Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" delivered a successful first day in release Friday, as the fantastic R-rated WWII drama jumped to the top of the North American box office with a daily gross of $14.3 million in ticket sales.
Nicely done! "Basterds" opened at 3,165 locations this weekend, scoring an average of $4,534 per theater. In the film Brad Pitt stars as Lt. Aldo Raine, who assembles a group of Jewish soldiers making it their mission to kill very Nazi they encounter.
Last week's winner "District 9" bagged another $5.5 million in second place, another solid result from the sci-fi action spectacle directed by Neill Blomkamp. The film's total gross currently stands at $60 million after a superb one-week run.
Things did not go all too well for the weekend's other two wide releases. Robert Rodriguez's family flick "Shorts" only made it to No. 6, earning $2 million. The film about a bunch of kids finding a wishing rock is currently showing at 3,105 locations.
Fox's "Post Grad" with Alexis Bledel delivered an even weaker result, bringing in only $1 million from ticket sales at 1,959 locations. This comedy/drama follows the misadventures of a recent college graduate who can't find a job and is forced to move back in with her family.
Meanwhile, "G.I. Joe" The Rise of Cobra" finished third with a daily gross of $3.6 million, reaching a cume of $111.6 million. Following at No. 4 was "The Time Traveler's Wife," which bagged $3.3 million for a cumulative of $30.7 million.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)