box office

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Is Tarantino’s Biggest Box Office Opening Ever

Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage

Quentin Tarantino’s ode to Hollywood in the 1960s has officially scored the director the biggest opening at the box office of his career, according to Variety. The film opened at $40 million, so it didn’t quite beat The Lion King (but then who could hope to best an apex predator as voiced by Beyoncé?), but it still did rather well. The director’s previous bests were Inglorious Basterds, which opened at $38 million, and Django Unchained, at $30 million. For even more perspective: Whereas Kill Bill Vol. 1 made only about $22 million in its opening weekend, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood made $16.8 million on Friday alone. It turns out people really, really like nostalgia. Who knew?

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Is Tarantino’s Biggest Opening