Robert Zemeckis’ “The Walk” pulled in $240,000 in its first day of limited release.

The Sony film centers on performance artist’s Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his daring attempt to walk between the Twin Towers using a high-wire. It is on track to pull in upwards of $3 million in its first five days in theaters.

The idea is to debut the 3D film in 448 Imax and premium large-format theaters as a way of raising awareness heading into a crowded fall movie season. Universal tried a similar experiment with “Everest” two weeks ago, bowing the film in Imax and other specialty screens. Results were uneven. The mountain-climbing adventure pulled in a smashing $7 million on Imax and premium-format screens, but made an underwhelming $13.2 million when it expanded to more theaters the following week.

“The Walk” cost $35 million to produce and is one of the first films released under Sony’s revitalized TriStar label. Reviews have been strong and the film currently enjoys an 87% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite the strong notices, Fox’s “The Martian” is expected to dominate the box office. Pre-sales for the outer space adventure outstrip “Gravity.” The picture is projected to debut to $45 million after it opens Friday.

“The Walk” will get a wide release on Oct. 9, the same weekend that Warner Bros. will offer up the fantasy adventure “Pan.”