The war effort by Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt has paid off as their history lesson Inglourious Basterds claimed victory at the box office with a $37.6 million debut. It was Tarantino's best opening ever, exceeding the $25.1 million haul for 2004's Kill Bill — Vol. 2.

AP reports:
Overseas, Inglourious Basterds added $27.5 million in 22 countries, giving it a worldwide total of $65.1 million. The previous weekend's top movie, Sony's sci-fi thriller District 9, slipped to second-place with $18.9 million. With a domestic total of $73.5 million, the movie is on its way to becoming a $100 million sleeper hit.

Weekend Box Office:
1. "Inglourious Basterds," $37.6 million.
2. "District 9," $18.9 million.
3. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," $12.5 million.
4. "The Time Traveler's Wife," $10 million.
5. "Julie & Julia," $9 million.
6. "Shorts," $6.6 million.
7. "G-Force," $4.2 million.
8. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $3.5 million.
9. "The Ugly Truth," $2.9 million.
10. "Post Grad," $2.8 million.