What are the best selling DVDs of all time? Even as we progress into 2015 and with alternative home entertainment platforms springing up by the day, DVDs still remain one of the preferred platforms for many, as far as home viewing is concerned. The growth in digital rentals, Electronic Sell Through (ESTs), and subscription streaming sites like Netflix have been massive and DVD sales have taken the obvious blow, but if marketing trends are to suggest, DVD and Blu-ray is far from seeing their last days. At least, not yet!

The reasons being many – from being the collector’s favorite to Blu-ray still being the most high quality format around, DVDs have proved that they are here to stay. In recent years a lot of movie titles have performed extremely well on the DVD platform and last year has seen record-breaking sales from Frozen which is well on its way to become the biggest selling DVD of this decade. In the first week of its release itself, the film experienced jaw-dropping sales of 899,000 copies.

Our list of the best selling DVDs of all time has been derived by combining sales figures from a variety of sites covering variety of time periods. Unfortunately there is no single resource that presents numbers for all time DVD sales. Our job isn’t very difficult though DVD sales have been declining in recent years and some of the most successful movies in recent years had mediocre DVD and Blu ray sales. For example, Frozen was one of these successful movies but it managed to sell about 11 million copies in 2014. That’s nothing compared to the 21.6 million figure Shrek 2 sold in its debut year. Finding Nemo sold 28 million copies in 2003 and 2004 combined. That’s why our list of the best selling DVDs of all time features a large number of movies from the last decade.

Also check out our previous list of the Best Selling Magazines in the World to see which publications are making waves in print!

If you have been pondering on your next DVD acquisition, we reckon the titles on this list include some of the world’s favorites and definitely worth owning. Have a look!



12. Spider Man,

Number of Copies Sold: 16 million

As far as DVD sales are concerned, the 2002 version of Spider Man seems to be a favorite among fans. Starring Tobey McGuire as Spider Man, it is one of the movies that superhero fans like to go back to ones in a while, even with the recent reboot being quite popular.

11. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,

Number of Copies Sold: 16.5 million

Even though the follow-up installments did pretty well, nothing can beat the success and frenzy that the first movie of the Lord of the Rings franchise. It still remains the fan favorite. The 2006 released limited edition DVD with bonus material also stirred a fresh bout of DVD sales.



10. Cars,

Number of Copies Sold: 17 million

It seems like animated movies are a favorite for DVD audience. 2006 film Cars takes the 9th spot among the best-selling DVDs of all time. The animated adventure-sports film, however, does have an universal appeal having opened at the number one spot on its box office opening week also.

9. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,

Number of Copies Sold: 17.5 million

Following the massive success of the first installment the second film in the Pirates series – Dead Man’s Chest became the fastest film to cross the $1 billion worldwide sales mark on its release. The film sold 9,498,304 DVDs on its first week.

8. Transformers,

Number of Copies Sold: 18 million

The 2007 sci-fi action film that is an impressive combination of CGI techniques and live-action, has one of the most dedicated followers around the world. The film also became the fast selling DVD film of 2007 and sold 8.3 million copies in its first week itself.

7. The Incredibles,

Number of Copies Sold: 19 million

The Disney Movie released in 2004 and was centered on a family of superheroes. Though expectations weren’t too high concerning the movie’s performance, it did prove to be the surprise hit of the year. It also won critical acclaim and the Oscar for Best Animated Feature of the year.

6. The Dark Knight,

Number of Copies Sold: 20 million

Christopher Nolan’s version of Batman took the superhero fan-base by storm and became the most successful installment of the trilogy. With the unforgettable performances by Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, the movie has a special place in hearts of fans, which also explains the outstanding DVD sales.

5. Shrek 2,

Number of Copies Sold: 26 million

Replicating Shrek’s massive success at the box-office, Shrek 2 went on to become one of the most successful movies of 2004. Shrek 2 opened at the number 1 spot and also earned the critic’s approval. The movie has lived up to the high expectations set by its predecessor rather than riding on its success, which makes it one of the movies we love to watch over again.

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,

Number of Copies Sold: 28 million

Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean was 2003’s surprise hit that marked the start of a multi-million dollar franchise and Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow went down in history. No wonder most of us has a copy of it lying somewhere in our homes.

3. Matrix

Number of Copies Sold: 30 million

Matrix captured viewers hearts and minds with its unique story. Are you going to pick the blue pill or the red pill? The truth is the movie made more than $460 million worldwide. It is one of the greatest science fiction movies ever.

2. The Lion King

Number of Copies Sold: 31 million

Probably nothing has tucked at our hearts like the 1994 animated musical film. The Lion King was released on DVD in 2003 in the line of Disney’s animated classics DVDs. The DVD titled The Lion King: Platinum Edition included a second bonus disc and the film’s soundtrack which is also quite popular among home viewers.

1. Finding Nemo,

Number of Copies Sold: 41 million

Pixar Animated Studios hit the right chords with the audience with this movie, though it went on to become one of the few movies that have worked better in the DVD format than the theater. Finding Nemo is the best selling DVD of all time with over a 41 million copies sold worldwide. The film has also been released in Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray 3D in 2012.

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