Jason Bourne may not have known exactly who he was, but movie and DVD fans sure did.

    Proving again how valuable a hit movie franchise like the "Bourne" espionage thrillers can be, Universal Studios Home Entertainment said on Monday that "The Bourne Ultimatum," DVD sold 5.4 million units in its first six days in retail stories, which translated into roughly $95 million of consumer spending. That is on top of the nearly $440 million the movie earned at global box offices since its U.S. debut in August.

    What makes the figures even more spectacular is that "Ultimatum" is the third film in the series about the super spy Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon) who has lost his memory and is trying to learn his true identity. Typically third movies in a series will loose their sales punch at box offices and on DVDs, but that hasn't happened with the Bourne movies. The first movie, 2002's "The Bourne Identity" grossed $213 million worldwide, and the second, 2004's "The Bourne Supremacy" took in $288 million around the globe.

    In a statement, Universal Studios Home Entertainment President Craig Kornblau called the movie's success and the DVD's first week sales, "a testimate to the enduring appeal of the Bourne franchise."

    But here is more food for thought. How about some Hollywood awards for what is not only one of the year's best-reviewed action flicks but, obviously, a crowd pleaser too? Can anyone say Oscar?

    Apparently, kitchen-dwelling rats make for good business in the movies.

                                                   The Walt Disney Co. said late Monday that its summer animated hit movie "Ratatouille," about a rat who longs to be a restaurant chef, has now earned more than $600 million at worldwide box offices. That breaks down to $206 million in the U.S. and Canada and another $396 million internationally, where it is still playing strongly.

    That's a huge sum, and it shows the fickle nature of pre-determining box office hits and misses. No one knows exactly how to judge which movies, TV shows, records, DVDs or even Web programs will hit or miss with consumers.

    Before "Ratatouille" was released in June , industry watchers downplayed the movie's chances to perform to the level of recent Disney/Pixar films such as "Cars" or "The Incredibles." After all, it was about a rat in a kitchen that (ahem) wanted to cook. Moreover, it took place in a French restaurant -- in Paris. Sacre bleu!! 

  But the movie turned out to be good. Along with all its successes, "Ratatouille" is the No. 1 movie in France, according to Disney. And not only is the company raking in the box office cash, it must be thinking about winning the animated film Oscar. A happy Hollywood ending? No doubt.