'The Hunger Games' racks up huge sales in home entertainment launch

Franchise-starter moved 3.8 million DVD/Blu-ray copies in its first weekend

By Chris Eggertsen Tuesday, Aug 21, 2012 11:27 PM

Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games."

Credit: Lionsgate

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Shocker: "The Hunger Games" is racking up blockbuster sales in the home entertainment market.

The Jennifer Lawrence-starrer sold an estimated 3.8 million DVD and Blu-ray copies in its first weekend of North American release, according to Lionsgate, with the title also becoming the studio's biggest-ever digital and on demand launch. The film also set a record on Zune Video for Xbox, pulling in more first-day sales than any other title in the streaming service's history.

In addition, Blu-ray copies accounted for 35% of the film's first-weekend sales, a fact celebrated by Lionsgate Executive Vice President and General Manager of Home Entertainment Ron Schwartz, who said in a statement: "We are especially pleased to see more than one third of its first weekend units sold in the higher margin Blu-ray format, a remarkably high percentage."

"The Hunger Games" grossed over $407 million at the North American box-office, and over $684 million worldwide. The film's upcoming sequel, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," is slated for release on November 22, 2013.

Did you buy "The Hunger Games" on DVD or Blu-ray this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

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Chris Eggertsen
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A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.