As most have noticed by now, Halo 2 had a phenomenal first day of sales all over the world, in Europe the game broke all sorts of entertainment records as far as sales and money made are concerned. Now that we have the facts and figures for the U.S. it is also apparent that the movie industry is being pushed into second place by the gaming industry. Strangely enough, the entertainment industry that is pirated the most seems to be making more money than those that complain about piracy the most, it is unlikely however, that a gaming company executive makes as much money as his music industry colleague.
Halo 2 broke entertainment retail records in its first 24 hours on store shelves. Microsoft Game Studios announced that the highly-anticipated game sold through 2.4 million units in the U.S. and Canada, driving cash register receipts to the USD 125 million mark.
Halo 2 has blown the roof off of any other sales day in the history of GameStop, said Dan Dematteo, president and chief operating officer at GameStop. In just one day, we sold more than half a million copies of Halo 2 - more than any other game in history in its first day of release. Halo 2 has become more than a pop culture phenomena - it's become a pop culture frenzy.
Not only has Halo 2 exceeded video game sales records, but entertainment records as well. Halo 2 has generated more money on day one than any of the biggest movies in box office history including Spider-Man 2 (Sony), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (WB) and The Matrix Reloaded (WB). In addition, Halo 2 surpassed this past weekend's box office favorite, The Incredibles, which grossed USD 70.5 million (U.S.) in three days compared to the USD 125 million pulled through by Halo 2 in one day.
The first 24 hours of Halo 2 sales have taken our breath away, said Peter Moore, corporate Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and Publishing, Xbox. Across North America, 2.4 million copies of the game were sold through, representing USD 125 million in total cash register receipts for retailers. It's no longer just a huge game for us but has become a seminal milestone for the entire industry.
