Aankhen, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan's latest film, opened last weekend to packed houses in South Africa achieving a screen average that outperformed both Britney Spears and Bruce.

Released on just five screens, Aankhen grossed $14,600 (R163,259) over the weekend and earned a massive screen average of $2, 900 (R32,651).

Aankhen also stars Bollywood heavyweights Akshay Kumar, Sushmita Sen, Arjun Rampal, Paresh Rawal and newcomer Bipasha Basu. The film which was shot partly in Cape Town, features some of the city's prominent landmarks, including Camps Bay and Table Mountain, as well as the ice rink at the Grandwest Casino and Entertainment Complex in Goodwood.

Bachchan's visit to South Africa last week, to promote the movie, gave a tremendous boost to the film's profile, with many thousands of fans gathering to welcome him in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Sanjeev Singh, head of distribution and acquisition at Videovision Entertainment commented, "Aankhen is a clear departure from the normal Bollywood fare and follows the trend of big budgets and high production values, resulting in a slick film that illustrates the potential of Indian cinema."