Universal has announced that it will be releasing Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy Bruno on May 15, 2009. The film centered on a gay Austrian fashion reporter will be battling Tom Hanks and the Illuminati and I can’t help but wonder who will win.
Rating:
Box-Office: Bruno‘s predecessor is
Critics: 91% Rating at Rotten Tomatoes for Borat compared to 24% for Da Vinci.
On the outside this looks like a massive gamble for Universal considering it is going up against a film that made a ton of money. However, the R-rating certainly appeals to a different audience and I can’t see Angels and Demons doing the same kind of business Da Vinci did considering Da Vinci was a huge success due primarily to the book and after the reviews and public opinion came out it was pretty much forgotten.
The other thing going for Bruno is that the only comedy worth mentioning that comes out before it would be The Pink Panther 2, and it hits theaters in February. Basically, I think it looks like a perfect place for Universal to roll the dice. People loved Borat, weren’t fond of Da Vinci Code and the market is begging for laughs at the beginning of Summer 2009.
Based on my assessment, this works.
