Advance ticket sales for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" broke records in Russia, and some box office experts think that could mean a better performance than the likes of "Avatar" in the country, which currently reigns as the highest-grossing movie of all time.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, over 15,000 tickets have been pre-sold in Russia for "The Force Awakens" -- the highest number the country's box office has ever seen.

Anton Sirenko, general director of Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing (WDSSPR) -- the distributor for the film in Russia -- says "The Force Awakens" could out-perform "Avatar," based on advance ticket sales, but stressed, "We cannot make any forecasts regarding a movie's gross before we have actual numbers."

One contributing factor to "Star Wars'" advantage over "Avatar" is the increase in theatres in Russia since 2009 -- which is now home to more than 3,800 screens, compared to the country's 2,100 screens in 2009.

THR also notes that no "Star Wars" movies were released in Russia during Communist rule.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" debuts worldwide on December 18.