The animated feature Shrek has generated $110 million in VHS and DVD sales since its release Friday. Consumers bought a record-setting 2.5 million double-disc Shrek DVDs and 4.5 million VHS units, making it the biggest weekend in video since The Lion King‘s release in 1995, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Figures for Shrek eclipsed box office receipts for Buena Vista/Disney and Pixar Animation Studios animated film Monsters, Inc., which took in an estimated $63.6 million in its first three days.
While some have speculated that Shrek was deliberately released on Friday to steal some of Monsters, Inc. thunder, DreamWorks Home Entertainment worldwide head Kelley Avery told The Hollywood Reporter that the release date was based on a combination of factors. The decision was to release Shrek after Halloween but before the video release of Universal’s Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Nov. 20.
“This was also the biggest marketing campaign in the history of DreamWorks Home Entertainment and perhaps the video industry,” Avery said. “Not to mention the fact that it performed phenomenally at the box office, with a domestic box office gross of $266 million.”
Sales of 2.5 million Shrek DVDs in three days surpasses the record set by Universal’s The Mummy Returns, which sold 2 million copies in one week last month.
Disney’s The Lion King still remains the top-grossing animated feature and top-selling video of all time, selling more than 20 million VHS units in its first six days of release and generating $340 million in revenue.
