First look: 'Bruno' loses his dazzle on Saturday, opens to $30.4 million

After an eye-popping opening day Friday, "Bruno" had a not-so-glamorous weekend.

The second feature comedy featuring a Sacha Baron Cohen character interacting with real people sold a solid studio-estimated $30.4 million worth of tickets over its first three days. That's a very healthy performance given that Universal paid $42.5 million to distribute the film domestically and in key foreign territories and is receiving an unusually high distribution fee.

It's shockingly low, however, given that "Bruno" grossed $14.4 million on Friday. Based on the performance of "Borat," Baron Cohen's first film, and other R-rated comedies, it looked like the film would gross close to $40 million after that.

But  "Bruno" lost a lot of momentum on Saturday, earning only $8.8 million. "Borat," by contrast, earned more on its first Saturday than Friday. The big 39% drop forced Universal to estimate that the movie will gross $30.4 million, less than it and other studios were expecting on Friday.

It's a strong sign that while there was significant initial demand to see the movie on its first day, word-of-mouth may not be so strong and it won't go on to earn anything close to the $128.5 million "Borat" ultimately made in the U.S. and Canada.

"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," had a very strong second weekend, helped by the fact that last weekend was a bit slower than normal due to July 4 falling on a Saturday. Fox's animated feature declined only 32%, grossing $28.5 million and bringing the total domestic gross to $120.6 million. That's almost exactly what "Ice Age: the Meltdown" earned in its first 12 days, a somewhat disappointing figure given that ticket prices have risen over three years and the new film is playing in more 1,600 theaters with one or more 3-D screens, where there is an extra surcharge.

In good news for Universal's pricey crime drama, "Public Enemies" also experienced a relatively modest drop of 44%. That's better than director Michael Mann's last film, "Miami Vice," but not as good as his 2004 picture "Collateral," and indicates the period picture starring Johnny Depp will have a decent but not fantastic run at the box office. It sold $14.1 million worth of tickets this weekend, bringing its total to $66.5 million.

As expected, Fox's low-budget comedy "I Love You, Beth Cooper" had a dismal weekend, earning only $5 million from a primarily young female audience.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" remains strong on its third weekend. It dropped 43% to $24.2 million, bringing its domestic total to a spectacular $339.4 million.

-- Ben Fritz

Update (12:30 PM): For more on why "Bruno" stumbled on Saturday, as well as the huge overseas ticket sales for "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," see our updated box office story.

Photo: Sacha Baron Cohen in "Bruno." Credit: Universal Pictures

Comments

[J-Burn]

Bruno didn't gross as much because everyone was watching UFC 100
for aound $45.

It'll rebound

[zorg]

Bruno is not gay enough for American audiences. We love our gay films, such as Harry Potter, and our gay senators, such as Lindsey Graham, and would have given Bruno a flamboyant reception if it were not for his drab yellow lederhosen and half-hearted catwalking. It's not his fault. Not everyone can stare vacantly at the camera and unexpectedly raise one shoulder. Bruno lacks the crossover sparkle of gay icons like Liberace who captivate generation after generation of sophisticated American filmgoers.

[susie]

the film was tossed together. and it's too graphic.

[Roddy]

Cohen made a mistake by not writing in more parts for little Bruno. America not only needed to see more of your junk, it needed to be teabagged.