Tesco goes into battle over release of Avatar

By NEIL CRAVEN FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
Updated: 17:47 EST, 24 April 2010

Retailers will tonight begin a battle over sales for the new DVD and Blu-ray formats of the hit film Avatar as supermarkets attempt to wrest control of the entertainment market from the High Street.

Although sales of the film will be launched today in HMV's Oxford Street branch in central London, Tesco plans to open 180 stores selling the film at midnight tonight to coincide with the official release date.

New figures suggest growth of the Blu-ray market may be finally crystallising after a slow start. In the 12 months to the end of March, sales of Bluray players increased 52 per cent to £105million, according to market statistics firm GFK.

Poised: Tesco plans to open 180 stores selling the film at midnight tonight

That means that for the first time, in value terms, they surpassed sales of DVD players, which dropped 18 per cent to £70million.

'Blue-ray arrived in the middle of the recession, which has not helped, but there are some key opportunities for the format this year,' said Richard Gregory, an analyst at GFK.

Tesco expects to sell 20,000 Blu-ray copies of Avatar in the first day. That matches its expectations for DVD sales on the day - a first for a new release.

It is offering a preorder Blu-ray copy on its website for £14.99, the same price as Amazon, compared to the recommended price of £24.99.