Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s animated “Rio” set home video industry records last week as the biggest selling family title ever for an August release.
More than 2.5 million units were sold in the first six days of release, the studio announced today (Aug. 8), with premium-priced two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo packs representing 40% of retail sales.
Making the achievement even more notable is the absence of a Blu-ray 3D version that will not be released until Aug. 30. The vivid and colorful movie looked stunning in 3D in theaters, where it grossed about $500 million worldwide. Many scenes were clearly specifically designed for 3D.
But the 2D version in HiDef Blu-ray is also eye-popping.
The studio expects “Rio” to be among its top sellers of the year.
In addition to a delightful collection of bonus features, the title also provides consumers with exclusive access to unlock never-before-played bonus levels of the smash video game hit Angry Birds Rio, and includes a “RIO Coloring with Blu” app that lets users color their favorite characters and backgrounds on their iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or Android. Their finished art can then be printed out using AirPrint or shared on Facebook and other social networking sites.
Fox backed the title with a strong marketing push that, in addition to ads on TV and other media, included 75 beach and mall takeovers across the U.S., promotional tie-ins with Capri Sun, Chiquita, Little Debbie, Applebees and others that contributed to more than 1 billion consumer impressions, and the formal kickoff concert with Sergio Mendes in Glendale, Ca. last week at the Americana at Brand that attracted more than 7,000 people. Mendes also played with the The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on “Rio’s” street date.
— By Scott Hettrick