‘Titanic’ Video Becomes All-Time Live-Action Sales Champ in 1 Week

“Titanic” is king of the world in video sales.

According to VideoScan, Paramount nabbed a stunning 61.5% share for the week ended Sept. 6 on the strength of the Sept. 1 release. “Titanic” looks to be the top-selling live-action video of all time, unseating 20th Century Fox’s “Independence Day,” which has sold more than 18 million copies.

Based on its count of 6 million copies sold at retail, VideoScan estimates that about 15.5 million copies were sold at all outlets. (VideoScan makes projections based on a representative sample of sales.) Even that figure is probably low: Tens of thousands of copies are being sold by nontraditional outlets such as the Internet, the Home Shopping Network and supermarkets, none of which are tracked by VideoScan.

One source close to the video’s distributor pegs the number of tapes already sold at more than 20 million.

Paramount video President Eric Doctorow declined to discuss actual numbers but said, “It is certainly our expectation that ‘Titanic’ will be the best-selling cassette of all time.”

He even expects it to outstrip the best-selling video of all time, Walt Disney’s “The Lion King.” Disney’s animated films usually far outsell live-action movies and return to the market with strong results every few years.

VideoScan and retailers--including Musicland, which owns the Suncoast and Sam Goody chains--confirm that “Titanic” is a record-breaker, according to their measurements.

“Titanic” was launched with great fanfare, including midnight sales and promotions such as “Titanic” phone cards and calendars with purchase. Doctorow said he expects the video’s sales momentum to continue through the holiday season and beyond. Various “gift pack” editions of the video are likely to appear later in the year.

“This is not a one-day wonder,” Doctorow stressed. “We expect [“Titanic”] to have extraordinary longevity. . . . It’s already become an event and revitalized the entire video industry.”

20th Century Fox got knocked down the charts by the “Titanic” phenomenon this week--but Fox executives aren’t shedding any tears. As the co-producer of the $200-million-plus movie, Fox shares in all the film’s profit.