Games manufacturer Activision has already taken 15% more pre-orders than previous record holder Black Ops, the precursor to Modern Warfare 3.
Hype around yesterday's (8 November) launch was built by a high profile ad campaign, which starred Terminator Salvation star Sam Worthington and Knocked Up actor Jonah Hill.
Los Angeles-based 72andSunny created the ad, while MEC Manchester handled the media planning and buying in the UK.
Creative is set to AC/DC’s ‘Shoot to Thrill’ track and Activision said it brought in Hollywood actors to help ‘crush’ the sales figures of its Black Ops title.
Major computer game releases are now being unveiled at movie-style premieres, with London’s red carpet launch of Modern Warfare 3 being attended by singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and electronic music duo Chase & Status.
Modern Warfare 3 created headlines earlier in the year when it emerged the game contained scenes of an attack on the London underground system, which appeared to hark back to the 7/7 terrorist attack, though the game's creators denied there was a connection between the fictional world it had created and real life events.