Mamma Mia! tops in UK

2009-01-01 14:00

London - Mamma Mia! The Movie is the biggest-selling DVD in Britain ever, the Official UK Charts Company announced on Thursday, despite it being released only five weeks ago.

The movie version of the stage musical based on 1970s Swedish pop group ABBA's hits became the first DVD to sell more than five million copies in Britain.

The all-time chart covers all sales from the launch of the DVD format in 1998 through to the end of 2008.

It showed that Mamma Mia! The Movie had overtaken Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl, which has sold 4.7 million copies in Britain.

The musical was also the fastest-selling DVD ever in Britain, shifting 1.669 million on its first day of sale.

Mamma Mia! The Movie, which stars Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, overtook Titanic in November to become the highest-grossing movie in Britain, with a turnover of more than £69m ($101m).

"Right from its release, Mamma Mia! has been a record breaker," said Official UK Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot.

"This latest landmark further underlines the popularity of the movie, which is now 'officially' the British public's favourite DVD of all time - with one-in-four British households owning a copy."

The biggest selling titles in the 10 years of DVD are otherwise dominated by action-adventure movies.

All-time top 10 biggest-selling DVDs in Britain from 1998 to 2008:

1. Mamma Mia! The Movie
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
3. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
5. Casino Royale
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
7. The Shawshank Redemption
8. Gladiator
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
10. Shrek 2

Top 10 sales for 2008:

1. Mamma Mia! The Movie
2. The Dark Knight
3. Sex and the City: The Movie
4. Ratatouille
5. Stardust
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
7. I Am Legend
8. Atonement
9. The Golden Compass
10. Kung Fu Panda

- AFP