Microsoft Corp's Halo 3 video game set an opening-day US sales record of $194 million, outdoing any video game or movie debut and giving the company's money-losing entertainment unit a strong boost toward profitability.
Alien-shooting fans also surged onto Microsoft's Xbox Live online service. More than a million members took up virtual arms in Halo 3 in the first 20 hours on September 25, the day the game debuted, Microsoft said yesterday.
Halo 3 easily surpassed its predecessor, 2004's Halo 2, which racked up $142 million on the first day. The $68 game also beat the $67 million US opening-day movie box office record, set by Spider-Man 3.
