New Blu-ray Title Stream On Tap

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 4/9/2007

CULVER CITY, CALIF. — Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) said it has shipped more than 100,000 units of the Blu-ray Disc version of "Casino Royale" since its March 13 release and announced a slate of new titles to follow this spring.

The studio said the HD title of the James Bond thriller is setting records at retail for "the greatest number of high-definition copies sold in one day."

"Casino Royale" debuted in the top 10 on Amazon's DVD top-sellers list — a first for any film in high definition, SPHE stated.

The studio said sales of Blu-ray titles have risen more than 700 percent since the November launch of PlayStation3.

"As a point of comparison, the first DVD title to ship 100,000 units took approximately 11 months ["Air Force One" in February 1998]," stated David Bishop, SPHE Worldwide president. " 'Casino Royale' on Blu-ray has done it in far less time and is clearly demonstrating the format's robust growth in the marketplace."

Sony DADC has replicated more than 2 million Blu-ray Discs for Sony Pictures since the launch of the format, the studio said.

Recent and upcoming Blu-ray releases from SPHE include: "The Holiday" (March 13), "Rocky Balboa" (now), "The Pursuit of Happyness" (now), "Volver" (now), "Catch and Release" (May 8), "Stomp the Yard" (May 15) and "Blood and Chocolate" (May 29).

Recent and upcoming SPHE catalog releases in Blu-ray include: "Big Fish" (March 20), "Identity" (April 3), "Donnie Brasco" (May 8) and "Closer" (May 22). Other catalog titles scheduled for upcoming release are "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" (March 27), "Secret Window" (April 24) and "Revenge" (May 8).

One hundred percent of the new release and catalog titles just announced from SPHE are using 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray Discs, with more than 20 50GB titles already in the marketplace.

"Blu-ray has accounted for approximately 70 percent of the high-definition market since the first week in January, and as that market share continues to grow, we are dedicated to providing consumers with the content they crave," added Bishop.