Blu-ray disc sales pass 2 million mark in Europe

According to the Blu-ray disc association European promotions committee, Blu-ray disc movie sales across Europe have eclipsed the 2 million barrier a mere two months after reaching the 1 million unit mark.

Blu-ray movie sales in Europe total 2.4 million according to the latest figures from Media Control Gfk International. 79 per cent of the high-definition movie discs bought in 2008 to date were on the Blu-ray format.

The biggest Christmas release was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, with sales of nearly 100,000 units, joined by impressive sales for The Simpsons Movie and Casino Royale.

"DVD-Video was first introduced into Western Europe in 1997, and the following year some 230,000 DVD players were installed and 2 million discs were sold through," the BDA said.

"In comparison, Blu-ray Disc made its first tentative launch in Western Europe in 2006, and the following year some 3.2 million PlayStation 3 consoles and 34,000 standalone players were installed, while 2.3 million Blu-ray discs sold through."

"News from Warner Bros. at CES last month caught the headlines, but what this news proves is that the tipping point in the format war in Europe happened several months prior to CES and the tide has been running strongly in favor of Blu-ray Disc for many months," BDA European Promotions Committee chairman Frank Simonis told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Our challenge now is to move Blu-ray Disc into the mainstream."