Grand Theft Auto 4 to earn 400M in first week?
Variety is saying that the first week of Grand Theft Auto 4 will come close to matching the biggest box office 6 day haul of $404 Million by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. This will make Grand Theft Auto 4 the biggest debut for a videogame surpassing even the mighty Halo 3, which raked in $300 Million in sales in its first week.
When it comes to boffo openings, forget “Pirates of the Caribbean” — think “Grand Theft Auto IV.”
And think $400 million for the first week, a record for vidgames and possibly the biggest debut ever for an entertainment product.
Sources close to publisher Take-Two Interactive, whose Rockstar Games label is developing and releasing the title, said that the latest installment of the hit franchise will reach that figure and sell some 6 million units after it launches worldwide on April 29.
Though they rarely release the data, videogame publishers are able to accurately predict early game sales based on what retailers order.
Microsoft currently holds the record for the biggest videogame launch with “Halo 3,” which grossed $300 million in its first week and sold about 5 million units.
“GTA IV” has even bigger potential, however, since it is available for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. “Halo 3″ was an Xbox 360 exclusive.
Several industry analysts also told Daily Variety that they fully expect “GTA IV” to come close to and possibly exceed $400 million in sales out of the gate.
Vidgamer sellers have slightly varying predictions at this point, though all expect it to be huge. Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes said that “GTA IV” will likely do “two times the volume” that “Halo 3″ did for his chain, while GameStop senior veep of merchandising Bob McKenzie said the game is currently tracking slightly behind Microsoft’s three-quel.
A Take-Two spokesman declined to comment.
2 Comments
Knowing how San Andreas pwned Halo 2 in the last generation, I wouldn’t be surprised if GTA IV does earn 400M and beat Halo 3 in sales.
Especially now that GTA IV is simultaneously available for the Xbox 360 and the PS3.
If you recall, San Andreas had limited exclusivity for the PS2 when it came out, and it still knocked the socks off Halo 2. I can only imagine what part IV can do commercially.
Well, Joystiq reported that GTA IV has gone gold and will be shipped to retailers very soon. I think 400 million is definitely a possibility but only time will tell.