The Greatest Showman passes one million video sales as home entertainment sector records huge first half of 2018

The musical movie cleans up across DVD, Blu-ray and digital download platforms.
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The Greatest Showman leads a hugely successful year for the UK's home entertainment sector in which 38 million copies of your favourite movies and TV shows have been snapped up on DVD, Blu-ray or digital download so far in 2018.

The British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE) have issued a half-year report looking at 2018's success stories, with The Greatest Showman smashing records to take the crown as the year's most popular release so far with 1.4 million sales.

Already revealed as the fastest-selling digital download movie of all-time back in May, the musical film has now been verified as the first release to ever surpass 500,000 'download and keep' transactions. Overall, the digital download sector is up 27% year-on-year.

The Greatest Showman has so far spent four weeks at Number 1 on the Official Video Chart, which does not include digital downloads.

Of the 38 million copies sold so far in 2018, the Top 10 best-sellers - a list that includes Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Paddington 2 - represent 7.2 million, an increase of 8% compared to last year's Q2 tally.

New releases make up 44% of sales in 2018 so far, up three percent from 2017, and there's more good news for the 4K Ultra HD format: the Blu-ray spin-off now accounts for 12% of Blu-ray sales, pushing Blu-ray's share of the market to 25%. With the average price of Blu-ray discs rising 7.8 per cent, BASE's findings prove that consumers are willing to pay more for a premium experience.

“So far 2018 has seen the home entertainment sector benefit from consistently strong performance across a broad range of titles, with films like The Greatest Showman and Paddington 2 underlining that audiences remain engaged with the category even as it adapts to changing viewing habits and tastes, explained Liz Bales, Chief Executive at BASE.

"Whether you consider the performance of the top 10, the rise in digital transaction or the increased consumer spend on high definition Blu-ray and 4K UHD titles, there is much to suggest that being able to access a film in your home first and in the best possible quality remains important to many."

MORE: The Official Top 40 biggest DVDs and Blu-rays of 2018 so far

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