Grand Theft Auto V breaks entertainment media record with $800 million in day-one sales

Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, announced Wednesday that their open-world opus Grand Theft Auto V raked in a staggering $800 million in its first 24 hours of availability. Not only is that a new high for both the GTA franchise and Take-Two, but it trounces previous record-holder Call of Duty Black Ops II, which managed to bring in $500 million in its first day of release last year.

“All of us at Take-Two are thrilled with the initial response to Grand Theft Auto V,” said Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “Once again, the team at Rockstar Games have outdone themselves, setting the entertainment industry’s new standard for creativity, innovation and excellence.”


Unofficially, the $800 million mark makes GTA V the biggest day-one earner ever across all entertainment media. To put the number in context, current weekend box-office champ “The Avengers” earned $200 million in its first two days (though to be fair, comparing a $10 movie ticket to a $60 game isn't exactly apples to apples).

The new record also puts added pressure on Activision’s Call of Duty franchise, which hopes to maintain its annual tradition of eclipsing day-one industry sales records. The next installment, Call of Duty: Ghosts, releases November 5.

GTA V is also likely to become the fastest game to earn $1 billion. Last year, Call of Duty: Black Ops II hit that mark in 15 days; at the current rate, GTA V will hit it during its first week.