In a year when Hollywood is rolling out its biggest blockbusters, one video game has eclipsed them all. Halo 4 is on track to reach $300 million in global sales in the first week, making it the biggest Halo launch in history and the biggest entertainment launch of the year to date.
In the first 24 hours of its release, Halo 4 garnered more than $220 million worldwide, eclipsing the record for the biggest day-one opening in U.S. box office history, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and the biggest movie of 2012, The Avengers Assemble – based on U.S. sales alone.
The launch of Halo 4 propelled lifetime sales for the Halo franchise beyond $3.38 billion, cementing its status as one of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world. Halo 4 also shattered the record for the largest number of players in the history of the Halo franchise, with over 4 million players in the first five days.
Users spent a total of 31.4 million hours playing Halo 4, pushing the total number of gameplay hours across the “Halo” franchise well beyond the five billion mark.
“We’re thrilled that Halo 4 has emerged as the biggest U.S. entertainment launch of the year,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios. “Thanks to the millions of fans worldwide who helped make this another record-breaking launch for the Halo franchise, Halo 4 is kicking off a strong holiday season and has become the must-have blockbuster experience of the year.”
Staff writer
