By Emma Brown
Australian productions have topped the list of highest earning DVDs for two years in a row.
Last year, the Baz Luhrmann-directed feature Australia was the biggest selling DVD, while in 2008 the first series of Underbelly topped the list, according to Screen Australia data.
Retail sales for the top 1000 Australian feature films on DVD almost doubled last year, up from $9.9 million to $18.4 million.
Underbelly’s strong sales have continued since its original release and it now has the highest cumulative retail video sales of any Australian program since 2004.
The second series of Underbelly was also the highest earning Australian TV drama last year while the third series – currently screening on Nine – has attracted more than 3.1 million viewers.
Overall Australian-produced titles accounted for 7.6 per cent of the retail value of the top 1000 titles of any program type, slightly down on 7.9 per cent the previous year.
There is also a promising trend for Australian films at the box office with crime thriller Animal Kingdom generating $1.8 million in less than two weeks and Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boy 2 raking in more than $4.6 million.
Top 20 Australian titles on DVD by sales (2009)
|
Rank
|
Title
|
Program type
|
Distributor
|
Release date
|
|
1
|
Australia
|
Movie
|
Fox
|
1-Apr-09
|
|
2
|
Underbelly: Series 2: A Tale of Two Cities
|
TV drama
|
Channel 9
|
27-May-09
|
|
3
|
Underbelly: Series 1
|
TV drama
|
Channel 9
|
8-May-08
|
|
4
|
Packed to the Rafters: Season 1
|
TV drama
|
Universal
|
2-Dec-09
|
|
5
|
Sound Relief
|
Music
|
Universal
|
8-May-08
|
|
6
|
Carl Barron: Walking Down the Street
|
Light ent.
|
Beyond
|
5-Aug-09
|
|
7
|
The Wiggles: Go Bananas
|
Children’s
|
ABC
|
19-Mar-09
|
|
8
|
McLeod’s Daughters: The Complete Saga Box Set
|
TV drama
|
Sony
|
3-Dec-08
|
|
9
|
The Castle: Re-mastered and Re-plastered
|
Movie
|
Roadshow
|
6-Nov-08
|
|
10
|
McLeod’s Daughters: Season 8
|
TV drama
|
Sony
|
5-Nov-08
|
|
11
|
Australia (Blu-ray)
|
Movie
|
Fox
|
1-Apr-09
|
|
12
|
Knowing
|
Movie
|
Icon
|
29-Jul-09
|
|
13
|
Underbelly: Series 1: Steelbook
|
TV drama
|
Channel 9
|
6-Nov-08
|
|
14
|
Happy Feet
|
Movie
|
Roadshow
|
26-Apr-07
|
|
15
|
Love the Beast
|
Documentary
|
Madman
|
15-Jul-09
|
|
16
|
AFL Premiers 2009: Geelong Cats
|
Sport
|
Visual Ent. Group
|
21-Sep-09
|
|
17
|
Carl Barron: Volume 1
|
Light ent.
|
Punchline
|
2-Jul-07
|
|
18
|
The Wiggles: Big Big Show Live in Concert
|
Children’s
|
ABC
|
4-Jun-09
|
|
19
|
The Wiggles: Hot Poppin’ Popcorn
|
Children’s
|
ABC
|
3-Sep-09
|
|
20
|
The Hollowmen: Series 1–2
|
TV drama
|
Roadshow
|
4-Dec-08
|