Blu-ray, audiences can go deeper into the mythology than ever before and reconnect with everything they love about the Saga in the best possible quality."
The comprehensive collection includes the six movies with unparalleled high-definition picture and sound quality, and features numerous deleted, extended and alternate scenes, new documentaries and a cross-section of the countless Star Wars spoofs that have appeared in pop culture over the past three decades. Marking the first time ever that the full Saga is available in one complete collection, STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA ON BLU-RAY also features a coveted peek into the making of the Saga with vintage documentaries, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, prop and costume turnarounds, retrospectives and more.
Episodes I-III and IV-VI are also available as distinct Blu-ray Trilogy collections.