'Bruno' box-office tanks as word-of-mouth spreads (Thanks Twitter)

[Liberal_in_LA]

'Brüno' a one-day box-office wonder? Comedy took in half its haul on Friday night

"You expect film at least to be even on Saturday or above compared to Friday," said box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

Cohen's fans may have rushed to see "Brüno" on its opening day, but interest dropped off because of poor word of mouth.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2009/07/13/2009-07-13_bruno_a_oneday_boxoffice_wonder.html#ixzz0LXufB1Mc



rightwingers realizing that talk of banning movies by the right leads to increased box office

EDGE: 'Bruno' getting lifeline from right?
By Sonny Bunch (Contact)

Originally published 04:45 a.m., July 17, 2009, updated 02:06 p.m., July 17, 2009

Sacha Baron Cohen's follow-up to his surprise 2006 hit "Borat" looked like a surefire hit at the box office, a low-budget, high-ceiling treat for its studio, Universal.

But a funny thing happened on the way to box-office glory: The public didn't seem willing to play along, and bad word-of-mouth about the filthy flick sent its box office into a tailspin.

"Bruno" opened July 10 to huge numbers, pulling in $14.4 million for the day. Studio executives saw those numbers and rejoiced: Visions of a $45 million, $50 million, maybe even $55 million weekend danced through their heads. This was a bona fide hit, a movie that would recoup its budget and much of its advertising costs in the first weekend alone!

Then came the fall.

On Saturday, the box-office take of "Bruno" fell to $8.8 million, a huge Friday-to-Saturday drop of almost 40 percent. Sunday saw another dip as the film took in $7.5 million. At the end of the weekend, "Bruno" had taken in $30.6 million, a decent haul, certainly (slightly more than "Borat," though "Bruno" showed on twice as many screens), but nowhere near the phenomenal numbers that Universal and Mr. Baron Cohen must have thought were coming their way after Friday's huge take.

Why the huge drop-off? What happened between Friday evening and Saturday evening?

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CinemaScore isn't the only place where one can examine snap judgments and the initial word-of-mouth on a movie. Twitter lit up with anti-"Bruno" sentiment late Friday night. Twitterer jasoneskin's lament was typical: "Just to update everyone, Bruno is STILL awful. One of the worst movies I've ever seen. Has absolutely no cinematic or cultural value," he tweeted Friday evening.




http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/17/edge-bruno-gets-lifeline-from-radical-right/?feat=home_headlines

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. I'm sure it's got nothing to do with the new Harry Potter

[dysfunctional press]

4. no, it doesn't.

harry potter hadn't opened yet when bruno came out.

[mikelgb]

2. Accio Logic!

I.Q. Leviosa!

[dysfunctional press]

3. we saw it on saturday night, 8:30pm at the main theatre of the multiplex...

along with about 15 other people total.

it wasn't nearly as entertaining as borat.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. That's what I hear. I heard some say they walked out on it.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

6. I loved it... showed Ron Paul for the bigot he is and the gay-to-straight preachers

for the closeted psychos they are. Perhaps, people don't like to be consciously reminded of their homophobia. Whereas Borat was a straight man, I think the problem is that audiences in general are uncomfortable with vivid and graphic depictions of homosexual conduct, even if in jest.

I'm a straight female and my SO is a straight male; we both could not breathe from laughing and the scenes with Ron Paul, the anti-gay church people and the gay-to-straight 'converters' were great.

[krabigirl]

7. I thought it was funny.