This year, the biggest retail launch in entertainment history is expected to bring in an estimated $155 million.
It's not the latest "High School Musical" album from Disney and not the "Spider-Man 3" DVD.
It's a video game.
This year's top-grossing film and soundtrack are expected to bring in hundreds of millions — but it's still small potatoes compared to what's expected for "Halo 3" when it's released Tuesday, Sept. 25 for the Xbox 360.
Microsoft expects "Halo 3" — the conclusion to the sci-fi, man-vs.-alien juggernaut, to best the $151-million opening weekend of "Spider-Man 3" in a single day.
But the clamor for the third "Halo" game is indicative of a larger trend in the entertainment industry: Video games are fast becoming the new big kids on the block.
An all-star lineup of video games this season and a dramatic increase in casual gamers have made 2007 one of the most profitable for videogame companies.
In July alone, video games accounted for $925.5 million in sales nationwide.
Local game-store owners say sales are way up, and they offer a variety of explanations.
Zach Ariah, owner of Just Press Play in Mountville, said casual gamers have brought a lot more people to the community.
"A big part is the casual-gaming aspect in video games," said Ariah. "The Nintendo DS and the Wii have brought it to the forefront. It's brought more women and girls into the fold."
While females still represent a minority of gamers — about 38 percent — that population is growing, reports the Entertainment Software Association, an industry public-affairs group.
Jessica Zserai, 18, says it's not a big deal that she's a minority among game players.
"Females are good players too," she said. "You don't see a whole lot of females at competitions. It's time to open up and let the women in."
Emily Young agrees.
"I'm not really going to stop just because there's not many females that play games," she said.
The older generation is getting in on the action now, too.
"Grandmas are playing the Wii now," Ariah said.
Dan Young, of Manor Township, believes multiplayer gaming has generated a lot more interest in video games.
"It's become a social thing," he said. "You get to meet people. It's fun and competitive."
The 42-year-old currently runs a local competitive-gaming circuit, Lancaster Area Gamers. The group hosts public tournaments for games such as "Halo 2" and "Gears of War."
"It's a lot of work what we're doing, but it's a lot of fun," he said.
Traditional audiences, mostly males between the ages of 13 and 25, still lead the pack in the clamor for big-name releases.
Microsoft's highly anticipated "BioShock" for the Xbox 360 and PC hit shelves last week.
The game, rated "mature," contains explicit violence and strong language.
"It's doing very well [at my store]," Ariah said.
The game pits players against Andrew Ryan, a billionaire industrialist who constructed a massive underwater city in the Atlantic Ocean.
"BioShock" is the second best-selling video game on
Amazon.com, and mature games continue to lead the parade of hit titles.
The Electronics Boutique in Park City Center reported receiving more than 400 reservations for "Halo 3."
Local owners said "Halo" generates more excitement, and reservations, than any other game. More than a million copies have been reserved nationally.
Both Gamestop and Electronics Boutique plan to have a "midnight sale" event for "Halo 3." Customers can line up and purchase a copy at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 25.
Both stores expect a huge turnout.
The "Halo" games and other first-person shooters are the biggest moneymakers, said Joe Bailey, the owner of the cyber-gaming cafe outside the Kohl's wing of Park City.
"They are hits all the time," Bailey said.
Since its release, more than 500 million rounds of "Halo 2" have been played on Microsoft's online gaming service, Xbox Live.
Interactive games such as "Guitar Hero 2" and "Wii Sports" have become wildly popular at East Coast Gamers, too.
"We can't keep them out of the kids hands," Bailey said.
Gary Zoppetti, a computer science professor who teaches graphic design at Millersville University, said new technology has made games a much more mainstream medium.
"Video cards are growing in power exponentially every year," he said. "Graphics create much more immersive environments."
Much like movies, he said, video games are creating immersive worlds that suck audiences in.
"It's about suspension of disbelief. If you can immerse someone in a game world and they don't think of it as sitting in front of a TV with a controller in their hand, then you've got them," he said.
Paul Franz is a Sunday News staff writer. Contact him at pfranz@lnpnews.com or at 291-8753. 
