To mark 15 years of the DVD, the video entertainment industry’s biggest success ever, the British Video Association reveals the titles that we’re most likely to find in our stockings this festive season.

The British Video Association (BVA) teamed up with the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) to survey the leading retailers in the UK including Amazon, HMV, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and The Hut.

When the DVD launched back in the UK in 1998 the Christmas charts were topped by James Cameron’s romantic epic, Titanic. 15 years on, an estimated total of a whopping 2.4 billion DVDs and Blu-ray Discs have been bought in the UK[i] and retailers predict that the best seller list this year is set to be dominated by minions, superheroes, monsters, cavemen, and even a Partridge.

Predictions for the top Blu-ray Disc and DVD stocking fillers this Christmas:

Despicable Me 2
Man of Steel
Monsters University
The Wolverine
The Croods
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
(Source: Survey of ERA members)

December accounts for over 1 in 5 of all annual disc sales and Sainsbury’s predict that this Christmas their customers are just as likely to pop a Blu-ray Disc or DVD into their shopping trolleys as they are a packet of stuffing.

“This Christmas millions of people will be seeking out those must-have purchases to add to their own collection or to give to their family and friends as gifts. Curling up on the sofa to watch a Blu-ray Disc or DVD is a Christmas institution for many families – a wonderful shared experience that brings people together,” said Lavinia Carey, Director General of the BVA.

“As retailers enter the busiest time of the year for video sales, Blu-ray Discs and DVDs remain a firm favourite amongst Christmas shoppers, with three quarters of entertainment sales still on disc. People value the quality and tangibility of the physical product and there are a fantastic variety of titles on offer to shoppers this Christmas,” said Kim Bayley, Director General of ERA.

UK retailers were also asked to predict the most popular TV and box-set titles this Christmas.

Predictions for the top TV titles / box-sets this Christmas:

Breaking Bad – The Final Season
Mrs Brown’s Boys Live Tour: Mrs Brown Rides Again
Downton Abbey – Series 4
Miranda – Series 3
Micky Flanagan Live – Back in the Game
Big Bang Theory – The Complete Sixth Season
(Source: Survey of ERA Members)

Rudy Osorio, Head of Video at Britain’s biggest specialist entertainment chain, HMV, said, “HMV is gearing up for what is set to be a real video Christmas, and we’re expecting particular demand for some of the great box-sets which are out there. 2013 has been a vintage year for TV – from quality home-grown shows like Downton Abbey to popular US imports like Breaking Bad, so there really is something for everyone.”

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