WOW! CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2 PULLS IN $310 MILLION IN IT'S FIRST DAY OF SALES!

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.