Mamma Mia! top DVD in UK ever

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-08 11:04

The film of the Abba-themed musical Mamma Mia! has become the top-selling DVD in Britain's history and the first movie disc to top 5 million sales, the Official Charts Company says.

The DVD's success crowns the movie's lucrative run at the box office, where it earned more than 69 million pounds ($103 million) to be one of Britain's highest-ever grossing films.

The movie attracted an enthusiastic older female audience for its feel-good recreations of Abba classics belted out by Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Julie Walters.

Released in mid-November, the DVD sold just over 5 million copies, taking it past the 4.7 million racked up by the previous all-time best seller, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Also benefiting from the Mamma Mia! effect was the film's soundtrack, which sold a million copies to become the year's best-selling compilation.

The Swedish pop group's greatest hits album Abba Gold also joined in the party, with sales of 410,000, making it the year's 19th-best-selling album.