No Swagger Like 'Borat,' but 'Brüno' Opens on Top - New York Times

Despite the best efforts of Universal Pictures and Sacha Baron Cohen to will their gay-themed “Brüno” into a cultural and financial juggernaut akin to Mr. Baron Cohen’s “Borat,” the new film’s so-so opening over the weekend indicates it will fall short of the goal.

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The results look impressive on the surface. The R-rated “Brüno” was No. 1 in North American theaters over the weekend with estimated ticket sales of $30.4 million, according to box office tracking services. “Borat,” which carried the formal subtitle “Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” opened to $26.5 million in 2006 (or about $28 million when adjusted for inflation) and went on to gross $128.5 million domestically. The problem is that “Brüno” was released in 2,756 theaters in North America — over three times as many as the number of theaters in which “Borat” played initially — but failed to increase its opening tally accordingly. Put another way, “Brüno” had a per-theater average of $11,040; “Borat’s” average was $31,607 its opening weekend. So interest in “Brüno” was comparatively soft.

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