2015 has been a big year at the movies. Four films have already surpassed the billion-dollar mark, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which could very well be the biggest, is yet to come. But this year wasn’t just big at the box office, there was a lot of activity on the home market as well.
The folks who are in charge of crunching the data over at Google Play have combed through their numbers for 2015 and compiled their ten biggest sellers for the year. While there are some expected titles, there are a few entries that you might not have seen coming, and others that are missing entirely. Let’s take a look at what people were watching from the comfort of their homes this year.
10. Jurassic World
Though Jurassic World may have been the biggest movie in theaters so far this year, it comes in at number ten on Google’s list. It’s been available for a shorter time than many of the others, so the dinosaur adventure will likely climb the ranks as time passes.
9. Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron is another of the biggest theatrical releases of the year, though it, too, seems to be lagging behind. Again, this is likely at least partially due to the fact that it hasn’t been available to the public as long as some other titles, and the superhero hype will likely drive this forward.
8. Get Hard
People love Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, and though the movie wasn’t a huge hit in theaters, there is apparently enough good will for their prison comedy Get Hard to take the seventh place on Google Play’s best seller list. Comedies often have legs like this on home video.
7. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1
The fact that The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1 is on this list isn’t a shock. The franchise is well loved across multiple demographics, and especially leading up to the concluding chapter of the saga, which is currently in theaters, there was a lot of interest in revisiting this film.
6. Big Hero 6
Popular animated movies often to big business in the home video market, especially as younger viewers tend to watch them multiple times. Marvel’s Big Hero 6, which features an infinitely adorable, cuddly super robot creation, among other memorable characters, is no exception to this.
5. Kingsman: The Secret Service
Kingsman: The Secret Service may be the surprise hit of the year, earning more than $400 million worldwide and garnering largely positive reviews. That success has apparently translated to the home market as those who missed out the first time around are catching up on what they sat out theatrically.
4. The Interview
The fact that The Interview is on here is a bit of a surprise, especially as it’s widely available on streaming services like Netflix and elsewhere. But when a movie causes an international incident and as much drama as the Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy did, there’s bound to be a lot of interest as people see what all the fuss was about.
3. American Sniper
While American Sniper didn’t cause as much controversy as The Interview, it was divisive among many movie fans, and also a huge hit. The tale of a sniper returning from war enticed an audience that doesn’t go to the movies much to hit theaters in droves, and that success looks to have translated to the home market as well.
2. Lucy
Luc Besson’s bananas sci-fi actioner Lucy was another unexpected hit in 2014, and though it’s been readily available on home video for some time, it doesn’t appear that its momentum has slowed much. It probably doesn’t hurt matters that it has the continually popular Scarlett Johansson in the lead, though number two is still very high.
1. Interstellar
Christopher Nolan’s epic space adventure Interstellar is one of those movies that simply begs to be seen on the biggest screen you can possibly find. But apparently quite a few people feel compelled to watch it at home as well, as the Matthew McConaughey-fronted saga will finish out 2015 as Google Play’s top selling movie title.
