China: Avatar to set new box office record

The Hollywood blockbuster Avatar has already grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide. And despite the high ticket price in China -- watching it in 3D will cost you 120 yuan, or 17.6 U.S. Dollars -- the attraction of feeling that you're right there among the action is pulling audiences back to the cinema.

The bitter winter chill didn't keep people from a chance to watch lanky, blue, 3D aliens in the latest box office hit. Tickets sold fast for Avatar on Friday at Beijing's Sanlitun Megabox cinema.

Opening night ticket sales for Avatar set a new record in China on Monday, reaching around 5 million U.S. Dollars.

This is not director James Cameron's first success in China. His 1998 movie Titanic set a box office record grossing 52.7 million U.S. Dollars, a record that held until last year when the Transformers sequel and 2012 hit cinema screens.

Zhang Rui, Art Teacher, said, "The trailer, it looked really good and it was 3D, I have watched 3D before and it was great, and then, when it was about to come out a colleague said that it was by the director of "Titanic" so I wanted to see it even more, these two reasons."

Zhao Ming, Duty Manager at the Megabox Cinema says they are showing it on all their screens, just as they did with the disaster movie 2012.

Zhao Ming, Deputy Manager Megabox Cinema, Sanlitun, said, "We have 8 screens showing "Avatar", 8 screens, 3 of those are showing it in 3D and 5 are showing the normal version but most people, 80 percent, are choosing to watch it in 3D."

Following it's successful first night, showings continued to sell-out through the week, prompting China Film Group Corporation to predict that Avatar will set a new box office record at roughly 500 million yuan, or 73.2 million U.S. Dollars.