Director Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained' earned the title of biggest new release of the weekend, beating out the lavishmusical 'Les Miserables.'

'Django Unchained,' an $87 million American Western about a slave who enacts revenge on plantation owners, earned $30.7 million in its opening weekend. The Weinstein Co.-distributed film, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson, didn't gross enough to displace 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' which earned $32.9 million for the top spot at the box office. But 'Django' did surpass the weekend totals for 'Les Miserables,' which earned $28 million in its first weekend in theaters.

'The aggressive plan was to get it ready in time to go out at Christmas, and we knew that Christmas is always very competitive but it's also the most lucrative time of the year,' said Weinstein President of Theatrical Distribution Erik Lomis. 'We knew we had something really different than all of the other films in the marketplace.'

'Django' was helped by an unexpectedlyrobust turnout from women, who made up 46% of the audience, Mr. Lomis said.

Though it came in third place, 'Les Miserables,' distributed by Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures, had little cause for sorrow. The $61 million film, starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway, opened on Christmas Day and had earned nearly $40 million by the start of the weekend, with an $18.2 million haul on its first day in theaters, making it the biggest ever opening day for a musical and the second biggest Christmas opening in history.

'I don't think we could ask for anything better,' said Universal President of Distribution Nikki Rocco.

Coming in fourth place was 'Parental Guidance,' a comedy distributed by News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox. The $25 million film, starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, earned $14.8 million in its first weekend in theaters. News Corp. owns both Fox and The Wall Street Journal.

A number of holdovers rounded out the pack. 'Jack Reacher,' the action film starring Tom Cruise and distributed by Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures, earned $14 million, bringing its cumulative domestic total to $44.7 million. Universal's 'This is 40,' from director Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, took in $13.2 million to bring its cumulative domestic total to $37.1 million.

And 'Lincoln,' the Steven Spielberg-directed film from DreamWorks Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Co., continued its strong run, earning $7.5 million in its eighth week in theaters. 'Lincoln,' starring Daniel Day-Lewis, has grossed $132 million domestically to date.

Erica Orden

• director [di´rektə]   n.指导者；....长；导演   (初中英语单词)
• release [ri´li:s]   vt&n.释放；放松；赦免   (初中英语单词)
• musical [´mju:zikəl]   a.音乐的；悦耳的   (初中英语单词)
• western [´westən]   a.西的；西方的   (初中英语单词)
• revenge [ri´vendʒ]   vt.报复 n.报仇；报复   (初中英语单词)
• opening [´əupəniŋ]   n.开放；开端 a.开始的   (初中英语单词)
• distribution [,distri´bju:ʃən]   n.分配；分布(状态)   (初中英语单词)
• audience [´ɔ:diəns]   n.听众；观众；接见   (初中英语单词)
• universal [,ju:ni´və:səl]   a.宇宙的；普遍的   (初中英语单词)
• crystal [´kristəl]   n.水晶 a.水晶的   (初中英语单词)
• domestic [də´mestik]   a.家庭的；本国的   (初中英语单词)
• plantation [plæn´teiʃən]   n.种植园；栽植；移民   (高中英语单词)
• unexpected [ʌniks´pektid]   a.突然的；意外的   (高中英语单词)
• surpass [sə´pɑ:s]   vt.超过，胜过   (高中英语单词)
• comedy [´kɔmidi]   n.喜剧；喜剧场面   (高中英语单词)
• cruise [kru:z]   vi.&n.巡航；航游   (高中英语单词)
• weekend [´wi:kend, ,wi:k´end]   n.周末休假   (英语四级单词)
• lavish [´læviʃ]   a.慷慨的；浪费的   (英语四级单词)
• displace [dis´pleis]   vt.移动，移置；取代   (英语四级单词)
• aggressive [ə´gresiv]   a.进攻的；侵略的   (英语四级单词)
• competitive [kəm´petitiv]   a.竞争的，比赛的   (英语四级单词)
• theatrical [θi´ætrikəl]   a.戏院的；戏剧(性)的   (英语四级单词)
• unexpectedly [´ʌniks´pektidli]   ad.意外地；突然地   (英语四级单词)
• beating [´bi:tiŋ]   n.敲；搅打；失败   (英语六级单词)
• robust [rəu´bʌst]   a.强建的；茁壮的   (英语六级单词)
• paramount [´pærəmaunt]   a.最高的 n.元首   (英语六级单词)