'Mission: Impossible III' Top-Selling High-Def Title of 2006

Forget all that couch-hopping nonsense. When it comes to high-definition, Tom Cruise is still the king, snagging the top-selling next-gen title of 2006 according to Paramount Home Entertainment.

Released on both high-def formats and standard-definition simultaneously on October 30 as part of Paramount's "Mission Monday" mega-marketing blitz, 'M:i:III' immediately snatched the honors of having the highest first shipment total of any next-gen title, with reports estimating an initial retail assault of over 20,000 copies. (Not a huge number at first glance, but still considerable for a just-launched home video format.)

Unfortunately, Paramount's boast today that 'M:i:III' is the top-selling high-definition packaged media title of 2006 comes with no hard sales figures. Nor does it include info on which format moved more copies. The claim is also apparently entirely studio-generated, so forgive us if we take the news with a grain of salt.

Still, there is no doubt that Mission: TomKat was a big success on high-definition, and anytime a next-gen title generates such interest and media buzz, we're all for it.

Hopefully someday soon VideoScan, which is currently the leading independent industry firm for tracking point-of-sales data, will begin to release some concrete stats on Blu-ray and HD DVD software. Until then, we'll raise our glass and toast Mr. Cruise.

If you are curious as to what all the fuss is about, you can check out our full reviews of the Blu-ray and HD DVD versions of 'M:i:III.'