‘Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ Made $1.2 Billion In Its First Three Days
— Updated on 7 March 2023

‘Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ Made $1.2 Billion In Its First Three Days

— Updated on 7 March 2023
Chris Singh
WORDS BY
Chris Singh

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sales are in – the shooter has generated US$800 million (AU$1.24 billion) globally in just three days. And It looks like Activision’s latest entry into the long-running Call of Duty franchise is only just starting to ramp up when it comes to dominating the gaming landscape well into 2023.

Not only does this mean MW2 is the highest-grossing Call of Duty game in the franchise’s 19-year history, but the gritty first-person shooter is now the top-selling property in all of entertainment this year, topping every box office blockbuster’s opening weekend by a considerable margin, including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Top Gun: Maverick.

Running through previous figures logged by Activation, we can see that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is already one of the biggest games in modern history. The previous record was $775 million ($AU1.2 billion) across five days for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which was released back in 2011. And outside of the franchise, Rockstar’s modern western epic Red Dead Redemption 2 raked in $725 million ($AU1.12 billion) across three days when it was released in 2018.

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MW2 hasn’t surpassed those two titles by much, but it’s unlikely any other title will be knocking the new Call of Duty from its podium anytime soon. Mind you, this is the same weekend as God of War: Ragnarok, which has routinely been named a masterpiece in early reviews.

Now that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has given Activision its biggest opening ever, there’s very little doubt that we’ll be seeing more from the high-octane shooter in the future. Not that there was any doubt to begin with. Earlier this year it was reported that total revenue for the Call of Duty franchise, starting from 2003 when the first Call of Duty was released, has surpassed US$30 billion (AU$46.6 billion). No one walks away from that kind of cash cow, especially when demand is clearly growing.

In response to the record-breaking sales, Call of Duty Mod General Manager, Johanna Faries, released a thank-you note to fans of the franchise:

“Thank you, Call of Duty players, for making Modern Warfare 2‘s launch one for the record books as well as the highest-grossing entertainment opening of the year. It is our honour and privilege to deliver such a historic launch weekend for the best fans in the world.”

“As amazing as this opening has been, Call of Duty has much more in store. An unprecedented level of support [downloadable content] for the Modern Warfare universe is on the horizon and Warzone 2.0’s launch is right around the corner. It’s an incredible time for the franchise.”

Other video games that have sold well in 2022 include FromSoftware’s punishing Elden Ring, which has sold around 17 million copies, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga which, as of June, had sold over five million copies. There’s little doubt God of War: Ragnarok will be joining that ranking soon, but it’s clear no title this year – and probably for the next few years – will come close to topping these Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sales. That is, until Grand Theft Auto 6 comes along.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is out now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox X|S, and PC.

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Chris Singh
WORDS by
Chris is a freelance Travel, Food, and Technology writer. He has had work published by The AU Review, Junkee Media and Australian Traveller Media and holds tertiary qualifications in Psychology and Sociology.

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