December 03, 2008

By By Andre Paine, London

Abba-themed movie "Mamma Mia!" has become the fastest selling DVD ever, with sales of 3.1 million in its first full week of release according to the Official Charts Co.

The Universal release beat the previous record set by "Titanic" (20th Century Fox HE), which shifted 2.2 million units in its first week in 1998.

"For 'Mamma Mia!' to reach week 1 sales of 3.125 million in the U.K. is mind-blowing," said Universal Pictures (U.K.) managing director Ian Foster in a statement. "The public's connection with this remarkable feel good film has made Mamma Mia!' an instant classic."

The initial success means its well on the way to becoming one of the biggest-selling DVDs ever. The current No. 1 is "Titanic" with total sales of 6.5 million.

BVA director general Lavinia Carey added: "The growth in video sales figures throughout 2008, as well as these record sales for 'Mamma Mia!,' demonstrate that the home entertainment market is showing resilience even in a difficult economic market.

?This is not unusual; history has shown that in previous downturns people tend to turn to home entertainment and films for comfort and we're optimistic that December will see positive results for all genres of DVD and Blu-ray titles as Christmas nears."

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