Record-breaking fantasy adventure film 'Avatar' has been named the highest grossing film in Bahrain's cinema history. The movie has netted around BD290,000 ($769,028) in the Kingdom since its release last December.

The Hollywood blockbuster, written and directed by James Cameron, has smashed international records, raking in more than $2.4 billion worldwide.

In Bahrain, more than 84,000 people have seen Avatar since it opened on December 17 at Dana Mall - where it has grossed around BD290,000.

'Avatar's success is a universal one,' said Empire International Gulf sales and marketing vice-president Mario Junior Haddad, whose firm is the regional distributor. 'It has gripped the imagination of patrons across the world.

'From the moment we screened the movie at the Dubai International Film Festival as a Middle East premiere, we knew from people's reactions that this was going to be an even bigger hit than 2012, which Empire International had just released.

'However, it was hard to imagine the phenomenal success that we have witnessed - surpassing by a mile the previous record held by another Cameron and 20th Century Fox product, Titanic.

'It is undeniable that the notoriety of Cameron's achievements have played a big part in the success of Avatar but if we have to single out a single element as the biggest reason for its unprecedented success it would have to be 3D.

'This new medium has brought renewed attention to the world of cinema and increased revenue in a substantial manner.'

The futuristic film tells the story of a paraplegic marine who, along with a team of miners, scientists and armed forces, land on an alien moon called Pandora in the Alpha Centauri system to mine for a substance called Unobtanium.

Their pursuit leads to a clash between Pandora's natives, the Na'vi, and has spectacular results.

It stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi.-TradeArabia News Service