Word Of Mouth

Among all females, 23% were definitely interested, but 27% were definitely not interested. While males younger than 25 were far more inclined to be interested in "Bruno" than not (44% to 7%), older males split on the opposite side -- 27% were definitely interested, but 30% were definitely not. (Movies aimed at very narrow audiences -- "Hannah Montana: The Movie," for example -- tend to have equally polarizing numbers.)

"Bruno's" early reviews from Internet critics have been largely positive, but Hollywood's trade newspapers have been less impressed. Writing in Variety, critic Todd McCarthy said: " . . . [T]he content will turn off some (no doubt including some gays), as will the sourness and ill will triggered by the picture's cumulative misanthropy." Said Kirk Honeycutt in the Hollywood Reporter: "We all knew Borat. Borat was a friend of ours. Bruno, you're no Borat."

The ultimate test will be whether the film's earliest ticket-buyers recommend "Bruno" to their friends. If they do, "Bruno" could play through Labor Day. If not, it will crawl to the end of July.

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john.horn@latimes.com