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Halo 3 Pulls Down Over $170 Million in the First 24 Hours

Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive game “Halo 3” has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in history, garnering an estimated $170 million in sales in the United States alone in the first 24 hours. The Xbox 360 title beat previous records set by blockbuster theatrical releases like “Spider-man 3” and novels such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

Within the first 20 hours alone, we’ve seen more than a million Xbox LIVE members come online to play Halo 3 – that makes September 25 the most active Xbox LIVE gaming day in history.”

More than 10,000 retailers hosted Midnight Madness events to celebrate the launch of this third installment in the billion-dollar franchise. In New York, Seattle, Miami and Los Angeles, Microsoft and retail partners hosted marquee launch events that featured contests and appearances by local celebrities and professional athletes who are fanatical about the “Halo” franchise, including Ludacris and Zac Efron and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.

More than 1.7 million copies of “Halo 3” were preordered in the United States before a single store opened its doors at midnight, Sept. 25, making this the fasting pre-selling game in history, surpassing the previous record-setting pre-sales of “Halo 2.” Well beyond just a U.S. phenomenon, the launch of “Halo 3” was a worldwide celebration that released in 37 countries and available in 17 languages.

No Waiting at 7-Eleven For Halo 3

With every electronic store in the nation doing some kind of midnight madness event for Halo 3, if you don’t have it preordered yet you might find it hard to get your hands on a copy.

I will be at my local 7-Eleven right down the street, just standing around playing Pac-Man and eating some nachos and a hotdog drinking a Slurpee out of my Halo3 cup. Then at 12:00 am I will walk up to the counter buy my Halo 3 and a pack of Red Bull and be at home playing long before most even get inside the local “Video Game Store”.

Just to let you know most 7-Eleven stores will be selling Halo3 over the counter at midnight on the 25^th. Talking to our local store, less than a block away, a statement was made by a store employee that they do not expect a line at all since they did not sell more then 20 preorders.

How many copies they have on the 25^th at each store for sale I don’t know, but I do know of about 4 7-Elevens I can get to long before I could get to a normal “Video Game Store”.

So Check your Local 7-Eleven you might just hit the Jackpot.

**Update**

I have checked with my local store and cost is 59.99 + tax they have over 100 coming in for sale and preorder to open sales at 12:01am I would suggest calling to double check your local store.

Believe + Halo 3 + Hype = More Midnight Madness Event Details

With seven days and counting, the anticipation for “Halo 3″ has reached a fever pitch. To help further stoke the anticipation for what promises to be one of the biggest entertainment launches in history, Microsoft today confirmed further exciting details around the Midnight Madness events happening across the United States starting Monday, September 24 and culminating with the game’s sale at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 25.

More than 10,000 retail stores in the U.S. alone will be opening their doors at midnight on September 25 to usher in one of the biggest days in entertainment history, and fans will be invited to participate in activities at local retailers to countdown to “Halo 3’s” launch.

Major regional events will also be held in select locations including New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle and Miami, and those consumers who participate will not only be a part of history in the making, but can also score free merchandise and get a chance to play “Halo 3″ with local celebrities in on-site Game with Fame sessions.

Specific event details include:

New York

Where: Best Buy, 529 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10017

What: Located in the heart of 5th Ave. and only a few blocks from Times Square, the Best Buy store on the corner of 5th and 44th Ave. will be the first to provide consumers in the U.S. with their copies of “Halo 3.” The event, which will begin early afternoon on Monday and can be seen on televisions nationwide via live broadcasts from both Spike TV and G4, will feature day-long activities. People are encouraged to demonstrate their fanaticism for Halo through costumes, distance traveled, best signs and more. Additionally, fans in line may get to play “Halo 3″ prior to launch against on-site celebrities from early Monday afternoon through midnight. Every hour, a new personality will enter the fray with the fans. At midnight, attendees can expect a spectacle unlike any other. A number of Bungie team members and local professional athletes will be on hand to participate in the launch festivities.

Los Angeles

Where: GameStop, 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, Universal City, CA 91608

What: From the entertainment capital of the world, GameStop’s flagship store at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles will host the Halo 3 West Coast launch. The event begins Monday evening and will lead up to the first sale of the game at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 25, and will feature a celebrity autograph session, Halo trivia contest and a special appearance by the man of the hour, Master Chief, as well as a number of Bungie team members. Fans in line will also have a chance to be one of the lucky few who can battle it out against a celebrity on “Halo 3″ prior to the launch. The event can be seen on televisions nationwide via live broadcasts from both Spike TV and G4.

Seattle

Where: Best Buy, 457 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005

What: Seattle fans are invited to join the celebrations at Bellevue’s Best Buy, which will open its doors at 12:01 am on September 25 to sell the highly anticipated and final chapter in the “Halo” trilogy. To commemorate the release of “Halo 3″ in the game’s hometown, fans will be able to celebrate the occasion with product giveaways. People in line may also get a chance to play against Bungie team members and local professional athletes.

Miami

Where: Circuit City, 8575 Northwest 13th Terrace, Miami, FL 33126

What: Hosted by Circuit City, Miami’s Midnight Madness event of choice will feature product giveaways and contests starting at 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. Current Miami Dolphins stars, Chris Chambers and Joey Porter will be on hand signing autographs as well as challenging fans in “Halo 3″ inside Circuit City. Additionally, a number of Bungie team members will be on hand to participate in the launch festivities.

Attendees at the regional events will also have an opportunity to receive the following giveaways as part of the festivities:

• Halo Action Clix from WizKids
• Collectible trading cards from Topps
• Halo Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund from Tor
• Frag Fest t-shirts from Mighty Fine
• Accessories and hats from Changes
• Messenger bags from Enmon Accessories
• Console sling bag and hardware organizers from BD&A
• Halo Graphic Novels published by Marvel
• 2008 Halo calendars from Trends International
• Halo Uprising Comic (issue one) from Marvel
• Halo soundtracks from Sumthing Else Music
• Weapon replicas from Master Replicas
• Zune Halo 3 edition
• Limited-edition figurines from the diorama created for the “Halo 3″ ad campaign and many other great pieces of merchandise.

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