Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Hateful Eight’ Debuts With $3.5 Million But ‘Stars Wars’ Does $28 Million

Quentin Tarantino‘s “The Hateful Eight” began its national expansion with $3.5 million at the box office on Wednesday, after distributor the Weinstein Company made an 11th-hour decision to push the opening ahead two days. But it was no match for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which rolled up $28 million.

In the process, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” became the highest-grossing film domestically ever for Disney, passing in only 13 days the entire $623 million total gross of “Marvel’s The Avengers” from 2012. It added another $36 million from overseas giving it $65 million worldwide on Wednesday.

The domestic total for “The Force Awakens” is $629 million and international is $664 million, giviing it a global haul of $1.29 billion.

Also Read: Universal Holds Off Disney and 'Star Wars' for Market Share Crown

TWC’s snowbound frontier thriller “The Hateful Eight” will be expanding from 100 theaters to 2,474 this theaters this weekend and is projected to land in the $20 million range over the five-day period by industry analysts. They see “The Hateful Eight” as having little chance of keeping “The Force Awakens” from setting its third straight weekend triumph at the box office.

A third straight weekend record seems within range, too. “The Force Awakens” will have to top the $68.5 million that “Avatar” put up in 2009. If it keeps half of the $149 million it brought for Disney in last weekend, J.J. Abrams space epic will do it.