'Life of Pi' crosses USD 500 mn worldwide

Los Angeles: 'Life of Pi', Ang Lee's epic story about an Indian boy lost in the ocean for more than 200 days with a Bengal tiger, continues to triumph at the global box office.

The film, which is the second most nominated film at the Oscars this year with 11 nods, has crossed USD 500 million mark at the global box office.

The 3D film, shot almost entirely with an Indian cast, has made 80 percent of its haul internationally. The Fox's film grossed USD 100.4 million domestically and USD 401 million internationally for a total of USD 501.4 million, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Starring debutante Suraj Sharma in the lead and actors like Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain and Tabu, the film is competing at the Oscars next month with Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln', which has 12 nominations.

Lee, who took on the challenge of adapting the Yann Martel's 2001 novel about a young Indian boy lost at sea with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, is also nominated in the best director category.

The initial scenes of the movie were shot in Pondicherry and Munnar in India while the ocean scenes were shot in a 1.7-million-gallon water tank in Taiwan.