Legend Has It: Zelda Is Hotter Than Movies

Proving that video games have become a serious entertainment and revenue draw, Nintendo of America Inc. said its wildly popular “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” generated more retail sales during the last six weeks of 1998 than any feature film released during the same period.

Since its mid-November release, the game pulled in about $150 million in sales, company officials said. The Zelda game, a hot gift during the holiday season, has emerged as the industry’s fastest-selling video game.

By comparison, “A Bug’s Life” drew $114 million at the box office during the same period, according to staff members at Exhibitor Relations Co., a Los Angeles-based firm that tracks box-office sales. Other popular films also trailed, with “Enemy of the State” doing $92 million in sales and “The Rugrats Movie” drawing $85 million.

Though Zelda edged out the bugs and Rugrats in sales, the game didn’t come close to matching Hollywood’s volume. For example, “A Bug’s Life” sold 22 million tickets, while Nintendo shipped 2.5 million copies of “Zelda.”

“Regardless, it proves that computer games are no longer a niche thing that no one knows about,” said Perrin Kaplan, director of corporate affairs for Nintendo of America. “You might spend your Friday night at the movies. But a lot of people are spending their Friday nights with us.”