It may take a new comedy from the creator of Borat to finally end the robots’ rein atop the box office.
Bruno, which stars Sascha Baron Cohen as the effeminate, offensively clueless and very gay Austrian fashion journalist, opens in 2,755 theaters Friday. Borat, which opened in November 2003, grossed $128 million domestically.
The Universal release goes up against the Fox comedy I Love You, Beth Cooper, starring Hayden Panettiere of Heroes fame and opening in 1,900 venues.
Both films enter a tough field, dominated by the juggernaut known as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and the animated 3-D comedy Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
Transformers is the most-successful film of the year, having so far grossed more than $310 million and looking to add even more. Ice Age, the third film in the series from Fox and Blue Sky Studios, also is formidable, having grossed more than $86 million in its first week of release.
Up, the Disney-Pixar release, appears to be winding down a bit, but remains the year’s second-most successful film with a to-date gross of more than $268 million.
