Grand Theft Auto V Reaches $1 Billion Milestone Faster Than Black Ops II and Avengers Movie

82
Richard Walker

Grand Theft Auto V has already sauntered past the $1 billion milestone during its first three days on sale, making it the fastest-selling game, surpassing Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which amassed $1 billion by its 15th day on sale, and The Avengers movie, which reached $1 billion in 10 days.

This actually makes GTA V not only the fastest-selling game of all-time, but the fastest-selling entertainment product of all-time. Wowzers. "Grand Theft Auto is a cultural phenomenon and Rockstar Games continues to redefine what can be achieved in interactive entertainment," said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two.

"We are incredibly proud of the extraordinary critical and commercial response to Grand Theft Auto V."

Meanwhile, US chat show icon Conan O'Brien has had a crack at playing Grand Theft Auto V for his Clueless Gamer show, launching a vendetta against the Vanilla Unicorn Gentlemen's Club in Los Santos. It's funny. You should watch it. It's embedded below. Down there.

You should read our Grand Theft Auto V review and Top 10 Things to Do feature too.

Comments
82
  • Hardly fair to compare it to avengers since. It cost £5-10 to see avengers. But £35-50 to buy GTA V. But it is still and incredibly impressive fear
  • I'm flabbergasted.
  • Record held till the next Rockstar game! Another Red Dead? :)
  • Why did it break records? I guess it was the weather.
  • While the game is good, all this proves is that names sell, as almost everyone that has already bought it would have got it anyway without others offering their opinions.
  • YAY! way to go R*! Congrats!
  • #1 I agree in the sense that they are completely different forms of entertainment to be compared. But on the flip side, I know of quite a few people who saw avengers multiple times. Couple that with the fact that it takes in all kinds of different amounts (here a regular ticket is ~$10, IMAX is ~$14, IMAX 3d ~$17). So while I do agree that comparing them is a bit one-sided, the fact that almost 20 million people purchased GTA V is pretty insane in itself. The more I see of the game the more I want to get it :/ haha
  • This is good. Finally a game that's deserving of the title... Well done Rockstar!
  • This is amazing.....fastest...of all time...WOW!!
  • where do they go from here. guess we'll find out in a few years time. they'll have to top it and i believe they can.
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaA_cs4WZHM
  • @1 I know lots of people who saw Avengers at least 3 times in 3D thats about the same price as a GTA V game
  • did they take into account that CoD is now festering turd of a game that is released every year? and while i do have those games, im now done with them. BlOps II was the last straw for me. well done to rockstar, and im not surprised, this game is awesome!
  • @13 It helps if you remember how awesome the original Modern Warfare was before they became money sluts - and just live in the past. Until they make a real proper COD installment, that actually is in development longer than a year, and has some significant differences - I won't come back. nothing against those that are into it - I'm just done...
  • it is pretty nice to see a game other than cod getting in the record sales spotlight. Rockstar deserves this after all the amazing games they've released this generation
  • great job rockstar. only other game that might contend with it is battle field 4.
  • And they deserved every single penny of that money. The king's return was long overdue.
  • Feels kinda good to not be a part of that billion bucks. Nice job Rockstar. That's one hell of an achievement.
  • It's $110 for the standard edition here :(
  • greastest game of all time?
  • all that for a game that lets you get drunk and high just for fun, silly silly stupid game.
  • It's no surprise.
  • @19 Where are you from, mate? Russian here, and the standard edition goes for around 80 bucks. Pricey, eye, but worth every penny. I mean come on, we only get one every 4 to 5 years.
  • Is that game of year criteria? It should be. Good job Rock Star!!!
  • Also gonna factor on CoDBL2 took 2 years to make, has released 5 games in the same amount of time GTA 5 took to make. While its impressive, and definitely deserving of the top spot, can't compare it with how much CoD has made.
  • After seeing this video, I want this game. (Died laughing in the middle of class)
  • @5 no, every fifa game from 99 til 2012 proved a name will sell...
  • Here comes the CoD hate, people. Why can't we all just like both or either and not attack the series you don't like?
  • @1 you would have to get the view figures since movie is going to have more people see than even people who brought the game.
  • If they will remake San Fierro or Las Venturas? I'd throw my money to that news!
  • Was there ever any doubt? Rockstar do this type of game better than anyone and GTA 5 is astounding even before the online portion has gone active. Congrats and thankyou Rockstar you deserve this.
  • How does rockstar celebrate this milestone? By watching hot chicks make out and throwing money at them not giving two shits.
  • @1 read #29. My thoughts exactly
  • @14, i agree, Modern Warfare was the last truly great game they made, the others have just gone downhill, World at War wasnt bad, MW2 was okay, BlOPs was the first nail in the coffin, lag started to become a real problem, MW3 was just silly, BlOps II was the final nail for me... this game clearly deserves the game of the award, theres just so much to see and do, and the story is fairly long for this kind of game, well worth the price, unlike certain games i've mentioned...
  • it deserves it
  • next up should be Batman/Superman movie or star wars 7 but Rockstar has once again hit the top.
  • Clueless Gamer is the best segment that Conan does and this was his best yet. I would love to see him play Saints Row IV next
  • I'm not surprised, but hell its not even Christmas yet! I'd love to see some HD remakes of Vice City and San Andreas. I'd defiantly buy those and play them again for the achievements.
  • Am I the only one that wants bully 2 next year?
  • @21 20 million+ people disagree with you. Shut up.
  • Not much of a surprise. Pity that I didn't like the game.
  • I don't like the GTA series they are shit to me. I don't get why they sell so well. This series is not a positive influence in the world.
  • Graphically GTA V is way ahead of every current gen game,its almost next gen quality. Game play wise its still GTA 4 with a few tweaks,That said I could'nt get into GTA 4 so gave up after a few hours. GTA V has kept me interested enough to keep playing and Im loving the switching between story lines.
  • Not surprised. I've never felt this way about a game before..yuck.
  • Yea this game deserves it fuck call of dooty GTA V For life
  • @1 your logic is flawed. Wider consumer base which is more likely to spend less money on a movie than buy the game.
  • @3 I hope not
  • @1, yeah, but after you bring a friend or two, buy overpriced popcorn, drinks, Sour Patch Kids, etc.; you've spent enough to buy two GTAV's.
  • Also, I finally got around to watching The Avengers and I can confidently say that it sucked shit through a straw. The X-Men movies were the only ones that had both good writing and a message underneath. Like about discrimination and whatnot. The Avengers was just a bro-fest of smashing shit. Maria Hill was the only interesting part because it implied Civil War might come to the silver screen...eventually, but probably not.
  • nice to see a game that is not cod be the biggest piece of entertainment, well done R* :)
  • @42 Majority of games are not positive influences lol who cares? Give props to the fact that even if you don't like the game that it's still great. Rockstar and the guys there put all they had into this for the last hoorah for the current consoles. They deserve to be rewarded.
  • I hope that capcom and activision realize that making customers pleased is what will get them money and fame. Rockstar rocks!!
  • @53 rubbish - cod earns more and more money each year from each installment. Capcom only now seem to make 2 games street fighter or dead rising and its working for them as they know people will eat the games up. the matter of the fact is, sale figure wise, it doesn't matter whether spend 5 years on a game or a year, your still gonna make a shit ton of money. also a deciding factor into GTA V money earned, was it was at a hefty price. the cheapest i could find it was for £50, which is ridiculous, in not surprised it reached such a target with those prices. also, im not against GTA V, i own it and i think its quite alright, not 10/10 - but its alright.
  • #53 Depends how far into the main story you are. Some of the missions later in the game are well crafted and really fun making it a 9/10 for me
  • Woops I mean 54 not 53. Referring to the last paragraph
  • Good job Rockstar!! :)
  • looking forward to seeing a next-gen Vice City take the crown.
  • That's quite something.
  • Video games are now the most popular form of entertainment in the world, surpassing even movies. This has been the case for a couple of years now so its really not surprising to see numbers like this on the most popular titles. That said, the rate at which it achieved these numbers is impressive to say the least. 800 million in a single day and 1 Billion in 3 days is just crazy. IMO, the release of the XBox One and the PS4 will usher in the beginning of the golden age of video games. You will have the 360 and PS3 still operating in full force, you will have the PS4 and XBox One, which I believe will go on to break records for both MS and Sony in regards to the total number of consoles sold. You have PC gaming, which has seen a HUGE resurgence with services like Steam, GOG, and Desura. Then you have gaming on cell phones and tablets, which has exploded in recent years plus the traditional handheld platforms from the likes of Nintendo and Sony. Then you have the Indie market, which is growing in size by the day, and last but not least you have new methods of funding like Kickstarter, which allow anyone with a great idea to get funding. There has never been a better time to be a gamer, or a company in the gaming market for that matter. As Rockstar has shown, if you have a great idea for a game and your able to bring it to market....well, the skies the limit. Even if GTA V cost 150-200 million to produce, that means it just made 800 Million in profit in just 3 days. That is nothing short of insane.
  • I loved the video...
  • well worth £40 for the amount of effort put into this game.absolutely amazing
  • Comparing it to a movie is a really false analogy Movies have limited numbers of seats and showings per day, Games cost 5 times what a movie ticket does. Games can also be purchased typically within a few minutes of home, and don't require a 3-4 direct time investment to soo, instead a 3-4 minute purchase window on the way home from work
  • @39, Bully next would be nice :) Then a new Red Dead the year after would be welcomed :)
  • Don't know why people always try to compare or complain how it's one sided. What? Should they start charging 60 bucks a movie ticket to be fairly compared to games? Actually if you think about it it should be more easy to sell movies than games considering the fact that it only costs 8 bucks (where i'm from) for a an adult ticket and five for a minors but $60 for a game. If it came down to it money wise i'd rather see a movie than play a game since it's cheaper. Then of course remember not everyone plays games while everyone does go to the movies so there's that too...
  • who sells the fastest is mildly interesting but not really important. Movies have several release windows and video games usually don't.
  • @14: Every CoD is in development for more than a year you idiot. Why do you think they have multiple studios working on it? So Treyarch can spend 2 years on their game and Infinity Ward can spend 2 years on their game and so on and so on. Any person who claims to play CoD and yet hasn't noticed the different developer logos every year needs their head examined.
  • the difference is that a game like this DESERVES to sell this well, Black ops sold so fast because of the brand/name. it takes dedication to keep a game series alive and flowing with new ideas to keep it fresh and awesome and Rockstar does that everytime.
  • Good game but I like it in Liberty City better not that Los santos is bad just dig LB cause it reminds me of NYC
  • "the fastest-selling entertainment product of all-time." Well what a surprise, really. GTA is always a milestone for gaming and this latest offering is almost the pinnacle of what is available at the moment. I love this game, You put it on, play, then just get lost in it.
  • Still havent played it and I never will
  • @66 Games are actually cheaper than movies if you factor in the cost against hours entertainment and trust not everyone goes to the movies.
  • After 30-40+ hours in gta 5 i finally heard one of my fave songs baker street by george rafferty on the radio. shows how many songs there are. i wish you could make a custom playlist
  • Conan's Clueless Gamer segments always crack me up! "Hey. I was just killed here an hour ago." *walks into strip club* XD Personally, I got bored of GTA's gameplay mechanic all the way back in GTA: SA, so none of the installments after it grabbed my attention as they all play essentially the same except with different characters in a different area. Open-world games are fun to me but idk what it is about GTA...it just doesn't appeal to me.
  • Never could get into these games but props for the billion
  • The leap between GTA III to GTA San Andreas was significant. Just like the leap from GTA IV to GTA V on this console generation. That said, I can't wait for GTA VII.
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhSV_aNEKLM
  • for those saying "idiot CoD is in develpoment for 2 years!" fucking wow, TWO YEARS MAN! thats, like a long time to make a game... no, its just about enough time to copy and paste it, change a little bit here and there then send it off to be pressed. theres a reason that Rockstar took nearly five years to make GTA V, the same reason Skyrim had a large gap netween Oblvion, they took their time and made an incredible game that wasnt just copy and pasted from the last one. my advice, ditch the fanboy attitude and accept that each and every CoD is the same damn game as the ones before it. an DO _NOT_ mention ghosts, it isnt out you so you CAN NOT comment on it...
  • @76 Same here, i hvnt played since gta 3. Alot of friends carried on playing but i get bored too quickly, not my thing really.
  • It will be interesting to see how the stats look when the new COD comes out... Just sayin' is all...
  • The Avengers grossed $ 1 billion in 19 days, Mr. Walker. I don't know where you got your information from, but it's incorrect.
  • upto I saw the draft of $5932, I accept that...my... mother in law was truley making money part-time from their computer.. there aunt has done this for under eleven months and resently repayed the dept on their apartment and purchased a great Smart ForTwo. look at this web-site http://www.jobs64.com
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