Weinstein Co.'s 'Inglourious Basterds' aim to conquer box office

By Sarah Sluis

Inglourious Basterds, which opens today in 3,165 theatres stateside, already has enjoyed auspicious results abroad. While the movie received a mixed reception at the Cannes Film Festival, it opened in France to the best numbers ever for a Tarantino-directed film. Basterds' toughest competition may be District 9, a sci-fi pic that's been embraced by fans, critics, and general audiences: exactly the breakdown that Basterds is looking for. A.O. Scott from the New York Times wryly notes that "Mr. Tarantino gives you a lot to chew on, though there's plenty to gag on as well." Its length, episodic structure and relative talkiness compared to its action-packed marketing could surprise viewers--in a good way, or a bad way.

The latest kid adventure from Robert Rodriguez, Shorts, is opening in 3,105 theatres. Unlike his Spy Kids franchise, which "found favor among most family members, Shorts directly aims at the shorter members of the family," possibly limiting its box office. For those in the pre-teen demographic, however, there's plenty of kids-are-smarter-than-adults plot points, magical powers, and even a Booger Monster wreaking havoc.

Post Grad (1,958 theatres) stars Alexis Bledel as a smart, quirky, confused young person. No, it's not a sequel of the "Gilmore Girls." Critic Kirk Honeycutt explains it best: "This essentially is a 13-year-old's fantasy of what it's like to be 22. Naturally, it gets just about everything wrong, but its audience probably will lap it up." Post Grad sounds like a chance to spend an hour and a half with your friend's cool older sister who never talks to you, but who you desperately aspire to be. Alas, it's exactly the kind of movie that cool older sister would eschew.

For one week only, sports aficionados will get a kick out of X Games 3D: The Movie. Its smaller-scale release at just 1,399 locations will ensure that selected theatres will be packed with extreme sports lovers. But its X Games 3D's big-screen worthiness has been questioned by critic Honeycutt, who pointed out that "even with 3D, the events themselves, which come with ESPN commentary, still feel like a TV event." For the true enthusiast, however, that information is unlikely to dampen interest.

On Monday, we'll see if Inglourious Basterds is the box office behemoth it needs to be in order to bolster up the Weinstein Co., and if Shorts, Post Grad, and X Games were able to connect with their respective niche audiences.