RealD says theatres equipped with its 3D cinema technology brought in nearly $40 million of the total domestic (U.S.) box office money generated by 20th Century Fox's AVATAR, which released Dec. 18. According to RealD, the movie debuted at No. 1 during its opening weekend, earning more than $242.5 million worldwide.

The box office generated in theatres with RealD technology accounted for over 50% of the total weekend's receipts, it says. 

As a leading 3D cinema platform, RealD counts among its partners 19 of the world's top 20 exhibitors with 9,500 screens under contract and 4,800 screens installed in 48 countries with 300 exhibition partners. 

Of late, Sony Corporation and RealD have announced a technology partnership aiming to provide immersive 3D home entertainment to consumers beginning in 2010. 

The partnership includes Sony licensing the stereoscopic RealD Format, know-how in producing active and passive 3D eyewear and other RealD technologies. (Read: Now Coming 3D TVs for Your Homes)

As regards AVATAR, the film takes viewers to a world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home.

James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of "Titanic," first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. 

Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story. 

AVATAR stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver. The film is written by James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau.

Photo courtesy: Avatar Movie