Video killed the radio star and apparently Twitter is killing Brüno. TIME critic Richard Corliss contends the instant-messaging social network "can make or break a film within 24 hours" and the dismal buzz on Twitter is responsible for huge drop-off in attendance for Bruno, which opened to a studio-estimated $30.4 million in the U.S. and Canada. "Brüno could be the first movie defeated by the Twitter effect."
Yet Universal had high hopes for Brüno's opening weekend. Buoyed by the film's robust $1.6 million at Thursday midnight screenings and impressive pre-buys of tickets on Fandango and other sites, a studio insider told industry blogger Nikki Finke on Friday morning, "If it holds up, we'll do $50 million." The Friday figures supported that optimism: Brüno amassed a sensational $14.4 million. But the movie plummeted nearly 40% its second day, to $8.8 million. Meanwhile, the next five movies on the chart — Ice Age 3, Transformers 2, Public Enemies, The Proposal and The Hangover — all saw substantial increases from Friday to Saturday. (Ice Age actually did better business than Brüno on Saturday.) Worse yet, Brüno's rating by CinemaScore, which polls moviegoers just after they've seen a film, was a C. That pretty much stands for Calamitous.
Further proof: Brüno opening weekend made $30 million and at 2,756 theaters. Borat's opening weekend made $26 millions BUT it was seen in only 837 theaters. In other words, it took three times as many theaters to make only a little more than Borat. Not very cost-efficient.
Box-Office Weekend: Brüno a One-Day Wonder? [TIME]
'Bruno' Starts Off Strong, The Stumbles [LAT]
Good! One of my co-workers went to see it and said she wanted her money and her time back.
Posted by: FREELEO | 14 July 2009 at 15:08
Twitter is really changing the game. Web 2.0 is really more like the telephone than the TV. A FUNDAMENTAL GAME CHANGER indeed!
Posted by: Mr. FAMU | 14 July 2009 at 15:17
very fascinating. we've already seen how the internet changes the political game
Posted by: DFS | 14 July 2009 at 16:22
YIPPEE!
I am bored with Sasha Baron Cohen playing the same "I DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING" character. This is Ali G is Borat is Bruno. They are all a version of the same thing and Bruno is the most offensive to me.
Borat is supposed to be from a small village in a distant country. Ali G is supposed to be a weedhead who's out of it. BRUNO, however, is supposed to be fierce and well-traveled and aware, and YET, he's an idiot!
I just don't like movies that insult my intelligent; not about orientation at all. If it were funny, I'd go, but the commercials had my teeth itching!
Posted by: TheRevKev | 14 July 2009 at 18:22
I actually wanted to see the movie. There's been so much buzz about it.Unfortunately it won't be coming to malaysia for obvious reasons-Its too gay for the malaysian audience.I guess i'll just have to buy it on dvd when it comes out.
Posted by: SouLKid | 14 July 2009 at 18:28
I finally saw "Borat" a couple months ago. It was funny in some parts, but not the stomach cramp inducing laugh riot people made it out to be. The over the top marketing of "Bruno" pretty much turned me off. Like "Zoolander" before it, this movie looks like a Saturday Night Live sketch that ran way too long. "Borat" had some of the same effect. It's one joke that just gets stretched beyond tolerance. I'll wait for it to show up at my library. Yeah, library, I'm not spending money on this.
Posted by: mjolnir202 | 15 July 2009 at 05:23