Hollywood

The Hollywood film that had Hyderabad queueing for months

The record became a symbol of Hyderabad's deep love for cinema and its willingness to support great films beyond language barriers

Hyderabad’s love for cinema is something special. Audiences here have always welcomed good films, whether they are in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, or English. If a movie offers a great theatrical experience, Hyderabad movie lovers make it their own.

One of the biggest examples of this is James Cameron’s Avatar.

Avatar Was More Than Just a Hollywood Film

Released in 2009, Avatar changed the way people experienced movies. With its stunning visuals, breathtaking 3D effects, and the magical world of Pandora, the film became a global phenomenon.

Made on a budget of around 237 million USD, Avatar went on to earn more than 2.9 billion USD worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films in cinema history.

But one city embraced the film like no other, Hyderabad.

How Prasads Changed Movie Watching in Hyderabad

For many Hyderabadis, Prasads was more than just a theatre. It introduced a new big-screen experience and gave movie lovers a taste of world-class cinema.

When Avatar arrived, audiences flocked to Prasads IMAX to witness the visual spectacle. The craze was so huge that many people watched the film multiple times.

Avatar’s Unbelievable Record Run at Prasads IMAX

The numbers still sound unbelievable even today.

  • Direct run of 266 days
  • Overall run of 308 days
  • Five shows a day for 106 consecutive days
  • More than 3.5 lakh footfalls
  • Around Rs 7.5 crore gross collection from a single screen

The achievement was so extraordinary that Prasads IMAX reportedly became one of the highest-grossing IMAX screens in the world for the film.

Not America, But Hyderabad!

One of the most fascinating facts about Avatar’s success is that the film’s longest and most celebrated theatrical run was not in America.

It happened in Hyderabad.

For years, movie lovers proudly spoke about how Avatar created history at Prasads IMAX. The record became a symbol of Hyderabad’s deep love for cinema and its willingness to support great films beyond language barriers.

The achievement was so memorable that SS Rajamouli himself mentioned Avatar’s Prasads IMAX records during his interaction with James Cameron.

Even after more than a decade, Avatar’s run at Prasads remains one of the greatest box office stories associated with a single theatre in India.

This post was last modified on May 31, 2026 10:25 am

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Chandra Mouli

Chandra Mouli is a Hyderabad-based journalist and sub-editor at Siasat.com. Specializing in entertainment, he covers Tollywood, Bollywood, television, and lifestyle, while also writing movie reviews.

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