“Bruno,” Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest “Da Ali G Show” movie spin-off, won a hard-fought battle at the box office according to weekend estimates.
The well-reviewed comedy grossed an estimated $30.4 million this weekend, topping the $28.5 for “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.”
Although the win is impressive, early indications are that “Bruno” will not top “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” when the dust settles. Though “Bruno” took $4 million more than “Borat” in its first weekend, “Borat” opened on only one-third the screens–when it expanded in its second week, it actually pulled a greater weekend box office total than in its debut. Since “Bruno” started wide and took a big dip from Friday to Saturday, it does not appear to have any shot of reaching the “Borat” total.
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” fell to third with $24.2 million, while “Public Enemies” and “The Proposal” rounded out the top five with $14.1 million and $10.5 million, respectively.
The weekend’s big bomb came in the form of “I Love You, Beth Cooper.” The Hayden Panettiere vehicle grossed only $5 million for a seventh place finish, as the poorly-received ads and terrible reviews discouraged potential moviegoers.
Weekend Top Ten:
1) Bruno – $30.4 million
2) Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – $28.5 million ($120.6 million)
3) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – $24.2 million ($339.2 million)
4) Public Enemies – $14.1 million ($66.5 million)
5) The Proposal – $10.5 million ($113.8 million)
6) The Hangover – $9.9 million ($222.4 million)
7) I Love You, Beth Cooper – $5 million
8) Up – $4.7 million ($273.8 million)
9) My Sister’s Keeper – $4.2 million ($35.8 million)
10) The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 – $1.6 million ($61.5 million)
