EA: Madden made $133.5 million last month

Earlier this week, a handful of analysts released their monthly predictions for the NPD Group's US retail software-sales figures. They all agreed that August's results would show at least 20 percent growth in game sales year-over-year. However, their expectations for the month's biggest release, Electronic Arts' Madden NFL 09, were less bullish, suggesting that sales would be flat for the gridiron dynasty.

Perhaps irked by the lack of analyst enthusiasm, EA released a peek at its own internal sales data for the latest Madden. Between the game's August 12 launch and September 1, EA said that Madden rang up $133.5 million in retail sales, or roughly 6 percent more than the prior year's installment managed in its first month.

The publisher also offered an unusual bit of perspective on that figure, noting that Madden outgrossed the month's biggest movies, a slate of late-summer launches including Tropic Thunder ($83.9 million), Mamma Mia ($56.4 million), and Pineapple Express ($79.9 million). Although it wasn't mentioned, Madden also outpaced the month's biggest film (and source material for an Activision Blizzard game), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which brought in $98.6 million for the month.

Interestingly, Madden NFL 09 faced less direct competition than its immediate predecessor. Take-Two Interactive made a brief return to the football market last year with All-Pro Football 2K8, which lacked the NFL license but did include more than 200 retired pros such as John Elway, Dan Marino, and Walter Payton. After that game posted disappointing sales for Take-Two, the publisher opted to bench it for the current year.

For more on Madden NFL 09, check out GameSpot's review.