UMD movie sales top 100,000

By Tim Surette, GameSpot
Posted Jun 22, 2005 3:55 pm PT

PSP-formatted movies reach sales milestone as studios continue to punch out new titles.

According to Reuters, Sony executives have said that UMD movie sales have topped the 100,000 mark. The Universal Media Discs, Sony's proprietary format for the PlayStation Portable, can fit in the palm of gamers' hands and deliver near high-definition quality on the handheld's LCD screen.

The sales mark is particularly impressive because the PSP is primarily marketed as a gaming machine and is still relatively new in the marketplace. The handheld was released in December in Japan and in March in North America.

Before the PSP was released, the chances of UMD films' success were questionable, recalling previous failures like MiniDisc audio discs and Betamax video cassettes. But the overall acceptance of the format has seen movie studios, many of which were initially hesitant to release their movies on UMD, open the floodgates.

Among the film studios that have announced their support for the format are Paramount Pictures (Team America: World Police, Coach Carter), 20th Century Fox (Super Troopers, Predator), and Lions Gate Entertainment (Total Recall, Open Water).

Many of the movies released near the PSP's launch were targeted at the 18- to 34-year-old male demographic, with movies such as Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and XXX. But now that the format has proven it has some staying power, PSP owners can look forward to more than just machismo action movies. A slew of television show collections (Ren & Stimpy), comedies (Monty Python and the Holy Grail), and Japanese anime movies (Ninja Scroll) are headed to the PSP.

Sony's European president Chris Deering told Reuters, "DVD sales are flattening. Consumers already have bought all the film titles they want for their DVD. The publishers are looking for new ways to sell discs."

5 Comments

jakeboudville
Posted Aug 30, 2006 5:11 am PT

pretty interesting...
- Login to rate this comment
- 0 of 0 users agree
bobblyhead
Posted Jul 16, 2006 10:17 am PT

this was a year ago idiots
- Login to rate this comment
- 0 of 0 users agree
comthitnuong
Posted Jul 14, 2006 12:42 pm PT

wow people love their tiny movies
- Login to rate this comment
- 0 of 0 users agree
EMAN2g
Posted Jul 13, 2006 7:04 pm PT

Officially PHAILED
>_>
- Login to rate this comment
- 0 of 0 users agree
razorguitars
Posted Jul 13, 2006 6:34 pm PT

i only have family guy seasons on umd, thats all i need... for now
- Login to rate this comment
- 0 of 0 users agree

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Q&A: Battlefield general lays out battle plans

DICE executive producer Ben Cousins talks about the free-to-play game's beta program, why it wouldn't work on consoles, and what makes it different from Team Fortress. Full Story
- Posted Aug 14, 2008 9:23 am PT
- 40 Comments
Q&A: Cryptic takes Star Trek online

Executive producer Craig Zinkievich tells GameSpot that studio's anticipated MMOG will be set 30 years after most recent film, when existing characters are "retired or passed on." Full Story
- Posted Aug 11, 2008 10:21 am PT
- 33 Comments