Box Office: 'Inglourious Basterds' kills competition

Weekend of August 21 – 23, 2009: The 'Basterds' rule them all...

Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” stormed the North American box office and secured the No. 1 spot this weekend with an estimated $37.6 million in ticket sales, the biggest opening for a Tarantino film.

“Basterds” opened at 3,165 locations, scoring a solid average of $11,881 per theater. In the R-rated WWII drama, Brad Pitt stars as Lt. Aldo Raine, who assembles a gang of Jewish soldiers making it their mission to kill every Nazi they encounter on their way to Paris.

At No. 2, Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi action thriller “District 9” delivered another strong performance, bagging $18.9 million for a domestic total of $73.4 million after only a little more than one week in release.

Things didn’t turn out so well for this weekend’s other wide releases. Robert Rodriguez’s family flick “Shorts” debuted at 3,105 locations, generating only $6.6 million, enough for sixth place. The film follows a group of kids who discover a magical wishing rock.

Fox’s teen comedy “Post Grad” delivered an even weaker performance, debuting at No. 10 with a weekend gross of $2.8 million from ticket sales at 1,959 locations. Directed by Vicky Jenson, “Grad” stars Alexis Bledel as a recent college graduate struggling to find a job.

Meanwhile, Stephen Sommers’ “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” slipped to third place, earning $12.5 million for a cumulative gross of $120.5 million. Following at No. 4 with $10 million was “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” which brought its domestic total to $37.4 million.

At No. 5, Nora Ephron’s comedy “Julie & Julia” pulled in $9 million, lifting its total haul to $59.2 million after two weeks in release. Disney’s “G-Force” generated $4.2 million for a cume of $107.3 million, enough for seventh place.

At the bottom of the top 10, David Yates’ “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” picked up $3.5 million, reaching a total gross of $290.2 million. Following in ninth place with $2.8 million was “The Ugly Truth,” which reached a cume of $82.8 million.

Also entering the box office this weekend was Steve Lawrence’s “X-Games 3D: The Movie,” which is unranked at this point. The 3D documentary scored $800,000 from ticket sales at 1,399 locations. The film’s theatrical run is limited to one week.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)