The war effort by Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino has paid off since their “Inglorious Basterds” earned a $37.6 million debut.
“Inglorious Basterds” was Tarantino’s best debut ever, and it surpassed the $25.1 million haul for “Kill Bill — Vol. 2” in 2004. “Inglorious Basterds” also earned $27.5 million in 22 countries worldwide, giving it a total of $65.1 million.
“Inglorious Basterds” was domestically released by the Weinstein Corporation and released overseas by Universal. The film features Pitt in a tale of Jewish commandos and Nazi leaders set during WW II.
The film was a hit for Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who have only managed lacklustre receipts at their new outfit after they left Disney-owned Miramax in 2004.
At Miramax, the Weinsteins earned prestige, profit and several Academy Awards for “Chicago”, “Shakespeare in Love” and Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” as well as the “Scream” and “Scary Movie” franchises.
“Tarantino helped build the house of Miramax. He’s proving right now that he’s helping to build the house of Weinstein,” said analyst for Hollywood.com, Paul Dergarabedian.
So far, the Weinstein Corporation has not yet reproduced a success that can equal Miramax’s success.
Harvey Weinstein admitted critics continually write him off, adding that a magazine in 2002 said, “we were the flavor of the ’90s but we were kind of over in the new millennium.”
But he said his company has a great and strong lineup ahead, which includes horror sequel “Halloween II” and musical “Nine” by “Chicago” director Rob Marshall. The company is also releasing the post-apocalypse saga “The Road” later in the year.
