GTAIV has done more than shatter expectations – if you’ve been living in cave, check the web for countless stellar reviews – it has annihilated records across the board, posting over $500 million in first-week sales alone.

With a figure that high, it’s important to note that, no, GTA is not a movie. But the endless comparisons between video games and movies lend to comparisons of profits and industry size. Prior to HALO 3’s record sales, mainstream media considered the gaming side of the entertainment industry to be the little brother to Hollywood. However, the week-one sales of GTA IV are another testament to the power of interactive entertainment and should leave little doubt that gaming will continue to outgrow and overshadow the movie business.

The numbers don’t lie:

- The largest opening week for a movie – Spider-Man 3, at about $400 million in the opening week – and that is for a worldwide release.

- The largest day-one profit for any movie – Spider-Man 3 again, at about $60 million

GTA 4’s day one brought in over $300 million, 5 times the best made by any movie. The game’s $500 million first week shatters the record held by Spider-Man 3. The largest total worldwide gross for any movie (that is, all box office sales, ever, everywhere during its initial release cycle) sits squarely with Titanic, which has made about $1.8 billion around the world. Where does GTA 4 sit so far, if we pit the sales it has made in its first week alone, among the total money made for a movie? Right next to blockbuster Peter Jackson’s King Kong from 2005.