MUMBAI: James Cameron’s Avatar, which was released by Fox Star Studios in India, has taken gross box office earnings of Rs 400 million (Rs 40 crore) in its opening weekend.

The film was released in 2D as well as 3D with the 3D collections amounting to 25% of the total figures. The number of 3D screens has seen an increase from 12 screens to over 50 screens registering a growth of over 300 per cent.

The Hindi version too is doing well. With most single screen theaters in North & Central India still going houseful, it has contributed 47 per cent of the revenues as compared to 53 per cent of the original version in India.

Released on 18 December across India, Avatar earned Rs 10 million (Rs 1 crore) through its paid previews, which is the highest for any Hollywood film in India. The opening day gross collections stood at Rs 67 million (Rs 6.7 crore), whereas the opening weekend gross collections were Rs 220 million (Rs 22 crores).

Worldwide, Avatar has grossed Rs 1.45 billion (Rs 1450 crore) in the first five days of its release. India’s opening is amongst the top ten weekend performances in the world, beating the likes of traditionally better performing countries like Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand, Sweden, Holland & Hong Kong.