'The Bible' Miniseries Breaks New DVD Record; Set for World Release
The History Channel's "The Bible" miniseries continues reaching impressive milestones, with news on Thursday that it has sold 1 million units across Blu-ray, DVD and DigitalHD™ platforms.
"We are thrilled that THE BIBLE series continues to be enjoyed by millions across the country. The response to the series on television was overwhelming and clearly families are now wanting to own the DVD and enjoy it with family and friends," said husband and wife team Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who co-produced the 10-part miniseries.
"There are many people that are gifting it to others to share the good news far and wide. THE BIBLE series is fast becoming a national treasure, and next we roll it out around the world."
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"The Bible" received high ratings during its run on the History Channel on Sunday nights in March, bringing in over 100 million viewers. In April, it became the top-selling DVD miniseries ever in the first week of release, hitting 525,000 copies.
Mary Daily, president and chief marketing officer of worldwide marketing at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, commented, "Millions of people embraced 'The Bible,' not only making it the television event of the year but also bringing it to unprecedented success with the home entertainment release in the US. We are excited about introducing this project to millions more as we launch internationally later this year."
Deadline.com suggested that Hollywood executives with upcoming biblical-based feature films might also be encouraged by the news, as it shows that people continue taking great interest in Scripture-inspired stories.
The Genesis-based story on Noah's Ark, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Russell Crowe, is expected to hit theaters in March 2014. A number of films inspired by the Old and New Testament are also in the works, including two separate movies about Moses, "Mary Mother of Christ," which is seen as a prequel to Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," "Pontius Pilate," which Brad Pitt has been linked to, and a remake of the critically acclaimed "Ben Hur," among others.
"The Bible" is scheduled to begin airing internationally later this year, followed by the miniseries' international home entertainment release.
"We feel incredibly blessed that we were able to bring this amazing love story to life on the screen," Burnett and Downey have previously said of the series' success.
"It is our hope that folks everywhere will continue to be touched by the message of the Bible and cherish these stories at home with their families for years to come. This is just the beginning."
