Grand Theft Auto VI could become the “biggest entertainment launch in history,” gaming producer Geoff Keighley predicts. Its planned Nov. 19 release puts the Rockstar Games title alongside major films and returning television series competing for audiences.

Hollywood executives and analysts are watching how the game could affect viewing time, streaming and moviegoing. The forecasts concern both spending and the hours players may devote to its open world.

A Biggest Entertainment Launch Forecast For Hollywood

Keighley, the producer and entrepreneur behind The Game Awards, made the prediction in The Hollywood Reporter’s coverage. He said the industry should watch hours as closely as revenue because the game could occupy players through the year.

The report cites a first-year forecast of 45 million copies and $3.2 billion in sales. It also says 29 percent of U.S. gamers expect to buy the title.

Those are expectations rather than completed sales or measured viewing losses. Keighley’s biggest entertainment launch prediction includes the game’s potential effect on streaming, theaters and how audiences spend their time.

Related industry coverage looks at MIPCOM Cannes’ streaming and digital focus. The GTA VI release presents another question about where entertainment audiences will direct their attention.

Major Releases Surround The Game’s Debut

The third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power begins rolling out Nov. 11. Its episodes arrive over three weeks, while Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer opens Nov. 13.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens Nov. 20, the day after GTA VI launches. The fourth season of Yellowjackets and the third season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians arrive that same day.

Amazon MGM’s limited series Blade Runner 2099 follows five days down the road. Other entertainment coverage includes Crunchyroll’s live-action plans and the Other Mommy box office forecast.

Bart Spiegel, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ global media, entertainment, gaming and sports leader, expects streaming to be particularly exposed. A console game competes directly for viewing hours on living room televisions, he told the outlet.

Spiegel said live sports’ urgency offered more protection than entertainment programming. He nevertheless joked that viewers could turn on GTA VI if a game became boring.

The Effect Could Extend Beyond Opening Weekend

A major exhibitor executive told the publication it was “tough to know” the impact on films. Strong Hunger Games presales might indicate solid counterprogramming, the executive said, while Ebenezer presales were weak.

The executive doubted GTA VI was the main reason for Ebenezer’s poor presales. Walkup sales would help clarify the picture, rather than advance forecasts alone.

Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three are scheduled to open Dec. 18. Spiegel said GTA VI’s pull could last through December, when some players have more free time.

Keighley also expects the game to dominate livestreaming, clips and creators’ output. He said people would still see other entertainment, but its value would need to be extremely high.