British cinema receipts for a Bollywood film have helped it break overseas box-office records.

3 Idiots, starring Aamir Khan, is seventh on the UK cinema charts, taking £331,166 last week across the UK.

The figure was particularly high given it was screened at only 53 cinemas, compared to the top rated film Avatar which is playing at 493 screens and earned £5.9million.

India’s Reliance Big Pictures says it has broken all previous international box office records for Hindi features.

Since its released on Christmas Day worldwide, it has taken $4.7m in North America, $2.3m in the Middle East and £1.11m in the UK as of 3rd January, taking it to a worldwide gross of $52m (R2.4bn) when Indian takings are added.

The comedy film follows two friends on a quest to find a third, lost friend, which in turn sends them on a trip down memory lane.

The film company claims that in territories such as Australia, screenings of ‘Avatar’ had to be reduced in order to accommodate additional screenings of ‘3 Idiots’.

The Aamir Khan flick became UK’s highest grossing Bollywood film for 2009, and USA’s highest grossing Bollywood film ever, surpassing ‘Om Shanti Om’ (2007).

New box-office figures will be released this week.