‘Bridesmaids’ sets video-on-demand record

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Last year’s hit ‘Bridesmaids’ has followed up on its box office bonanza with a record-setting run on video-on-demand, where it has been ordered 4.8 million times and grossed more than $24 million.

Universal Pictures on Wedneday took the unusual step of disclosing data on one of its movie’s online rental and sales in order to tout the success of the raunchy comedy co-written by and starring Kristen Wiig. The film sold $169.1 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada last summer, making it the second most popular comedy of the year behind ‘The Hangover Part II.’

But the movie was No. 1 online. In addition to beating previous video-on-demand rental records, ‘Bridesmaids’ also proved popular as a digital purchase and traditional cable pay-per-view. In total, Universal said, the movie was rented or downloaded more than 7 million times across all those categories, with consumers spending more than $40 million to watch the picture.

On DVD and Blu-ray, ‘Bridesmaids’ has generated more than $100 million in sales, a healthy figure as well.

The movie is nominated for two Academy Awards: best original screenplay for Wiig and Annie Mumolo and best supporting actress for Melissa McCarthy.

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-- Ben Fritz