Washington, D.C. (May 24, 2007) -- Warner Home Video today said Martin Scorsese's The Departed has sold more than 100,000 HDTV DVDs.

The studio credits the sales success to the fact that the movie is available on both Blu-ray and HD DVD high-def formats.

“It’s no accident that Warner is the first studio to reach this benchmark. We owe this success to a combination of great content and our decision to support both High Definition formats,” said Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video. “By releasing titles on HD DVD and Blu-ray, Warner Home Video not only increases our potential audience reach, but also offers consumers assurance that regardless of the format they choose they can enjoy our movies.”


Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon in The Departed.

Earlier this year, Sony, which backs the Blu-ray format exclusively, said Casino Royale was the best seller in the high-def DVD category. Casino Royale is available only on Blu-ray.

But while not mentioning Casino Royale by name, Warner said sales of The Departed has surpassed all other HDTV DVD titles. In addition, the studio said  Superman Returns is now the second highest selling title.

Warner also crowed that it has more than 30 percent of the high-def DVD sales market and it has released more titles in the new category than any other studio. The company urged other studios to release their films in both formats.

“High Definition media represents an incredible opportunity for the industry, and we, as content providers, can help push mainstream adoption by producing in both formats and giving the consumer a simple choice,” said Sanders. “At a time when the home video business is flat and high definition media presents our best hope for near term growth, it is unfortunate that we as an industry continue to perpetuate consumer confusion.”

Four of the eight major studios are backing Blu-ray exclusively while Universal is supporting HD DVD exclusively. The other studios are releasing titles in both formats.

The Departed, which won this year's Academy Award for Best Picture, stars Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio.
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