{"id":4374,"date":"2016-11-14T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-07-31T18:46:46","modified_gmt":"2020-07-31T23:46:46","slug":"october-2016-comics-sales-estimates-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/comichron.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/14\/october-2016-comics-sales-estimates-now\/","title":{"rendered":"October 2016 comics sales estimates now online; smaller Loot Crate effect seen"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Comichron<\/b> estimates are now available for comics and graphic novels shipped by Diamond Comic Distributors <\/b><\/a>in October, and as reported here Friday<\/b><\/a>, we saw a mild increase in overall sales during the month driven in part by a much larger slate of new items. Click to see the detailed comics sales estimates for October 2016<\/b><\/a> (or scroll down to see just the basic charts).<\/p>\n

A couple of things will be immediate note. While reports had circulated that Marvel had shipped 400,000 copies of Champions<\/i> #1<\/b><\/a>, Diamond is only estimated to have shipped 328,165 copies in October. There’s nothing unusual in this, and the Diamond figure supports rather than undermines the report. There were variants that went to GameStop<\/b> and WizardWorld<\/b>, among others, that possibly would not have been counted in the tally. And as always, the Diamond charts only report what it shipped in the month to North American stores, meaning overseas copies and reorders outside the time period are not included.
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\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/CCChampions1\"<\/div>\n

Second, as noted Friday, we do have a Loot Crate<\/b> comic again in the form of the chart-topping Big Trouble in Little China\/Escape<\/a><\/b><\/i> From New York<\/b><\/i> #1<\/b><\/a> variant that it received from Boom<\/b> through Diamond. It’s the first one we’ve seen since the spring of 2015, and in that time something has changed: the repackager appears to have accounted for fewer copies this time.<\/p>\n

Diamond reports shipping 421,625 copies of the Big Trouble<\/i> issue; back with Boom’s Bravest Warriors: Tales from the Holo John <\/b><\/i>#1<\/b> in May 2015, Diamond shipped 502,737 copies. That likely puts the Loot Crate order somewhere in the 300,000s for October 2016’s chart-topper, while it was in the 400,000s for the Bravest Warriors book. <\/b><\/i>Orphan Black<\/i> #1<\/b>, back in February 2015, would likely also have had a Loot Crate order of well over 400,000 copies. It’s unclear whether this represents an enduring change in the number of comic books Loot Crate orders or a one-time event.<\/p>\n

Champions<\/i> #1 had at least fourteen variants of its own offered into the Direct Market, and while that would seemingly suggest something about how much the second issue’s sales might drop off, it’s hard to put a percentage on it. Sales data on the highest profile first-issues hasn’t been of much help in predicting second-issue sales in a long time. Multiple variants and other promotions complicate whatever predictive ratios used to exist. Champions<\/i> #1 could have accounted more a little more than half the market share difference between Marvel and DC in October, but that estimate is difficult to make as market shares are based on wholesale dollars and we don’t know what the average discount received was for the book.<\/p>\n

The changes over time:<\/p>\n

TOP 300 COMICS UNIT SALES<\/b><\/span>
\nOctober 2016<\/a><\/b>: 8.79 million copies
\nVersus 1 year ago this month<\/b><\/a>: +11%
\nVersus 5 years ago this month<\/b><\/a>: +16%
\nVersus 10 years ago this month<\/b><\/a>: +44%
\nVersus 15 years ago this month<\/b><\/a>: +37%
\nNEW! <\/span><\/b>Versus 20 years ago this month<\/b><\/a>: -14%
\nYEAR TO DATE: 74.31 million copies, +2% vs. 2015, +26% vs. 2011, +11% vs. 2006, +36% vs. 2001<\/p>\n

ALL COMICS UNIT SALES<\/b>
\nOctober 2016: 9.64 million copies<\/b>
\nVersus one year ago this month: +13.61%<\/b>
\nYEAR TO DATE: 82.47 million copies, +2.86% vs. 2015<\/b><\/p>\n

\nTOP 300 COMICS DOLLAR SALES<\/b><\/div>\n

October 2016: $34.23 million
\nVersus 1 year ago this month: +7%
\nVersus 5 years ago this month: +35%
\nVersus 10 years ago this month: +80%
\nVersus 15 years ago this month: +89%
\nNEW! <\/span><\/b>Versus 20 years ago this month: +39%
\nYEAR TO DATE: $286.33 million, unchanged vs. 2015, +41% vs. 2011, +39% vs. 2006, +89% vs. 2001<\/p>\n

ALL COMICS DOLLAR SALES<\/b>
\nOctober 2016 versus one year ago this month: +5.74%<\/b>\u00a0<\/b>
\nYEAR TO DATE: +3.59%\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

TOP 300 TRADE PAPERBACK DOLLAR SALES<\/b><\/div>\n

October 2016: $6.97 million
\nVersus 1 year ago this month: -20%
\nVersus 5 years ago this month: +21%
\nVersus 10 years ago this month, just the Top 100 vs. the Top 100: -18%
\nVersus 15 years ago this month, just the Top 25 vs. the Top 25: -1%
\nYEAR TO DATE: $77.88 million, +4% vs. 2015<\/p>\n

ALL TRADE PAPERBACK SALES<\/b>
\nOctober 2016 versus one year ago this month: -10.40%<\/b>
\nYEAR TO DATE: -0.01%<\/b><\/p>\n

TOP 300 COMICS + TOP 300 TRADE PAPERBACK DOLLAR SALES<\/b><\/div>\n

October 2016: $41.2 million
\nVersus 1 year ago this month: +2%
\nVersus 5 years ago this month: +24%
\nVersus 10 years ago this month, counting just the Top 100 TPBs: +41%
\nVersus 15 years ago this month, counting just the Top 25 TPBs: +89%
\nYEAR TO DATE: $363.59 million, +1% vs. 2015<\/p>\n

ALL COMICS AND TRADE PAPERBACK SALES<\/b>
\nOctober 2016 versus one year ago this month: +1.09%<\/b>
\nYEAR TO DATE: +2.48%<\/b><\/p>\n

\nOVERALL DIAMOND SALES (including all comics, trades, and magazines)<\/b><\/div>\n

October 2016: approximately $51.29 million (subject to revision)
\nVersus 1 year ago this month: +1%
\nVersus 5 years ago this month: +30%
\nVersus 10 years ago this month: +68%
\nYEAR TO DATE: $485.97 million, +2% vs. 2015<\/b><\/p>\n

RELEASES<\/b><\/span>
\nNew comic books released: 528<\/b>
\nNew graphic novels released: 345<\/b>
\nNew magazines released: 25<\/b>
\nAll new releases: 898<\/b><\/p>\n

The average comic book in the Top 300 cost $3.93;
\nthe average comic book
\nretailers ordered cost $389. The median and most common price for
\ncomics offered was $3.99. Click to see comics prices across time.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The comics sales estimates are below; these can also be found on the permanent home<\/b><\/a> for this data:<\/p>\n