'Sith' attacks DVD charts; other 'Wars' raging


By Thomas K. Arnold
"Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith," the year's biggest movie, might turn out to be the year's biggest DVD.

The final installment in the six-film "Star Wars" series easily captured the top spots on both VideoScan's preliminary national sales chart and Home Media Retailing's top renters chart for the week ending Nov. 6, scoring the biggest punch so far this fourth quarter.


With domestic first-week sales estimated at 5.3 million units, the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment release generated gross consumer spending of $106 million, with an additional $11.6 million raised in rental stores, according to Home Media Retailing market research estimates.

The final DVD tally of $117.6 million is even more than the film's opening-weekend theatrical take of $108.4 million, the second-biggest of all time.

The Force had such a powerful effect on consumers that the two previous "Star Wars" films, "Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" and "Episode II -- Attack of the Clones," re-entered the First Alert top 20 at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.

"Star Wars Trilogy," consisting of the three original films in the franchise, bowed at No. 13.

Meanwhile, as anticipation mounts for the Nov. 22 release of Paramount's top-grossing remake of "War of the Worlds," a special edition Paramount DVD of the 1953 film adaptation debuted on the sales chart at No. 17.