It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Virgin

by | December 16, 2005 | Comments

The surprise sleeper hit "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" just barely cracked the century mark at the domestic box office, which is pretty impressive for a movie star-less sex comedy, but the flick is selling like those proverbial hotcakes now that the DVD has been released. Between DVD and VHS, the Virgin sold over 2 million copies. In one day.

According to a Universal press release shared by ComingSoon.net:

""The 40-Year-Old Virgin," now available in a new Unrated Edition featuring 17 additional hilarious minutes and an orgy of bonus features, ignited the holiday shopping season, selling approximately two million in combined DVD and VHS units on its first day of release. The Universal Studios Home Entertainment comedy blockbuster, which was released on December 13, 2005, has also attracted critical accolades, having received a nomination by the American Film Institute for 2005’s "Outstanding Motion Picture of the Year."

"The phenomenal success of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" reflects its unique ability to bridge the divide between off-the-wall, over-the-top comedy and genuine emotion," said Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "Its remarkable first-day sales clearly indicate that this exceptional film is resonating with a broad spectrum of discerning holiday shoppers. Its wide appeal not only makes it the perfect film to watch during the holiday season but the ideal gift."

Available in both Unrated and R-rated versions, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" stars Steve Carell ("Bruce Almighty," NBC’s "The Office") as Andy Stitzer, an amiable, middle-aged collector of geek memorabilia with a history of humiliating near-misses with women. Paul Rudd ("Anchorman"), Romany Malco ("The Tuxedo") and Seth Rogen ("Anchorman") co-star as well-meaning but clueless co-workers who offer him some of the worst amorous advice in history as he stumbles down the road to true love. The outstanding ensemble cast also includes Catherine Keener ("The Interpreter"), Elizabeth Banks ("Seabiscuit") and Leslie Mann ("Orange County"). "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" marks the feature directorial debut of Emmy award-winning producer-writer Judd Apatow.

"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" DVD is packed with bonus features including deleted scenes, uproarious on-set moments with cast and crew, exclusive commentary by the filmmakers and cast, plus never-before-seen extra material for the infamously subversive "You Know How I Know You’re Gay" routine. The unrated version contains additional raucous features plus 17 minutes of wildly hilarious footage created specifically for the DVD."

Oh, and also important to anal-retentive writer/editor geeks like me: Universal went and put the extra hyphen where it should be. Compare the theatrical poster with the DVD cover and you’ll see what I mean.