Iron Man lives up to expectations, breaks all Blu-ray records
Although we'll probably have to wait another week for the official Nielsen VideoScan charts to reflect the sales of Iron Man this week on Blu-ray, director Jon Favreau was bragging on the Howard Stern Show that the sales of Iron Man had already outsold every other Blu-ray release to date. We can't say we're that surprised though, especially after reports that the load on Paramount's BD-Live servers were too much to handle -- not to mention the fact that it is/was the number two selling disc on Amazon (the DVD version is number one). Either way, it'll be interesting to see how much better Iron Man moved discs then the previous record holders like Spider Man 3, I Am Legend and Casino Royale.
Filed under: Blu-ray
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phoenix2088 @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:42AM
It will be a short lived victory. The Dark Knight will be the record holder when it hits to take the crown.
DrXym @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:20PM
The Dark Knight will probably be to Blu what The Matrix was to DVD.
Pip @ Oct 3rd 2008 4:43PM
Yeah, I was going to post the same thing. As big as Iron Man on Blu-Ray was, the Dark Knight will shatter this record.
The combo of the Dark Knight on Blu-Ray, the Holidays, and possible lower prices could really give Blu-Ray a huge kick this season.
The Fuzz 53 @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:45AM
Whoa, hold on. The real news here is that Howard was on during a Friday. I didn't even bother changing my Sirius from channel 20 to 100 this morning because is never on on Fridays. I hope I didn't miss anything entertaining.
tk101 @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:51AM
This was from Thursday's broadcast - today was "best of the week" (as usual for Friday).
Great interview.
TK
The Fuzz 53 @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:23PM
What time was he on yesterday? The only parts from yesterday I remember hearing was Yucko complaining about his marriage that ended after 2 months and then they played the Mexican Delivery Guy game, and then tried to get JD and Jared to like each other.
Adderz @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:56AM
I'm surprised, Iron Man was such a terrible terrible movie. SO illogical, even for a superhero type movie.
HEY!!!! @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:37PM
i'm actually surprised that nothing had beat out Spiderman 3 or I Am Legend for this long. Those movies are terrible.
stumlad @ Oct 3rd 2008 12:23PM
My guess is that this will even break the record for Transformers on HD DVD last year and even 300 with blu/hd dvd dual release.
Jim Mallory @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:26PM
Don't fall for the lies, it's a dying format I tell you, just a bunch of PS3 fanbois!
Someone had to say it...
FreeRange @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:42PM
No, they really didn't.
Desides @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:45PM
The question is, how long will this record last? The Dark Knight is due December 9.
(PS Engadget, his first name is spelled Jon, not John.)
ceilingfanboy @ Oct 3rd 2008 11:50PM
Yea, but the word is also "than" and not "then" but nobody said anything about that. ;-)
"Either way, it'll be interesting to see how much better Iron Man moved discs then the previous record holders like Spider Man 3, I Am Legend and Casino Royale."
Patrick @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:02PM
"It was the number two selling DVD on amazon."
A Blu-ray disc is not a DVD. It's a Blu-ray disc. Or a BD. Or simply a disc. But it's not a DVD. If anything, an HD DVD could be called a DVD, but a Blu-ray disc cannot, because it isn't. It grates my ears when I hear the phrase "Blu-ray DVD," and it lets me know that whoever said it (you know who you are) doesn't know what he or she is talking about.
And no, I'm not a fanboy. I own both a PS3 and an HD DVD player.
ChiWax @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:29PM
DVD stands for Digital Video Disc...If a Blu-Ray disc isn't a Digital Video Disc I don't know what is!! I love my new blu player and all but let's face it folks it's just clearer audio and a better picture! The technology is just an update to an aging technology. The disc is still spinning while the player decodes and that is all....Q
TrentD @ Oct 3rd 2008 4:48PM
"DVD stands for Digital Video Disc...If a Blu-Ray disc isn't a Digital Video Disc I don't know what is!!"
Don't be silly. DVD is a trademark, as is the term Digital Versatile Disc (which is what DVD actually stood for iniitally). Blu-ray is a totally new physical medium, the data is stored differently, and the technology is so new that even existing DVD production lines can't be modified to produce BDs. It is TOTALLY new technology.
Just because it's spinning in a drive doesn't make it a DVD. Is a CD a DVD? Is a MiniDisc a DVD? I hope I've made my point.
If you call a Blu-ray Disc a DVD, you permanently forfeit your Gadget Card.
Ben @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:03PM
Patrick,
You're totally right, I edited the post, thanks for catching that.
ChiWax @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:32PM
Maybe sales would start to go up if Sony and the techies would just make things clearer for people. Maybe calling them "Blu-Ray DVDs" is just what the format needs. Maybe acting like the format is only for "know-it-alls" is what is holding it back...and price of course...Q
Richard Garfinkel @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:56PM
They can't. The DVD Forum determines what is and is not a DVD, and since they supported HD DVD, a BD will never officially be called a DVD.
squiggleslash @ Oct 3rd 2008 3:11PM
That would be a fantastic way to mislead people and ensure plenty of returns of BDs from people who bought them thinking, based upon the cover, that they were some kind of DVD and therefore playable in a DVD player.
I think HD DVD shouldn't have been called HD DVD either, personally, or if it had been it should have been limited to combo format media.
Perhaps "Blu-ray Movie Disc" might be more appropriate. There's no media called "Movie Disc" and it's immediately obvious what it's for.
ChiWax @ Oct 3rd 2008 3:26PM
Well you are making my point for me. I think the average consumer needs to know that this is just a better DVD. Whether you can call it a DVD based on something written on paper or not. Most people look at the prices and the attitude attached to Blu and stay clear of it. Not to mention that you need more than a Blu player and a Blu disc to enjoy Blu at it's best. HDMI cables, LCD or Plasma(yuck) television, and surround sound are also required(in my mind) to enjoy HD video of any kind. I tell people that Blu is just a better DVD because that's exactly what it is. Spinning disc in a player that's decoding numbers into picture and sound. Blu just has more information which naturally gives you clearer sound and a more complex digital picture on each frame. What Blu also needs is more support form directors who make movies. Most directors don't shoot with HD cameras and that hinders the transfer to Blu. Blu makes any movie look better(THE GODFATHER!) but if more new movies were shot with HD cameras I think people would just plain SEE that the technology is now the smart choice. But acting like it's really far from DVD in terms of what it does is part of what is hindering the adoption of it in most homes....just my take...Q
DrXym @ Oct 3rd 2008 3:39PM
HD DVD had its name going for it and it still lost. Maybe its just a case of hammering home that Blu Ray means high definition and DVD doesn't. People wouldn't be buying HD sets if they weren't already semi-clued into the difference.
squiggleslash @ Oct 4th 2008 8:25AM
Chiwax - I'm making your point for you by making it clear consumers would be mislead and buy Blu-ray "DVDs" in the belief they would play on their DVD players at home?
I think you seriously misunderstood what I said.
bakatrinh @ Oct 3rd 2008 3:45PM
This movie looks very good in HD. If I was a bluray owner I'd buy this along with Transformers to show off to my friends when they visit. It's a better choice to do so over Dark Knight in my opinion because Iron Man has a simpler story, clean action sequences, and you can leave the movie playing the background and not pay too much attention to the story and still get the gist of it. Not so much for Dark Knight.
MasterCKO @ Oct 3rd 2008 9:24PM
lol, funny you should mention that. I got Transformers and Iron Man BDs in the mail on Wednesday from Amazon (watched IM again that night...I love that movie and it looks fantastic in HD!). Yeah, HD!
DavidB @ Oct 3rd 2008 4:50PM
@ChiWax:
What ARE you smoking? BD is much more than just a "better DVD". You do a dis-service to those to which you tell that.
Oh, and movies are shot on film, which has FAR higher resolution than DVD, or HD-DVD, or Blu-ray, or ANY format ever conceived for consumer home movie viewing. Perhaps you should do some research and know what you are talking about BEFORE you start spouting off in comments like you're some sort of expert.
Oh, wait, you MUST be talking about pr0n. Yup, most pr0n is just recently starting to shoot on HD cameras. pr0n shot on film went away YEARS ago as cutting too much into the profits. So yeah, taking your comments here and relating them to pr0n for home viewing it all makes sense now. ;)