The first half of the year is just about over and the box office numbers show a generally robust beginning to 2012.  The Avengers leads all film grosser by a country mile having taken in almost $600 million in domestic receipts.  The Hunger Games is next at $400 million followed by The Lorax ($212 million), MIB3 ($152 million) and 21 Jump Street ($137 million).

We all know the numbers on a weekly basis as they are reported or posted on just about every media outlet available to the studios.  But lesser known is the fortunes that films can reap from the lucrative DVD sales. 

In 2011, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II brought in $381 million at the domestic box office.  But thanks to domestic DVD sales, another $86 million was added to the take (throw in the $947 million in international box office and you have a billion and half blockbuster).

The 2012 DVD sales chart generally consists of 2011 releases and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I led the way selling $5,200,000 worth of units.  That added another $94 million to the domestic take of $281 million the vampire/werewolf love story took in domestically at the box office. 

The next three films to cash in on the DVD market were children’s films.  Puss in Boots had sales revenue of $45 million, Alvin and the Chimpmunks Chipwrecked raked in $38 million and the animated bunny film Hop threw $37 million more into the studio wheel barrel. 

Rounding out the Top 5 for the first six months of 2012 was HBO’s Game of Thrones Season 1.  Less than a million of the series was sold, but thanks to the asking price, it amounted to $30 million more for the Home Box Office.  This is the first of two HBO series to crack the top 10.  True Blood:  The Complete Fourth Season is presently sitting in 10th place with a tally of $21 million based on sales of 717,000 units. 

The remaining titles in the Top 10 may come as a bit of a surprise.  The Help came in 6th place with $29 million.  But add that the DVD took in sales of $54 million when released in 2011 and the film has now taken in over $80 million in DVD sales alone. 

Seventh place went to The Muppets which took in $27 million, Real Steel at $24 million and War Horse giving Spielberg and company another $23 million reasons to smile. 

Although Breaking Dawn and Alvin and the Chipmunks will likely remain in the Top 10 by the end of the year, expect the others to fall once the big summer releases get their DVD launches in 2012 Q4.  With The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man and Men in Black 3 all expected on DVD before Christmas, you can expect that Hop, Game of Thrones and the others will fall to places between 15-25.

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