Video Hits Record Sales In First Week

Sat., Sept. 12, 1998

The Hollywood Reporter

Consumers spent about $250 million on purchase and rental of the “Titanic” video in its first six days of release. It took more than five weeks for the movie to generate that much money at U.S. theaters.

Sources said “Titanic” accounted for more than 60 percent of prerecorded videocassettes sold in the nation during the week ending Sept. 6.

Although the $250 million earned during the six-day frame (which preceded Monday’s Labor Day holiday) is easily a record for first-week sales of a live-action video title, it is well below the record $340 million in estimated retail sales of Walt Disney Home Video’s “The Lion King” in March 1995.

Disney reported that consumers purchased 20 million copies of “The Lion King” in its first six days and 26 million during its first two weeks in stores en route to overall sales of 30 million.

Industry sources project that “Titanic” is on pace to top out at 22 million to 23 million, which would rank it fourth in sales and third in terms of studio revenue because of a higher-than-normal price tag for the double-cassette release.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.