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Call of Duty Setting Entertainment Records   November 20, 2009 7:13AM Activision Blizzard, which released the game Nov. 10, said the latest game in its Call of Duty franchise made $550 million in worldwide sales during its first five days. That would put it over the $500 million record set last year by Grand Theft Auto IV. Analysts estimate the company sold between 8.5 million and 9 million copies.   Related Topics Call of Duty Modern Warfare Video Games Online Gaming Activision Latest News Autism Risk for Kids of Older Mothers Go Online and You Can Save the Planet In Haiti, Relief Gaps Are Spreading U.S. To Form Climate-Change Agency U.S. Losing in Clean-Tech Innovation The video game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" is blasting its way into entertainment history. After hauling in the biggest-ever first-day sales total last week, the game continues break records. Activision Blizzard Inc., which released the game Nov. 10, said the latest game in its "Call of Duty" franchise made $550 million in worldwide sales during its first five days. That would put it over the $500 million record set last year by "Grand Theft Auto IV," from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. Activision didn't say how many units it has shipped. But Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian estimates the company sold between 8.5 million and 9 million copies. The game is also blowing past records set by other media. After "Grand Theft Auto IV" comes $394 million in worldwide box office sales brought in by the movie "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" over its first five days, according to Activision. In its first 24 hours on sale, "Call of Duty" made $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone, while "Grand Theft Auto" made that same amount worldwide. It was also far above the record $155 million opening weekend for the Batman movie "The Dark Knight" last year. The game, which sells for $60, runs on Windows -based computers, Microsoft 's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Shares in Activision, which is based in Santa Monica, Calif., gained 3 cents to $11.72 in afternoon trading. The weak economy has hit video game companies later than many other sectors because the industry had been thought by some investors to be recession-proof. Shares of both Activision and rival Electronic Arts Inc. have underperformed the S&P 500 since March. Take-Two's shares, meanwhile, have been volatile -- but they are trading roughly at the same level as they were a year ago.   © 2010 Associated Press/AP Online under contract with YellowBrix. All rights reserved.   Tell Us What You Think Your Comment: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Advertisement  After Hours 1.   MySpace-Suspension Rulings Differ 2.   Pluto Shows Hubble Its True Colors 3.   Exercise May Not Boost Endurance 4.   Facebook Hits Redesign Button Again 5.   AT&T OKs 3G for Sling TV on iPhone

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