Who Will Win? Bruno vs. Angels and Demons

On top of the Illuminati Robert Langdon must also battle a gay fashion reporter

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Tuesday, June 17th 2008 at 4:40 PM

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: Bruno is sure to be rated and R, while Angels and Demons will most certainly be PG-13.

Box-Office: Bruno's predecessor is Borat, which opened with $26 million in Nov. 2006 compared to Da Vinci Code, which opened to $77 million on opening weekend in May 2006. Borat, however opened on only 837 screens compared to Da Vinci's 3,735. However, Da Vinci ended up making $217 million to Borat's $128.

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.