SANTA MONICA, Calif. — First-day sales of Activision Blizzard Inc.'s "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" broke records, raking in an estimated $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone.

The video game went on sale all over the world on Tuesday, but Activision provided figures Thursday only for North America and Britain. The company estimates that it sold about 4.7 million copies of the game in the first 24 hours in those markets, making it the biggest-selling launch in the history of entertainment.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 destroys records in first day sales rampage, pulls in $310M

Call of Duty sells $310M in N America UK in 24 hrs

The latest installment in the "Call of Duty" action franchise was expected to at least match last year's "Grand Theft Auto IV," which was the most successful video game release in history and at the time may have been the top entertainment launch ever.

That games, from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., had sold 3.6 million units on its opening day, worth $310 million worldwide. "Call of Duty" made that much in just North America and Britain.

The launch of "Call of Duty" also easily brought in more than last year's record $155 million opening weekend for the Batman movie "The Dark Knight."

Erik Cota walks out of the video store with his copy of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 video game, early Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 in Redwood City, Calif. Modern Warfare 2 was launched Tuesdayat one minute after midnight. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

Like the previous five "Call of Duty" games, which are all rated "M" for mature (not for kids under 17), this one lets players shoot their way through a complex series of scenes. The game's developer, Infinity Ward, spent two years creating realistic graphics that are amplified in many players' homes by big-screen, high-definition TVs sets and powerful speakers.

In this file video game image released by Activision, a scene from "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" is shown. First-day sales of Activision Blizzard Inc.'s "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" broke records, raking in an estimated $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone. (AP Photo/Activision, file)

Players can fight one another, whether they're at the same game console or in separate locations and connected online. Or a player can dive in alone and get swept into the game, which includes jarring depictions of war and an intricate story of good versus evil.

The game sells for $60 and plays on Windows-based computers, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

Shares of Activision, which is based in Santa Monica, rose 6 cents to close Thursday at $11.44.

Source : Associated Press

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	Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person tactical shooter and the sixth entry in the popular Call of Duty series. True to its name and following the lead of its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it places players in modern combat settings, as opposed to the WWII environments of the earlier Call of Duty games...

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	Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person tactical shooter and the sixth entry in the popular Call of Duty series. True to its name and following the lead of its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it places players in modern combat settings, as opposed to the WWII environments of the earlier Call of Duty games...

	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 List Price: $59.99 Sale Price: $39.89
	Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person tactical shooter and the sixth entry in the popular Call of Duty series. True to its name and following the lead of its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it places players in modern combat settings, as opposed to the WWII environments of the earlier Call of Duty games...

Favian Acuna (l.) and Zachary Hobbs of Nevada display posters they got after being the first to buy copies of the highly-anticipated video game, 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.' nydailynews.com

Biggest Launch Ever

A bloody video game made more money in one day than any movie ever has.

First-day sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 demolished entertainment industry records, selling 4.7 million copies and raking in an estimated $310 million in North America and United Kingdom alone.

The release overran the former champion Grand Theft Auto 4, which sold 3.6 million copies in April 2008.

Call of Duty even left Hollywood shell-shocked - the largest opening in movie history was Warner Brothers' "The Dark Knight," which grossed a measly $158.3million over its first three days.

Hard-core gamers who lined up outside area stores for midnight sales Monday said they were glad they did.

"I crashed through the door to get my copy, and I couldn't wait to get on the multiplayer," said Lonny Martinez, 18, a Manhattan security guard. "It was fantastic. I live five blocks from the store where I bought it, and I still took a cab home so I could get there quicker."

Retailers are also thrilled: The sixth game in the Call of Duty series has left them with dollar signs in their eyes.

"We are extremely satisfied with sales," said GameStop Executive Vice President Tony Bartel, "and have placed another order with game maker Activision.

"Our continued expectation for the title is high," Bartel added.

Modern Warfare 2 casts players as members of a special operations unit in pursuit of a Russian villain who is terrorizing Europe.

Playing as Army Rangers, SAS commandos and CIA operatives, gamers must fight their way through Afghanistan, Russia and Washington.

Activision is turning over $1 million of its profits to establish a Call of Duty endowment fund to help real-life soldiers returning from war pursue careers in the private sector.

With Mark Lebetkin