'Married Too?' tops 'Marmaduke' on charts

2:18 PM PDT 10/14/2010 by Thomas K. Arnold, AP

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'Anarchy,' 'House' and 'Vampire Diaries' round out top five

In a bit of an upset, a family film starring a lovable dog was kept out of first place on the national home video sales chart by an urban comedy.

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"Why Did I Get Married Too?", the latest installment in Lionsgate's hugely successful Tyler Perry franchise, debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart the week ending Sept. 5.

The film, which grossed $60.1 million in theaters, easily beat "Marmaduke," which finished at No. 2 and only sold 45% as many copies in Nielsen-reporting retail outlets, which do not include Walmart stores.

"Marmaduke" only earned $33.6 million in theaters, but fits right into the family demographic that typically buys the most videos because of repeat viewings by their kids.

Ironically, "Marmaduke" showed significantly more strength in the rental sector, which tends to favor films appealing to adults. The comedy debuted at No. 1 on Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week, while "Where Did I Get Married Too" debuted at No. 4 and only generated 40% as much rental activity.

Sony Pictures' "The Back-Up Plan," the previous week's top renter, slipped to No. 2, bumping fellow holdover "Date Night," from 20th Century Fox, to No. 3.

All five of the week's top sellers are new releases. Rounding out the First Alert top five are three TV DVD season sets: Season 2 of "Sons of Anarchy" (No. 3, 20th Century Fox), Season 6 of "House" (No. 4, Universal Studios), and Season 1 of "The Vampire Diaries" (No. 5, Warner).

Season 6 of "Lost," from Walt Disney Studios, finished the week at No. 6 after debuting in first place the previous week.

"Why Did I Get Married Too?" also debuted at No. 1 on Nielsen VideoScan's Blu-ray Disc sales chart, even though Blu-ray sales accounted for just 8% of total first-week unit sales.

"Sons of Anarchy" debuted at No. 2, followed at No. 3 by the juiced-up Blu-ray Disc edition of "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," from Paramount. "Marmaduke" debuted at No. 4 and generated 12% of its total unit sales from Blu-ray Disc.