'Call of Duty' setting entertainment records

In this file video game image released by Activision, a scene from "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" is shown.

After hauling in the biggest-ever first-day sales total last week, the game continues to break records.

Activision Blizzard Inc., which released the game Nov. 10, said the latest game in its Call of Duty franchise made $550 ($NZ750) million in worldwide sales during its first five days. That would put it over the $500 million record set last year by Grand Theft Auto IV, from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

Activision didn't say how many units it has shipped. But Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian estimates the company sold between 8.5 million and 9 million copies.

The game is also blowing past records set by other media. After Grand Theft Auto IV comes $394 million in worldwide box office sales brought in by the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince over its first five days, according to Activision.

In its first 24 hours on sale, Call of Duty made $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone, while Grand Theft Auto made that same amount worldwide.

It was also far above the record $155 million opening weekend for the Batman movie The Dark Knight last year.

The game, which sells for $60, runs on Windows-based computers, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

Shares in Activision, which is based in Santa Monica, California, gained 3 cents to $11.72 in afternoon trading.