LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – “Bruno,” British satirist Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest subversive outing, narrowly claimed the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office in North America, according to studio estimates issued yesterday.
The “mockumentary,” in which Baron Cohen plays a gay Austrian fashion model seeking fame in the United States sold $30.4 million worth of tickets during the three days beginning July 10, distributor Universal Pictures said.
“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” held steady at No. 2 with $28.5 million, taking the 12-day haul for 20th Century Fox’s prehistoric cartoon to $120.6 million.
Last weekend’s champion, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” slipped to No. 3 with $24.2 million; after 19 days, Paramount Pictures’ robot sequel has earned $339.2 million, easily the biggest movie of the year.
The one other new entry was Fox’s teen romantic comedy “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” starring Hayden Panettiere in the title role. It came in at No. 7 with $5 million, in line with the studio’s modest expectations.
The opening for “Bruno” was also in line with the forecasts of the General Electric Co unit, which paid independent producer Media Rights Capital $42.5 million for distribution rights in North America and eight foreign territories. Media Rights declined to disclose the budget.
Baron Cohen’s previous release, the similarly outrageous “Borat,” opened to $26.5 million in November 2006. But that was from about 800 theaters, while “Bruno” played in 2,756 theaters. “Borat” ended up with $128.5 million in North America and an additional $133 million internationally.
Universal said “Bruno” earned $20 million from the eight international markets, led by No. 1 bows in Britain and Ireland ($8.1 million) and Australia ($6.1 million).
