Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" to be hacked to pieces?

After an apparently lackluster reception at Cannes, there are talks of cutting the film down drastically by as much as 40 minutes. It is a matter of confusion as to whether the film is currently 2 hours and 40 minutes long or 2 hours and 28 minutes long. What is not a matter of confusion however is that the purpose of this cut seems to be the classic stand by:

Money.

TWC is hurting bad, and nearing bankruptcy. Apparently they think they can make some more money by cutting the film down to a length that will get them one more showing in each theater per day. However, what they fail to realize is that more often than not when you cut a film as long and original as this one by as much as they want to, you're seriously putting the integrity of the very film at risk. Sure, Tarantino fans would more than likely be able to get the full cut on DVD or Blu-ray at some point, but they would also be so upset that it was cut for monetary purposes that they might not even bother to see it in theaters. This would demean the entire purpose of cutting it down, as it might end up costing them more money than it makes them in the end.

Keep it the way it is, Weinstein -- The legion of Tarantino fans out there will see it regardless of whether it's a bomb or not. Your one job is to give QT what he wants so he can make his fans happy so they will come to see the movie so you will make more money. The length of the film doesn't matter at this point, and neither does the quality of it. Leave it as is and watch Americans vote with their wallets, as they always have.