HARRY POTTER - GLORIOUS OPENING FOR INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

GLORIOUS OPENING FOR INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds opened with an estimated $37.6 million over the weekend, well above analysts' forecasts of $25-30 million. It marked the best opening for a Tarantino film ever and gave a much-needed lift to the nearly hitless Weinstein Co., which co-financed it with Universal, the film's distributor. Moreover it lifted the box office as a whole some 27 percent above its mark a year ago -- making it the third consecutive weekend of substantial gain over 2008. Tarantino's previous best start was 2004's Kill Bill Vol. 2 , which took in $25.1 million. Most analysts credited a highly focused marketing campaign for Basterds 's success, which enjoyed similar hit status overseas, where it took in $27.5 million in 22 countries, to bring its worldwide total to $65.1 million. TheWrap.com said that the Weinstein Company "shrewdly invited top Twitterers" to the opening to spread the word. Added the correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz "It seems pretty clear that a 'Twitter effect' at the box office helped propel the word of mouth to a much higher box office total ... than was anticipated." Perhaps most surprising for a film that suggests that the war could have ended far sooner than it did had American soldiers and European Jews committed atrocities against German soldiers, including scalping, head bashing, and suicide bombings, the film was well received in Germany. Der Tagesspiegel called it "a wonderful futuristic-retro fantasy." Die Welt commented "Historical precision is necessary, but fantasy helps us achieve a catharsis." Meanwhile, Sony's District 9 slipped to second place with about $18.9 million, while G.I. Joe dropped to third with $12.5 million. The Warner Bros. family film Shorts opened in sixth place with just $3.1 million, while in its debut, Fox Searchlight's Post Grad posted a disappointing $2.7 million. And X-Games 3D The Movie suffered fatal injuries as it opened with just $800,000.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo 1. Inglourious Basterds , $37.6 million; 2. District 9, $18.9 million; 3. G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra , $12.5 million; 4. The Time Traveler's Wife , $10 million; 5. Julie & Julia, $9 million; 6. Shorts , $6.6 million; 7. G-Force, $4.2 million; 8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, $3.5 million; 9. The Ugly Truth , $2.9 million; 10. Post Grad , $2.8 million.

24/08/2009