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DEC. 30 | Consumers spent $8.06 billion on DVD and VHS rentals in 2004, off just 0.4% from a year earlier, according to Rentrak’s Home Video Essentials.
DVD rental revenue grew 39.2% to hit $5.73 billion and account for 71% of all consumer spending on rentals. VHS continued to slide, falling 41% to $2.33 billion, and making up just 29% of rental revenue. Several titles released in the second half of the year showed exceptional strength, with Fox’s The Day After Tomorrow ranking No. 1 and Man On Fire ranking No. 3 despite being released in October and September, respectively. While the service showed industrywide rental revenue down as much as 15% earlier in the year, a change to a new model that includes revenue generated by online and in-store rental brought projections essentially even with last year. “Despite sharp year-over-year declines in VHS rental activity, DVD growth within the in-store and online distribution channels helped to stabilize the video rental market virtually on par with last year,” said Rentrak VP Brad Hackley.| Top 10 Renters | ||
| Rank | Title (Label/Distributor, Release Date) | Revenue (in millions) |
| 1. | The Day After Tomorrow (Fox, Oct. 12) | $67.35 |
| 2. | Mystic River (Warner, June 8) | 66.94 |
| 3. | Man On Fire (Fox, Sept. 14) | 65.22 |
| 4. | 50 First Dates (Sony, June 15) | 65.01 |
| 5. | The Butterfly Effect (New Line/Warner, July 6) | 60.05 |
| 6. | The Last Samurai (Warner, May 4) | 58.51 |
| 7. | Radio (Sony, Jan. 27) | 58.10 |
| 8. | Out of Time (MGM, Jan. 6) | 57.51 |
| 9. | Along Came Polly (Universal, June 8) | 57.43 |
| 10. | Something’s Gotta Give (Sony, March 30) | 56.57 |
| *Source: Rentrak Home Video Essentials through Dec. 26 | ||
