Box Office: Tarantino Finally Gets His Hit

This weekend was a pretty big one for the box office, though only making just over $100 million with the top ten. This marked the biggest opening weekend for one of Hollywood’s most celebrated writer/directors in Quentin Tarantino, as his latest film Inglourious Basterds brought in an estimated $37 million in the domestic box office, while bringing in $27 million overseas.

This certainly goes down as the biggest opening weekend for Tarantino, with the runner ups being Kill BIll Volume 2 back in 2004 bringing in $25 million and 2003’s Kill BIll Volume 1 grossing $22 million in the opening weekend. While the former hit theaters over five years go, Tarantino’s 2007 film Grindhouse only brought in $11 million in the first weekend, and a total box office gross of $25 million.

Basterds not only marks Tarantino’s biggest opening weekend in the box office, but also the biggest production budget that he has worked with at $70 million. Grindhouse being his second biggest with $67 million, the film only grossed $25, which barely made a dent. Basterds, however, has already made an estimated $64 million, which means this film will be turning a profit in a matter of days.

Elsewhere in the box office, last week’s hit District 9 only had a 49% drop from $37 million to an estimated $19. G.I. Joe is still hanging on to the top three spot with $12.5 million, with The Time Traveler’s Wife and Julie and Julia following closely behind. Tarantino’s often-partner Robert Rodriguez’s film Shorts, did not–however–follow in his friend’s trend. The film opened with only $6.6 million.