Blu-ray has evolved, the Matrix is destroyed.

[FendersRule]

The Matrix on the DVD is the highest shipping DVD and has the best one-week sales of DVD.

1.5 Million DVDs of the Matrix were shipped during a specific time period in 1999.

However, this doesn't tell us anything, but surprise:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...30/ai_55918526

The Matrix sold 780,000 units in the first week of sales (Sept 21, 1999). I would guess that these are US figures, and not world-wide. This is what Blu-ray has to tackle.

The Dark Knight on Blu-ray sold 600,000 units in ONE day in the US (+ Canada and Britain).

The DVD sales were 3 million for this same day.

The good news:

Need I say more? Can this really be true? The Dark Knight being the most successful release ever, especially over the matrix DVD? I would say so. The Matrix is destroyed.

However, people are still buying DVDs of The Dark Knight. 3,000,000 DVDs vs 600,000 Blu-rays in one day. It would be nice to see the gap smaller.

[freddylinni]

The King is dead. Long Live the Knight!

A chart that compares 1 million seller:

[Nick VanWilder]

yes because it is the best movie ever

[DrrnHarr]

Except of course that DVD was launched in March 1997, NOT Aug. 1997 as this chart reports.

Ref: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...advdsales.html

[freddylinni]

Originally Posted by DrrnHarr

Except of course that DVD was launched in March 1997, NOT Aug. 1997 as this chart reports.

Ref: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...advdsales.html

DVD was launched in march limited to some cities. National Launch was in august.
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/308.cfm

[56@Yamamoto]

Given only notorious first Samsung player, virtualy first half year of the Blu-ray history was less than test marketing, I think.

On the other hand, DVD's limited launched cities had strong demand in the nationwide. And at 1999, "Amazon.com" was already in service nationwide.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by freddylinni

DVD was launched in march limited to some cities. National Launch was in august.
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/308.cfm

Sounds similar to Blu-ray. The original Samsung player was a soft-launch, full launch came in November with the PS3...

[freddylinni]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

Sounds similar to Blu-ray. The original Samsung player was a soft-launch, full launch came in November with the PS3...

If you consider PS3 as launch of BD it is exatly 760 days. The same as DVD :-)

Funny.

Edit: (if looking at global launch date)

[Mr. Cinema]

Isn't Iron Man the format's first million seller?

[Bobby Henderson]

I think it's an apples to oranges comparison in rating the original DVD release of The Matrix in 1999 versus that of The Dark Knight on Blu-ray and DVD in 2000.

The quoted 3 million DVDs figure for TDK (and actually that 3 million figure was an overall unit count including Blu-ray discs) is not valid for comparison. DVD currently has an install base of at least 130 million standalone players in the United States alone. The install base of DVD players in 1999 was only 2%-3% of that total. The customer base of DVD movie buyers was much smaller in 1999 than it is today.

Also keep in mind those TDK figures are world wide totals, not figures for the United States alone.

Overall, it is stupid for anyone to even try to take away what the The Matrix accomplished in 1999. DVD was very much a high priced niche format then. The Matrix did a great deal to change that. WB also took the unprecedented step in pricing the movie low. I paid less for the DVD than I did for the movie soundtrack!

The Dark Knight has been the most successful release yet for Blu-ray. The sales numbers suggest it is thrusting Blu-ray up to a new plateau of market penetration. And other movies released on Blu-ray next year and years after that will surpass the unit sales numbers of TDK. The Matrix was the biggest selling DVD title of all time until Gladiator beat the record in 2000. The Lord of the Rings DVDs set new records.

[GodofBlu]

I think the OP's argument is overly simplistic. Back in the day of DVD & the Matrix, online sales were not as prevalent as they are now. Today with pre-orders and online sales, lots of disc can be sold quickly.

The sales figure of 3,000,000 DVD's to 600,000 BD's is very interesting for TDK, but has limited value without a similar Matrix figure for VHS to DVD. That would give a better indication of penetration.

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by GodofBlu

I think the OP's argument is overly simplistic. Back in the day of DVD & the Matrix, online sales were not as prevalent as they are now. Today with pre-orders and online sales, lots of disc can be sold quickly.

The sales figure of 3,000,000 DVD's to 600,000 BD's is very interesting for TDK, but has limited value without a similar Matrix figure for VHS to DVD. That would give a better indication of penetration.

The people who had a DVD player in 1999 were the tech-savvy people, and had the online purchasing capabilities of today.

The masses would not have, but the masses were not DVD owners at the time.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema

Isn't Iron Man the format's first million seller?

I am pretty sure that Iron Man was indeed the first million dollar seller. TDK just achived (most probably) the same feat, but on a week's time.

[GoYanks]

Originally Posted by GodofBlu

The sales figure of 3,000,000 DVD's to 600,000 BD's is very interesting for TDK, but has limited value without a similar Matrix figure for VHS to DVD. That would give a better indication of penetration.

I too would like to know that last piece of the puzzle.

[Terjyn]

Week 1 sales of the Matrix on DVD:VHS: 780,000:0.

The VHS version did not come out till 3 months later.

There is no meaningful way to compare them.

[DrrnHarr]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

Week 1 sales of the Matrix on DVD:VHS: 780,000:0.

The VHS version did not come out till 3 months later.

There is no meaningful way to compare them.

Correct. I remember those days I adopted DVD on early 1998 and I recall checking the VHS prices for DVD movies I was ordering for less than $20 on Amazon and seeing the VHS rental price on Amazon (well over $100).

That was a major plus for DVD, ie that the DVD general release came earlier than the VHS general release

[Bobby Henderson]

Regardless of how anyone wants to try to spin it, only a stupid person will insist on diminishing what The Matrix did to advance the DVD format. Nothing can ever change that. It is permanently carved into history. Anyone who has a problem with it can be invited to invent a time machine to go back and alter that. But that isn't going to change what happened. So the folks who want to crap on The Matrix are just going to come off retarded.

The advancement of DVD in 1999 is a 100% absolutely separate issue. It doesn't have the first damned thing to do with Blu-ray. So there is no need to turn it in to some stupid screwed up contest. Only the idiot Blu-ray haters out there are doing that. Don't sink to their putrefied level.

Blu-ray is another thing entirely different from DVD. It is today's news. DVD is decade old history. TDK is only relevant now for what it is doing to help the Blu-ray format move into mainstream adoption. Lord knows I've been telling all my friends about it. TDK is a must have BD title.

[saprano]

So did the dark knight do a million yet?

[Excalibur-king]

Originally Posted by freddylinni

The King is dead. Long Live the Knight!

A chart that compares 1 million seller:

Blu-ray FTW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by freddylinni

The King is dead. Long Live the Knight!

A chart that compares 1 million seller:

Are you completely incapable of making a chart that doesn't blatantly abuse statistics to favor DVD?

Iron Man reached 1 million first, by all known stats.

You can't use the Hard release date for DVD and the soft release date for Blu-Ray.

This chart is the most ridiculous one you've made yet, and it just keeps getting more and more pathetic. Drop your damn "DVD rules" mind-set already.

You know what? Never mind. It is clear that you are incapable of not making up BS charts to support twisted statistics. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful career in marketting. Maybe you should go work for Microsoft or Toshiba. They'd love to have you.