Flying in the face of recessionary cautions about the video-game industry, Activision Blizzard is shattering record after record with its latest release. Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 continues to break box-office and sales records for a five-day worldwide sell-through.
In the biggest entertainment launch in world history, the latest installment of Call of Duty set a worldwide estimated five-day record of approximately $550 million, according to internal Activision estimates.
“In just five days of sell-through, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become the largest entertainment launch in history and a pop-culture phenomenon,” said Robert Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “The title’s success redefines entertainment as millions of consumers have chosen to play Modern Warfare 2 at unprecedented levels rather than engage in other forms of media.”
Breaking Entertainment Records
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s launch beat nine records — that’s every previous first- and five-day entertainment industry box-office, book and video-game sell-through records, including the largest reported five-day opening worldwide box-office gross figures previously held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at $394 million.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 also surpassed the largest reported five-day opening domestic box-office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight at $203.8 million, and the largest reported five-day worldwide video-game sales record, held by Grand Theft Auto IV, which sold six million units for $500 million in sales.
And that’s just the beginning. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 also beat the largest
reported opening first-day domestic box-office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight at $66.4 million; the largest reported first-day book sales, held by Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows at $220 million; and the largest reported first-day worldwide video-game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV at $310 million.
Breaking Xbox Live Records
Activision’s blockbuster hit is also helping Microsoft. According to…