娱乐英语新闻:Alice opens to record takings

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Tim Burton's “Alice in Wonderland” has taken 210.3 million U.S dollars in its opening weekend overtaking James Cameron's Avatar.

It is the biggest winter opening with the vast proportion of the takings coming from 3D showings. "In theaters with multiple formats, we saw that the Imax 3-D sold out first, then regular 3-D, and then 2-D," said Disney distribution President Chuck Viane.

The increased sales were helped by a greater number of cinemas offering 3D. Alice in Wonderland played at about 220 more 3-D theaters than Avatar, since exhibitors have invested in the new technology. Of the 210.3 million dollars, 94 million came from overseas theaters in some 40 regions.

The film's European opening was almost derailed when the studio, in an initiative championed by Walt Disney's Chief Executive Robert Iger, announced that Alice in Wonderland would be released on DVD just 12 weeks after it hit the big screen.

Several theater chains, including two of the three biggest in Britain, threatened not to show the movie because of concerns the short window would hurt ticket sales. That led to a tense standoff that was only resolved at the last minute.

Ultimately, Alice in Wonderland collected 16.8 million dollars in Britain, the highest ever opening for a movie in March in the country. It also performed very well in Italy, Russia, Mexico and Australia.

Disney estimates that the countries where Alice in Wonderland opened last week would account for 60 percent of its international gross. The film has yet to premiere in several key territories including France, China, Japan and Brazil.