MUMBAI: James Cameron‘s magnum opus Avatar created a record by grossing Rs. 67.5 million on opening day itself. This makes it the biggest ever Friday opening for any Hollywood film in India.
Starring Sam Worthington, Siqourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana, the film is the story of a wounded ex-marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival.
The film that released in India yesterday in 2D as well as 3D has, in fact, beaten the openings of recent films like Kurbaan, Paa and Rocket Singh.
Paid previews across India amounted to Rs 10 million, highest for any Hollywood film in India
Collections from CI single screens were also encouraging, with theatres in Delhi, Bihar, Lucknow, Kanpur, Bhopal, Allahbad, Varanasi, Jalandar, Jammu sporting a ‘Houseful‘ board on the opening day.
Avatar was first conceived by Cameron 14 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist.
Avatar released in India with dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil Telugu.
Like in English, the dubbed versions have also been attracting huge crowds. "Theatres in the interiors where the film is being shown in Hindi in 2D format have been doing fantastic business and so also theatres in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh," says Fox Star Sudios India CEO Vijay Singh.
