EXCLUSIVE: Reshef Levi’s crime caper scored the biggest opening weekend of the year-to-date in its native Israel after beating out Despicable Me 2 and The Lone Ranger in its first few days.

The film debuted at number one in theatres last Thursday [4] through United King and drew 29,353 admissions from 32 prints.

It also bears the distinction of registering the second biggest debut by an Israeli film in close to a decade behind This Is Sodom in 2010. The 2004 debut of Turn Left At The End Of The World in 2004 ranks as the third biggest opening weekend of recent years.

United King plans to expand the run of Hunting Elephants by three prints this weekend.

Bleiberg Entertainment handles worldwide sales on the film starring Patrick Stewart.