Tarantino is King of the Box Office

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds raked in a hefty $37 million this weekend, much more than I expected. While his other half, Robert Rodriguez's Shorts didn't fair to well, making just under $7 million for a 6th place finish.

On an interesting note, the top two movies this weekend are also probably the two most graphically violent movies of the year.

Weekend Estimates:
Inglourious Basterds: $37.6 million ($37.6 million total)
District 9: $18.9 million ($73.5 million total)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: $12.5 million ($120.5 million total)
The Time Traveler's Wife: $10 million ($37.4 million total)
Julie & Julia: $9 million ($59.3 million total)
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Well it's no surprise that butt-brothers Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez would release both their movies on the same day. However, their movies are different for enough of the box office pie to take from.

Inglourious Basterds
Why it might be a hit: Tarantino delivers critically appealing movies.
Why it might tank: Mostly only movie geeks follow his films, and that fan-dome usually dives off from opening weekend.

Shorts
Why it might be a hit: This guy made 3 Spy Kids movies, all successful.
Why it might tank: This seems like a random "kids" movie with not much substance.

My Predictions:
Inglorious Basterds: $18 million
District 9: $17 million
Shorts: $12 million
G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra: $11 million
The Time Traveler's Wife: $10 million