Stalingrad, a new film from director Fyodor Bondarchuk about the Soviet battle against the Nazis during World War II, has earned groundbreaking profits, bringing in $14.3 million in Russia and $1.2 million in Ukraine since its release Thursday night.
The film's gross is second biggest opening weekend for a Russian film after "Samy Luchshy Film" ("The Best Film"), which earned $16.5 million when it opened in 2008, Kinopoisk.ru reported, citing the film's distributor Sony Pictures.
Stalingrad came in fourth by the size of profit over the weekend in the international rating, after Alfonso Cuaron's 3D sci-fi thriller Gravity ($72,265,000), Captain Phillips ($26,000,000) and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 ($23,300,000) in this weeks Rentrack World Box Office estimates.
Stalingrad, which cost $30 million to film due to an expansive war-torn set built outside St. Petersburg, is the first Russian movie shot entirely in 3D and the first non-American movie shot for 3D IMAX.
It was followed in the international top 10 by Prisoners ($11,065,000), Despicable Me 2 ($10.6 million), Insidious Chapter 2 ($9.75 million), Runner Runner ($9.03 million ), Rush ($8,364,300) and Now You See Me ($8.2 million).