"Confessions" and "Code" dominate video charts

By Thomas K. Arnold

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - With no high-profile theatrical features hitting DVD shelves, video consumers are turning to new material.

Case in point: "The Code," a direct-to-video thriller from First Look Studios, is the No. 1 rental for the week ended June 28, according to Home Media Magazine's market research department.

The film stars Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas and was helmed by veteran TV producer and director Mimi Leder, whose recent credits include "E.R." and "Vanished." Leder is best known for her 1998 mega-hit, "Deep Impact."

"The Code" bumped the previous week's top renter, Warner Bros.' "Gran Torino," to No. 4, behind two other new releases, each with moderate box-office earnings: Walt Disney Studios' "Confessions of a Shopaholic," which debuted at No. 2, and third-ranked "Inkheart," a fantasy from Warners.

"Confessions" was the week's No. 1 seller, according to Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data, with "Gran Torino" slipping to No. 2. The third spot on the national home video sales chart went to Paramount/Dreamworks' "Transformers," whose return to the charts was fueled by the spectacular theatrical opening of its sequel.

"Transformers" also was the No. 1 Blu-ray Disc seller in the country, according to Nielsen VideoScan, with "Gran Torino" skidding back into the No. 2 slot. Of the total number of "Transformers" discs sold during the week, 21 percent were on Blu-ray Disc, an encouraging sign for the high-definition format.

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)