SAO PAULO: "Elite Squad 2," a Brazilian movie mixing explosive action with political intrigue, has become Brazil's top movie of all time, besting even the US blockbuster "Avatar" at the national box office, producers and industry specialists said.
The movie, a sequel to a 2007 original that also became a huge success, has taken 60.5 million dollars in Brazilian ticket sales since its premiere three months ago, topping the 60.4 million dollars "Avatar" pocketed over a similar period, the industry outlet Filme B said.
"The film has grabbed the title of the biggest box office hit in Brazilian cinema history, topping the blockbuster 'Avatar' by James Cameron," the producers of the movie crowed on their website.
The launch of "Elite Squad 2" in Brazil coincided with a spectacular real-life operation by the crack police squad of its title that swept brutal drug gangs out of a nest of slums in Rio de Janeiro.
It is to get its international showing next month at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States.