In North America, its popularity inspired thousands of retailers to break street dates in September to meet public demand for the game. In the game's debut weekend in North America, more than 330,000 copies were sold and grossed ( adjusted for inflation), which was higher than any video game (surpassing "Star Fox 64" at 300,000 sales) and most Hollywood blockbuster movies to date. "Final Fantasy VII" had reached sales of 500,000 copies in less than three weeks. The momentum established in the game's opening weeks continued for several months; Sony announced the game had sold one million copies in North America by early December, prompting business analyst Edward Williams from Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co. to comment, "Sony redefined the role-playing game (RPG) category and expanded the conventional audience with the launch of "Final Fantasy VII"." It held the North American opening sales record up until "Resident Evil 2" (1998), and it was the highest-grossing "Final Fantasy" game in North America until "Final Fantasy XV" (2016).