At the Top of the DVD Sales Chart

Granted, sales of the little silver disks aren't what they used to be; even so ...

Brave stayed atop the DVD sales chart for the second week in a row, outselling newcomer Expendables 2.

Pixar's animated fantasy film was the top-selling DVD and Blu-ray disc in the U.S., according to Rentrak Corp., while aging action stars sequel Expendables 2 premiered at No. 2. ...

Animated DVDs continue to hold up better than their live-action counterparts. But let's not kid ourselves, discounting helps.

... Nielsen data shows the biggest beneficiaries of the shopping frenzy were recent hit theatricals that had been marked down to below $10. Consumers may have been lured in by the cheap catalog fare – Walmart had more than 100 DVDs at $1.96 and 60 Blu-ray Discs at $3.96, while Target was selling Semi-Pro and American Pie for a buck apiece – and they certainly bought plenty of it.

But they also opened up their pocketbooks to pick up deep-discounted summer theatrical hits like Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. ... Walt Disney Studios’ Brave remained the overall best seller for the second consecutive week on both the First Alert chart, which tracks total discs sales, and Nielsen’s dedicated Blu-ray Disc chart. It, too, was available in combo pack form for $8.96 at Walmart and $10 at Target. ...

Animated features, as much as we would like to believe otherwise, aren't totally immune from declining disk sales. Lower prices provide a helpful nudge in an upward direction.