Modern Warfare is the largest media launch ever, beating books, movies and other games

I’m breaking a rule here. I don’t usually just rehash press releases without any analysis. But the Modern Warfare announcement that it has grossed an estimated $550 million in the first five days is pretty impressive. As the release says,

“Modern Warfare 2‘s launch beat all previous first-and five-day entertainment industry box office, book and video game sell-through records:

Five day records

• The largest reported five-day opening worldwide box office gross figures, held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($394 million)
• The largest reported five-day opening domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($203.8 million)
• The largest reported five-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (6 million units, $500 million)

First day records

• The largest reported opening first-day domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($66.4 million)
• The largest reported first-day book sales in dollars, held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ($220 million)
• The largest reported first-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (3.6 million units, $310 million) “

Although price-discounting meant that Modern Warfare 2 sold for a lower price point that GTA IV, it still beat that impressive record, and is yet more evidence that games are now a major part of the entertainment landscape.