FILM ON
PHYSICAL
VIDEO
BFI Research and Statistics
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2015
Image: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire courtesy of Lionsgate Films
FILM ON PHYSICAL VIDEO
DESPITE FALLING REVENUES,
PARTICULARLY IN THE RENTAL
MARKET, PHYSICAL VIDEO REMAINS
A CRUCIAL ELEMENT OF THE FILM
VALUE CHAIN. IN 2014, FEATURE
FILM VIDEO SALES AND RENTALS IN
THE UK GENERATED JUST UNDER
£1 BILLION.
FACTS IN FOCUS
■
ales for all categories of video on physical media in 2014 were
S
almost £1.3 billion; feature film on video accounted for just
over £860 million.
■
here were 143 million sales of all categories of video on physical
T
media (162 million in 2013), 110 million of these being feature film.
■
ilm accounted for 77% of the volume of the video sales market
F
and 68% of the value. UK films accounted for around 25% of all
films sold on video.
■
he most popular purchase on both DVD and Blu-ray in 2014
T
was Frozen.
■
he value of the video rental market for film was £107 million in
T
2014, with online rental with postal delivery accounting for 74%
of all feature film rental transactions.
‘Video’ is used in this chapter as the generic description of all physical video, including DVD, Blu-ray and
other physical formats, in line with the British Video Association’s (BVA) definition; it does not include
downloads. Information on films rented or purchased by download or streaming will be available in the
Film on digital video report.
In 2014, 143 million videos in all categories were sold, down 12% on 2013. As Figure 1.1 shows, the total
market value was £1,264 million, down 12% from £1,438 million in 2013. The sales of videos peaked in
2004, and since then the trends for both sales value and volume have been decreasing.
DVDs accounted for the majority of all categories of video sales (82% by value and 88% by volume).
Blu-ray disc sales accounted for 18% of total video sales by value and 12% of sales by volume in 2014.
These figures are unchanged from 2013.
Feature film represented approximately 68% of the retail video market by value (£861 million)
and 77% by volume (110 million units) in 2014. UK films accounted for around 25% of sales, by volume,
of film on video.
Figure 1.1 Retail video sales (all categories), 1999-2014
Million
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Volume (million)
96
114
135
169
208
234
222
228
249
257
243
223
207
179
162
143
Value (£ million)
878
1,101
1,417
1,896
2,245
2,478
2,309
2,219
2,246
2,237
1,975
1,839
1,749
1,543
1,438
1,264
Source: BVA, IHS
Note: Data in this table include all categories of retail video, not only film.
The number of films sold on video more than trebled between 1999 and 2008, from 61 million units to
196 million, before falling in 2009 to 180 million. The decrease in sales has continued since 2009, with
119 million units sold in 2013 and 110 million sold in 2014 (Figure 1.2).
BFI Statistical Yearbook 2015 - 3
FILM ON PHYSICAL VIDEO
FILM IN THE RETAIL VIDEO MARKET
Figure 1.2 Film on video retail sales, 1999-2014
Million
1,800
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Volume (million)
61
76
96
128
158
180
164
165
188
196
180
160
152
127
119
110
Value (£ million)
451
601
821
1,175
1,392
1,557
1,399
1,302
1,440
1,454
1,311
1,267
1,165
968
940
861
Source: BFI RSU analysis of Official Charts Company and BVA data
Note: Includes some feature films which would be classified as ‘children’s’ videos in the BVA Yearbook.
As Figure 1.3 shows, the average unit price for film on video increased with the introduction of the DVD
format in the late 1990s to reach a peak in 2002, but there was a general downward trend from 2002 to
2009. The average price increased to £7.90 in 2010 compared with 2009’s £7.29, and has stayed at similar
levels since. In 2014 the average price per film on physical video was £7.80.
Figure 1.3 Average retail price of film per unit, 1999-2014
Price (£)
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Price (£)
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
7.46
7.87
8.56
9.15
8.80
8.64
8.52
7.89
7.68
7.42
7.29
7.90
7.64
7.62
7.93
7.80
Source: BFI RSU analysis of Official Charts Company and BVA data
Table 1.1 shows the top 10 best selling films on physical video in 2014. Five of the top 10 titles were
released theatrically in 2014, and the other five were released in 2013.
At the top of the list is Frozen, the fourth highest grossing film at the UK box office in 2013, followed by
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second highest grossing film in the UK in 2013. The other titles
released theatrically in 2013 are The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Gravity and Thor: The Dark World. None of
the 2013 theatrical releases appeared in the top 10 best selling films on video in 2013.
4 - BFI Statistical Yearbook 2015
Table 1.1 Top 10 best selling films on physical video formats, 2014
Title
Country
of origin
Distributor
USA
Walt Disney
USA/NZ
Warner Bros
Aus/USA/Den
Warner Bros
USA
Lionsgate
UK
Universal
6 Guardians of the Galaxy
UK/USA
Walt Disney
7 Gravity
UK/USA
Warner Bros
USA
Universal
UK
Channel 4
UK/USA
Walt Disney
1 Frozen
2 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
3 The Lego Movie
4 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
5 Mrs. Brown’s Boys D’Movie
8 The Wolf of Wall Street
9 The Inbetweeners 2
10 Thor: The Dark World
Source: Official Charts Company
As Figure 1.4 shows, action/adventure was the highest selling genre of films sold on video in 2014,
accounting for 26% of the market (25% in 2013). Comedy was the next most popular with 19% of all sales,
followed by drama with 17% – the same pattern as in 2013. (It should be noted that these categories, as
defined by the BVA, differ from the genre categories assigned to the theatrical market by the BFI
Research and Statistics Unit in the Genre and Classification report.)
Figure 1.4 Sales of film on physical video formats by genre, 2014
Genre%
Action/adventure
25.5
Comedy
18.9
Drama
17.3
Sci-fi
10.0
Thriller
9.1
Family
6.9
Horror
6.7
Musical
1.8
War
1.4
Western
1.3
Documentary
0.6
Anime
0.3
Adult
0.1
Source: Official Charts Company, BVA
Note: These genres are assigned by the BVA; the
categories are not the same as those in the Genre
and Classification report.
BFI Statistical Yearbook 2015 - 5
FILM ON PHYSICAL VIDEO
The highest earning title from the 2014 theatrical releases is The Lego Movie, which was the year’s third
highest earning film at the UK box office.
The list of the top 10 UK performers on sell-through video in 2014 includes five titles which are also in
the overall top 10 for the year: Mrs. Brown’s Boys D’Movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Gravity, The Inbetweeners 2
and Thor: The Dark World (Table 1.2). As with the overall top 10 chart, five of the titles were released
theatrically in 2014 and five were released in 2013.
Four of the top 10 UK qualifying films on video are independent titles, including the second highest
earning independent theatrical release of 2014, The Inbetweeners 2.
Table 1.2 Top 10 best selling UK qualifying films on physical video formats, 2014
Title
Country
of origin
Distributor
UK/Ire/USA
Universal
2 Guardians of the Galaxy
UK/USA
Walt Disney
3 Gravity
UK/USA
Warner Bros
UK
Channel 4
5 Thor: The Dark World
UK/USA
Walt Disney
6 Maleficent
UK/USA
Walt Disney
7 Captain Phillips
UK/USA
Sony Pictures
UK/Ger/USA
StudioCanal
9 Philomena
UK
Pathé
10 Non-Stop
UK/Fra/USA
StudioCanal
1 Mrs. Brown’s Boys D’Movie
4 The Inbetweeners 2
8 Rush
Source: BFI RSU analysis of Official Charts Company data
Unlike the previous top 10 charts, the majority of titles in the list of the top 10 UK independent films
sold on video in 2014 were released theatrically in previous years. Six of the titles were released in 2013
and one was released in 2012. The 2012 release, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, features in the chart for the
third consecutive year, while two 2013 releases, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa and Red 2, appear in the chart
for the second consecutive year.
The three titles released theatrically in 2014 include The Inbetweeners 2, which was both the second
highest earning UK and UK independent film of the year. The two other films first released in cinemas
in 2014 were Non-Stop and The Railway Man (Table 1.3).
6 - BFI Statistical Yearbook 2015
Title
Country
of origin
Distributor
UK
Channel 4
UK/Ger/USA
StudioCanal
3 Philomena
UK
Pathé
4 Non-Stop
UK/Fra/USA
1 The Inbetweeners 2
2 Rush
5 The Railway Man
6 Sunshine on Leith
7 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
8 Red 2
9 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
10 Filth
#
StudioCanal
#
UK/Aus
Lionsgate
UK
Entertainment
#
20th Century Fox
UK/USA#
eOne Films
UK/USA/Ind
UK
UK/Ger/USA/Bel
StudioCanal
Lionsgate
#
Source: BFI RSU analysis of Official Charts Company data
# Rush, Non-Stop, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Red 2 and Filth were made with independent (non-studio) US support.
Table 1.4 shows the top 10 best selling feature documentaries on video in 2014. This list does not include
documentaries which are based on music concerts.
Documentaries about sport or sports personalities dominate the list with nine of the top 10 titles. Three
of the titles have appeared in the chart previously. Both Senna and TT3D: Closer to the Edge (both released
theatrically in 2011) appear for the fourth consecutive year, while The Class of ’92 (released in 2013)
appears for the second consecutive year. Senna is the all time highest grossing non-concert UK
documentary at the UK box office, and was the highest selling non-concert documentary on video in
both in 2011 and 2012.
Two of the tiles in the list, The Summit and Manny, were not released theatrically in the UK.
Table 1.4 Top 10 best selling documentary films on physical video formats, 2014
Title
Country
of origin
Distributor
UK/USA
Universal
UK/Ire
Kaleidoscope
3 The Class of ’92
UK/USA
Universal
4 Senna
UK/USA
Universal
UK
eOne Films
USA
StudioCanal
UK/Ire/USA
Metrodome
USA
Signature
UK/Arg
High Fliers
USA/Phi
Universal
1 I Am Ali
2 Road
5 TT3D: Closer to the Edge
6 1: Life on the Limit
7 The Summit
8 Generation Iron
9 Grey Wolf: The Escape of Adolf Hitler
10 Manny
Source: BFI RSU analysis of Official Charts Company data
Note: Titles based on music concerts are not included.
BFI Statistical Yearbook 2015 - 7
FILM ON PHYSICAL VIDEO
Table 1.3 Top 10 best selling UK independent films on physical video formats, 2014
The list of the top 10 best selling foreign language films on video in 2014 includes two titles that have
appeared in the chart previously. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the top selling foreign language film on
video in 2012, appears for the fourth consecutive year and The Raid, the top selling foreign language film
on video in 2013, appears for the third consecutive year. The sequel to the latter, The Raid 2, which was
released theatrically in 2014, tops the current chart.
Both Raid titles are Indonesian language films but were written and directed by the British filmmaker
Gareth Evans. In addition to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there is one other Scandinavian title in the
list, The Hundred Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, and one Finnish title 1944: The
Final Defence.
There are two Mandarin language titles in the list (Chinese Zodiac, Man of Tai Chi), one Russian language
title (Stalingrad), one Japanese language title (Howl’s Moving Castle) and one French language title (La Vie
en Rose). The 2004 Studio Ghibli production, Howl’s Moving Castle, is the first foreign language animation
to appear in the list since our records began. Alongside Man of Tai Chi and 1944: The Final Defence, Howl’s
Moving Castle has not been on general release theatrically in the UK, but it has been shown as part of a
number of themed seasons.
Table 1.5 Top 10 best selling foreign language films on physical video formats, 2014
Title
Country
of origin
Distributor
1 The Raid 2
Indonesia/USA
eOne Films
2 The Raid
Indonesia/USA
eOne Films
Swe/Den/Ger
eOne Films
Chi/Hong Kong
Universal
USA/Chi/Hong Kong
Universal
3 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
4 Chinese Zodiac
5 Man of Tai Chi
6 The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Swe/Cro
the Window and Disappeared
7 Stalingrad
8 1944: The Final Defence
9 Howl’s Moving Castle
10 La Vie en Rose
StudioCanal
Rus
Sony Pictures
Fin
Metrodome
USA/Jap/Fra
StudioCanal
UK/Fra/Czech
Icon
Source: BFI RSU analysis of Official Charts Company data
Classic titles, in particular classic family films, also remain popular video purchases, due in part to
theatrical re-releases or other events associated with the films. Walt Disney titles Cinderella, The Jungle
Book, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves all sold well on video in
2014, helped in part by a prolonged promotion with major retailers. Mrs. Doubtfire, which was released
theatrically in the UK in 1994, also achieved significant sales during the year, linked perhaps to the
death of Robin Williams. Some classic titles achieve substantial sales on video without the help of a
theatrical re-release or associated event. In 2014, such titles included the Lord of the Rings and original
Star Wars trilogy sets.
8 - BFI Statistical Yearbook 2015
There were 36 million rental transactions of feature film on physical video in 2014, a fall of 29%
compared with 2013’s 51 million. The value of the market was £107 million, down from £149 million in
2013. The average value of a rental was £2.98, and online renting of physical discs (with postal delivery)
accounted for 74% of rental transactions.1
The peak value of the physical rental market for film was £494 million in both 2001 and 2002; the
current value of the market is just over one fifth of that (Figure 1.5). The decrease in the market’s value
is due mainly to the rapid decline of over-the-counter rentals in the face of competition from multichannel television and subscription Video on Demand (eg services such as Netflix).
Figure 1.5 Film on video rental market, 2001-2014
Million
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Transactions (million)
198
183
160
159
138
116
98
96
98
93
93
87
51
36
Value (£ million)
494
494
462
476
399
340
295
284
285
278
262
221
149
107
Source: IHS, BVA
HARDWARE
According to the BVA, in 2014 some 2.7 million DVD players were sold in the UK, down from 3.3 million
in 2013. Sales of DVD players have been decreasing each year since 2008. Also, 1.1 million Blu-ray players
were sold in 2014, a slight fall from 1.2 million in 2013. In total, more than 6.5 million Blu-ray players
have now been sold in the UK.
1
ue to declining volumes, information on the top 10 online film video rentals, top 10 over-the-counter film video rentals and a breakdown of
D
rentals by genre are no longer presented in this year’s report.
BFI Statistical Yearbook 2015 - 9
FILM ON PHYSICAL VIDEO
FILM IN THE VIDEO RENTAL MARKET
21 Stephen Street, London W1T 1LN
bfi.org.uk/statistics