Activision has announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has become the largest entertainment launch of all time thanks to an estimated sell-through of 6.5 million units totaling over $400 million in the game’s first 24 hours of release in the United States and United Kingdom alone.
The title has become the third Call of Duty title in three straight years to break the day one launch records across all forms of entertainment. This means Modern Warfare 3 has beaten last year’s Black Ops and its $360 million estimated sell-through, which had in turn beaten 2009’s Modern Warfare 2 and its $310 million estimated sell-through. All of the statistics are courtesy of Charttrack and retail customer sell-through.
Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, lauded the franchise’s success, going so far as to promote it as more successful than “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings.”
“We believe the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest entertainment launch of all time in any medium, and we achieved this record with sales from only two territories,” said Kotick. “Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row. Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise exceed worldwide theatrical box office for ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.”
Eric Hershberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, hailed the series as a significant figure of current pop culture:
“Call of Duty is more than a game. It’s become a major part of the pop cultural landscape. It is a game that core enthusiasts love, but that also consistently draws new people into the medium. It is the most intense, adrenaline pumping entertainment experience anywhere. I would like to thank our incredible teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games for making a brilliant game. But most of all, I would like to thank our millions of passionate fans worldwide. We made this game for you.”
In addition to this announcement, Activision also revealed that it has donated $3 million to the Call of Duty Endowment for Veterans Day, which serves as “a non-profit, public benefit corporation that seeks to provide job placement and training for veterans.”
