Rental finishes flat in 2004

Revenue down 0.4% from 2003

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


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