‘The Walk’ opens with $240,000 on 448 Imax screens

“The Walk” collected $240,000 on the first day of its limited run in Imax and premium large-format theaters.

The Sony TriStar film, which cost $35 million to make, follows French high-wire artist Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as he walks between the World Trade Center towers.

SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter >>

Sony released the film on 448 Imax and other select large-format theaters on Wednesday before rolling it out in general release on Oct. 9., when it will go up against Warner Bros.’

“Pan.”

The studio expects the film to make about $3 million over its five-day limited opening. Early tracking suggests next weekend it could add up to $16 million when it goes into wide release.

The intent of this type of rollout is similar to traditional use of limited release: to build buzz. But in these cases, the strategy is based on the strong visual components of these movies — the tightrope walk across the World Trade Center towers in “The Walk” and the mountain climbing in “Everest” — that are more spectacular in Imax 3-D.

Critics have praised “The Walk” for its visual effects since the film premiered at the New York Film Festival last weekend. To date, it has racked up a strong 88% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

For more news on the entertainment industry, follow me @saba_h.