Posted on: May 7, 2008 in Miscellany
Grand Theft Auto IV grosses more then Star Wars!?
In it’s opening week, Grand Theft Auto has taken in more then $500 million dollars. That’s a lot of loot. To put it in perspective, let’s compare this weekend take to earnings from various films. The top 5 grossing films of all time (based on US sales) are:
- Titanic - $600,788,188 (1997)
- Star Wars - $460,998,007 (1977)
- Shrek 2 - $441,226,247 (2004)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - $435,110,554 (1982)
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - $431,088,301 (1999)
So Grand Theft Auto just grossed more in it’s first week, then Star Wars has (domestically) since it’s release in 1977? Sure that’s some big numbers, but the game probably cost a fortune to make right? Grand Theft Auto is rumored to be the most expensive video game ever produced, with estimates nearing the $100 million mark. But films are not cheap to make either of course. Consider the 5 most costly films:
- Titanic (1997) - $200,000,000
- Waterworld (1995) - $175,000,000
- Armageddon (1998) - $140,000,000
- Lethal Weapon (1998) - $140,000,000
- Godzilla (1998) - $125,000,000
So while Grand Theft Auto still has a ways to go to catch up the highest world grossing film (The Titanic at $1,834,779,000), it also cost half as much to produce, and has only been out for one week.
The moral of the story? Start a video game company now.