Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has topped all previous sales records for an entertainment product launch, raking in $400 million in the US and UK alone during its first day on sale.
The sales success of Modern Warfare 3 marks an impressive hat trick for the franchise, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops both smashing sales records in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
"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," Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick said in a statement.
Kotick also boasted that the total sales of the Call of Duty franchise comfortably surpass the worldwide theatrical box office for Star Wars and Lord of the Rings series -- although it's worth noting that CoD games typically cost five or six times more than the average movie ticket.
See also:
First impressions: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Watch the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 trailer
Top 25 landmark FPS games
