Why "GTA IV" Isn't So Big

Everyone seems so impressed with Grand Theft Auto IV's early revenues. With 3.6 million copies sold and $310 million in only the first 24 hours of release, many already consider the game the greatest one-day success story in entertainment history.

Yes, $310 million swamps every film release ever in terms of cash. No other video game, not even Halo 3, can brag about $310 million in 24 hours. For the record, I'm impressed too.

But the biggest entertainment release of all time? Come on.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold about 9 million copies in Britain and the United States in its first 24 hours, according to MSNBC.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 8.3 million copies within the first 24 hours of sale in the U.S. alone, according to CNN.

That's only two bright examples from the Potter series.

In terms of overall consumer reach, Harry Potter's numbers swamp Grand Theft Auto IV. If Harry Potter novels cost $60 a copy, then they would have generated more money than GTA IV did in 24 hours.

You could also compare Grand Theft Auto IV's 3.6 million different buyers in 24 hours to numbers for the highest rated television shows ever. Sure, it's apples and oranges, and no one spends a dime to watch a television show, save for the one-time price of a television and a monthly cable bill covering every other television show watched. But for fun, you can do a comparison.

For example, M*A*S*H's finale, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, drew 50.5 million people in 2 1/2 hours. That's 60 percent of households in 1983, according to Wikipedia. Nothing else, not a Super Bowl, not even Elvis Presley, has commanded 60 percent of American households like M*A*S*H.

Gamers are talking up 3.6 million copies of a video game? Please. The Super Bowl generates more consumer interest on a yearly basis.

CIA.gov, the website for the CIA, says over 301 million people reside in the United States today. So 3.6 million is about one percent of the American population. Only one percent of the American population bought GTA IV in the first 24 hours. That's awesome. That's incredible success. But in terms of cultural influence, it doesn't compare to a Super Bowl. This decade, the Super Bowl has drawn at least 84 million viewers. Super Bowl XLII drew 97.5 million viewers. Super Bowls last what? Around 4 hours? Granted, no one pays the NFL $60 to watch Super Bowls. So this comparison is quite flawed.

Still, in light of Harry Potter book sales and Super Bowl ratings and M*A*S*H, 3.6 million is not a very impressive percentage of consumers in the grand scheme of things. Grand Theft Auto has a long road to hoe to make a true dent in the American psyche.