Penguins > Bond ?

The animated penguins of “Happy Feet” opened No. 1 this weekend in the U.S. box office topping “Casino Royale,” the latest James Bond flick.

The cartoon comedy raked in over $42 million in its first week once again beating “Casino Royale,” which made $40 million in its opening.

“Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” which only cost $18 million to make, was third with $14.3 million for a three-week total of $90.5 million. Estimated figures are from Box Office Mojo.

Other movie earnings and standings are as follows:

The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause,” was fourth with $8.2 million, the animated cartoon “Flushed Away” was fifth with $6.8 million, the Will Ferrell comedy “Stranger than Fiction”, was sixth with $6.6 million and Babel was No. 7 with $2.9 million.

“Saw III” was eighth with $2.8 million, “The Departed” was No. 9 with $2.6 million and “After Dark’s Horror Fest: 8 Films to Die For” rounded out the top 10 with $2.4 million.

Wir haben Angst von Borat

Austrian tourist marketers and tourist businesses tremble in anticipation of Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen’s next incarnation. After the worldwide success of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, that turned the previously unheard of Asian country into global laughing stock, Austria now fears becoming the next Kazakhstan.
Universal Studios announced that after Borat dominated the box office, he will be succeeded by Bruno “a gay, stupid, self- centred and Nazi-adoring Austrian, lifestyle journalist.”

Expect Bruno to misbehaves and provokes even more embarrassing reactions from his unsuspecting victims.
Bruno hosts “Funkyzeit mit Brueno” (funky time with Bruen) on a fictional Austrian TV channel, conducts interviews on fashion, celebrities and homosexuality. Needless to say, Bruno will starts torturing interviewees in his faux-German accent.

Borat’s impact on the image of Kazakhstan are disastrous, several analysts said, asking who would want to do business with a country where people drink fermented horse urine? So is the inevitable destruction of Austria’s image closing in, considering Bruno will be shot and produced next summer?

Sacha Cohen (Borat) Join “Sweeney Todd”

Actor Sacha Baron Cohen has joined the cast of Tim Burtons new movie “Sweeney Todd” thanks to thehuge success of Borat. What started as only a sketch in Da Ali G Show has paved the way for future movies for Sacha Cohen. Cohen will play Signor Adolfo Pirelli, a rival to Johny Depp’s character, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Todd will have to teams up with (Helena Bonham Carter’s) Mrs. Lovett to execute a plot involving murder and meat pies, Zap2it.com and IMB reported. The film from DreamWorks/Warner Bros. will begin shooting next month, aiming for a late 2007 release.

Sacha Cohen’s “Borat” film has made him more than $67 million in the US in its first two weeks in limited release theaters. Cohen has also agreeded with Universal to bring another character from Da Ali G Show to the big screen: The Austrian fashion reporter Bruno.