LONDON -- DVD sales overtook VHS for the first time in Blighty last year, as total sales rose 26% to 153.6 million units.
DVD sales were up 111% to 79.6 million, while VHS declined 13% to 74 million.
These figures cover units sold in shops, with mail-order expected to add another 12 million units when final tallies are published next month.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" was the year's best seller, shifting 4 million units, including 60% on DVD.
By contrast, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," in second place with 3.5 million, sold only 36% of its units on DVD. In third place, "Monsters Inc." sold 2.5 million units, with 42% on DVD.
Typically pics which appeal solely to kids still do the majority of business on VHS, anything with more adult appeal skews towards DVD. "Scooby-Doo" and "Ice Age" sold more units on VHS, whereas "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones," "Spider-Man," "Ocean's Eleven," "Moulin Rouge" and "The Fast and the Furious" were all stronger on DVD.
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