http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/Modern_Warfare_2_cover.PNG-- 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)
-- 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 & 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)
Some Xbox Live records have also been broken:
-- More than 5.2 million multiplayer hours were logged playing Call of
Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day alone.
-- More than 2.2 million unique gamers played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2 in one day on November 10th. A new one-day record for Xbox LIVE.
-- More than 11 million achievements were unlocked on Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 2 on the first day.
Press Release
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov 18, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 continues to shatter theatrical box office and video game sales records for five-day worldwide sell through in dollars. The biggest entertainment launch in history set a new worldwide estimated five-day sell-through record of approximately $550 million, according to internal Activision estimates.
Modern Warfare 2's launch beat all previous first-and five-day entertainment industry box office, book and video game sell-through 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)
-- 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 & 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)
Modern Warfare 2's blast radius also extends to Xbox LIVE, in which the blockbuster title's epic release established the following new standards, according to Microsoft:
-- More than 5.2 million multiplayer hours were logged playing Call of
Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day alone.
-- More than 2.2 million unique gamers played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2 in one day on November 10th. A new one-day record for Xbox LIVE.
-- More than 11 million achievements were unlocked on Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 2 on the first day.
"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, Activision Blizzard, Inc. "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."
Despite the success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision Blizzard remains cautious about the U.S. and global economy as well as other variables that can affect industry fundamentals and our own performance, including consumer spending which remains a significant concern.
Modern Warfare 2 is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Language. For additional information about the game, visit www.modernwarfare2.com.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.
Activision Publishing maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision Publishing generally uses words such as "outlook," "will," "could," "would," "might," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes," "may," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimate," future," "plan," "positioned," "potential," "project," "remain," "scheduled," "set to," "subject to," "upcoming" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements.
Factors that could cause Activision Publishing's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Activision Publishing's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision Publishing's ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision Publishing's products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware (including peripherals) and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology, industry standards and consumer preferences, protection of proprietary rights, litigation against Activision Publishing, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors and third-party developers, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, integration of recent acquisitions and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, and the other factors identified in the risk factors section of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
*All references cited are sourced according to www.boxofficemojo.com or www.guinnessworldrecords.com
A(C) 2009 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision, Call of Duty and Modern Warfare are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
SOURCE Activision Blizzard, Inc.
http://www.activision.com
Copyright (C) 2009 PR Newswire. All rights reserved
