http://ir.capcom.co.jp/english/news/html/e090316.html

See press release below:

Capcom Co., Ltd. (Capcom) is proud to announce that the first shipment of “Resident Evil 5,” the newest title in one of Capcom’s most popular series, has shipped more than 4 million copies worldwide.

“Resident Evil 5” combines powerful visuals only capable on today’s generation of video game consoles with Hollywood’s film-making skills and technology to create a new sense of fear that arises from the contrast between light and darkness. Thanks to the company’s proprietary engine, the MT Framework, Capcom was able to make “Resident Evil 5” a multi-platform title(PLAYSTATION®3/Xbox 360™), giving a vast number of players the opportunity to enjoy the game. Many players’ expectations were raised by playing through the demo, which was downloaded over 4 million times. This all culminated in the largest first shipment of any title for the series to date.

The “Resident Evil” series is extremely popular, having shipped over 40 million copies worldwide since the first title was released in 1996 (as of March 16, 2009). The series paved the pathway for a new genre, Survival Horror, and even after ten years, the “Resident Evil” series is renowned as one of the most popular video game franchises in the world.

 The “Resident Evil” brand has grown increasingly popular outside of the video game industry, acquiring non-video game playing fans for Capcom. The three “Resident Evil” Hollywood major motion pictures have achieved combined sales of over 300 million dollars, and the CG film, “Resident Evil: Degeneration,” has now shipped over 1.5 million copies.

Preliminary VGChartz data has current sell-through at around 1.6 million units across Xbox360 and PS3 (45/55% split worldwide), in just 9 days of release in Japan and two days everywhere else. VGChartz will bring you more data as it comes in.