A lot, maybe! We’d certainly hate to jinx it, but all polling data suggests that Quentin Tarantino’s Nazi-scalping dramedy Inglourious Basterds is on target to earn between $25 million and $30 million this weekend, which would make for the director’s biggest-ever domestic opening. It’s also off to a strong start overseas; Basterds opened in Europe on Wednesday, and it’s already made $1.4 million in France, which is Tarantino’s best one-day haul there (no word yet on how it’s doing in Germany, but presumably incredibly).
The Weinstein Company split the movie’s $70 million cost with Universal, which means they’ll only keep half of its worldwide gross. But good reviews should deliver a solid-enough opening, and as long as this thing turns a profit at all, it’ll be the biggest hit Harvey’s had in a long time (and the fact that he probably can’t tell its two blonde female leads apart will only make that more poignant).
Movie projector: ‘Basterds’ could have a glorious $30-million-plus opening [Company Town/LAT]
Good start in Europe for ‘Basterds’ [Variety]