New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Acclaimed director James Cameron’s much-anticipated 3D sci-fi epic “Avatar” spelt magic at the box office in the big cities as well as smaller towns by grossing about Rs.6.75 crore (Rs.67.5 million) on its opening day.
Touted as the biggest ever Friday opening for any Hollywood film in India so far, the movie was released in 2D- and 3D-formats in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

“Even theatres in the interiors (of the country), where the film is being shown in Hindi in 2D format, have been doing fantastic business,” Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios India, said in a statement.

The film is doing well in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, said Singh.

Industry insiders claim collections for the film from single screens have also been encouraging as theatres in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu went housefull on the opening day.

The performance of “Avatar” in India is being considered “incredible” by the distributors.

In the Asia Pacific region, India’s opening day performance is ranked at No.3 behind Australia and Korea, beating the likes of traditionally better performing countries like Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

Paid previews across the country for the 20th Century Fox venture on Nov 17 also amounted to around Rs.1 crore (Rs. 10 million).

A blend of live-action photography and virtual photo realistic production techniques, the motion picture is also touted as the most expensive film ever, made at a whopping $230-million (Rs.1,200-crore) budget.

Starring Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana, the movie depicts the story of a wounded ex-marine thrust unwillingly into an effort to exploit an exotic moon rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival.