The folks over at Weinstein Co. must be breathing a big sigh of relief. Friday’s box office numbers suggest their gamble on in-house auteur Quentin Tarantino has paid off: His WWII drama Inglourious Basterds took in an estimated $14.3 million, putting it on track to win the weekend with what could be an impressive $36 million.
Robert Rodriguez’s new kid flick didn’t fare nearly as well. Shorts from Warner Bros. only earned an estimated $2 million for the day, giving it a sixth slot in the derby for Friday and a probable weekend gross that won’t reach double digits. Meanwhile last weekend’s big winner District 9 suffered severely at the hands of Inglourious Basterds and its star Brad Pitt, with its Friday number at $5.5 million, down 61% from its opening day a week ago. G.I. Joe also got knocked, though not as badly. The PG-13 actioner fell 48% from last Friday, to $3.6 million. Rounding out the top five were two of the more female-oriented movies, with The Time Traveler’s Wife taking in $3.3 million on Friday while Julie & Julia added another $2.6 million. Post Grad, the Alexis Bledel post-college comedy didn’t get high marks its first weekend in theaters. Earning just $1 million its opening day, its weekend outcome looks bleak. See Friday’s Top Five below, and check back here tomorrow for the full weekend’s Box Office Report.
1. Inglourious Basterds–$14.3 million
2. District 9–$5.5 million
3. G.I. Joe–$3.6 million
4. The Time Traveler’s Wife–$3.3 million
5. Julie & Julia–$2.6 million
UPDATE: Inglourious Basterds wins the weekend box office with $37.6 million
More on Inglourious Basterds and Quentin Tarantino from EW:
Inglourious Basterds: the EW Review
Quentin Tarantino: 20 Movies — and Posters — You’ve Got to See
Quentin Tarantino: 5 stamps he’s left on Hollywood
Inglourious Basterds: Playing ‘Spot the Reference’
Quentin Tarantino and the Original Inglorious Bastards
Quentin Tarantino: EW’s Trivia Quiz
Comments (1-15) of 58 Add your comment
District 9 downed 61%!!!! I can’t believed it.
RIGHT…No way Dist 9 dropped that much…Not true a lie
I know it is disappointing, but the massess often display a lack of taste. They will flock in droves to see these other mindless films that came out this summer, and totally ignore the quality ones. It is a sign of the times. The lemmings are mindless and are drawn to mindless things. I guess I don’t have to name the brainless, noisy fare that has come out in the past two months. You know the ones I am talking about.
District 9 and Inglourious both have bad word of mouth from most who see it. A few fanboys are overexcited about it, but the general audience doesn’t like them.
stick to beet farming, Inglorious basterds was great. It takes a special man to make an action movie that is also touching. The close ups of the French farmer’s face towards the end of the 1st chapter are brilliant. It really felt like a holocaust/WWII/fantasy film. I recommend it highly
This movie is GARBAGE…One of the worst of the year….I WANT MY $$$$ BACK..Avoid, a waste of time
I’d love to know who these “most” people are you’re talking about. District 9 did well during the week, which is an indication of good word of mouth. What market research firm do you work for?
The ‘most’ people he is talking about are those who have actually seen the movie. It doesn’t take a degree in movie criticizm to realize this is one of the most overhyped movies to come out in a long time. The audience I saw it with did NOT clap after it finished. They just got up and left right away. The reason why it had a strong opening was because of all the hype. But after the public got to see it first hand, they realized how crappy it was and the bad word of mouth ensued. That is the reason for the pathetic box office numbers from the 2nd weekend
Umm I don’t know who you’re talking to, but most of the people I know who have seen both movies (I myself have seen Basterds) have thoroughly enjoyed both and highly recommend these films. And none of the people I have talked to are fanboys. I absolutely loved Inglourious Basterds.
After Inglourious Basterds the theater broke out in applause. What does that tell you? It’s getting good reviews and everyone I talked to liked it. I am not sure where you are getting this from.
I think they were clapping because the movie was over and they could leave…BAD MOVIE !!!
WALSH, are you retarded?
District 9 was a masterpiece compared to this movie. The reviewers must have seen a different movie then I just seen. I am mad as hell, I just wasted 12.00
They are both masterpieces. Just because you are part of the 60% of people who don’t know what good movies are, doesn’t mean you get to cloud the minds of people who do.
I’ve heard nothing but good comments on both movies from friends who generally are harsh on criticizing a films appeal and entertainment value. They really enjoyed both.
and it’s rare to get two fun and smart films in august
Dwight K Schrute, what universe are you living in? i havent talked to one person that’s said a bad thing about distict 9. and as far as inglorious basterds goes, that movies was great. im actually finding that most people i talk to who are the “general audience” are enjoying it. also, bad word of mouth for inglorious basterds from “most?” its only been out for a day and a half…
Check out http://www.rottentomatoes.com:
89% approval for District 9
86% approval for Inglourious Basterds
’nuff said!
Dwight K Schrute lives on a beet farm and clearly has no clue.
D9 and Basterds were both good movies. D9 was actually really really good, I am surprised that more people didn’t go see it this weekend after the strong word of mouth. Not everyone likes SciFi I guess, they need big names involved in the movie like Will Smith or Tarantino.
It is a masterpiece!
Depicting the Nazis accordingly for their viciousness against the Jews and what most of us would have liked to have occurred against Hitler and his henchmen is in its proper perspectiveness.
The cinematography and color was awesome. Brad played a character and a half … the film took turns no one would ever think of and David Bowie’s song was so great … as well as the rest of the soundtrack. The characters were terrific and the acting was excellent.
Tarantino’s work is an absolute masterpiece. He indeed did invent a new shade of red! Really a stunning movie.
Guess it helps that my father fought at Normandy on D-Day through the Battle of the Scheldt in Holland and Belgium to Berlin and I have directed my own film about WWII. GETTYMOVIE is the Getty/Hitler trilogy.
It’s directors like Tarantino that inspire one to push the envelope.
You lie because the allies never fought in Berlin, only the Russians did. Inglorious Basterds is an insult to history and intelligence as well as being a terrible film to boot.
I don’t think he meant that his father fought in Berlin. I think he meant that his father fought to advance to Berlin. As far as Inglorious Basterds being an insult to history-sure ok; to intelligence-meh not really; a terrible film- not sure what kind of film you expected from Tarantino but this is what most people go for when watching his films.
It is, after all, theater. It is not intended to be historically accurate. It is purely entertainment.
An insult to history? It’s not trying to be a historically acurate film. In a world where countless film makers make awful remakes of old films and tv shows, Quentin Tarantino remade WW2 and this time it ends right.
Here is the best way to see this. Rent Schindlers List and let that set the mood and then go and see this movie.
I took in an afternoon viewing os Tarantiono’s file and it was everything you wanted to happen in the big WW 2. Good Guys, Bad Guys, great looking Girls and the long take shots Tarantino is famous for. Bitt is outstanding and the rest of the cast does their part to make the movie complete.
Go See Hurry. You will not be disappointed.
Has it just been in the past year — maybe even this SUMMER — that we started breathlessly tallying up box office receipts from opening DAY? Waiting until Sunday afternoon to find out how much a movie made over the weekend isn’t ENOUGH of a horserace? I know how important these figures are to the studios and the advertisers, but honestly — what does it matter to US?
inglourious basterds is a QT Masterpiece
Thank god I didn’t read any reviews from the pompous critical masses out there who obviously prefer their movies to be in short fashion
‘Wham Bam Thank you Mam’
Awesome!!! SHORTS TANKED!!!
I don’t really mean that, just a joke.
Judging by the comments here, I find it funny that fanboys and box-office followers read EW.