Sacha Baron Cohen's new film bombs

Actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen speaks at 'The Brothers Grimsby' fan screening at Regal Union Square on March 8. Photo / Getty4

Sacha Baron Cohen's latest film The Brothers Grimsby has taken a beating at the US box office.

The Sony spy comedy opened to a terminal US$3.2 million from 2,235 locations, raising questions about the comic mind behind Borat and Bruno's continued bankability.

"We certainly wanted more," said Rory Bruer, Sony's distribution chief.

"Sacha is amazing and we love him, and we tried to crack the code on it, but it just didn't happen for us."

Cohen's most recent starring effort, 2012's The Dictator, disappointed with roughly US$180 million on a US$65 million budget, and he tends to have a long period of time between projects, which may have diminished his popularity.

Whatever the case, The Brothers Grimsby, with a US$35 million budget, ranks as the biggest flop of Cohen's career. He will try to rebound with a supporting turn in next summer's Alice Through the Looking Glass, a sequel to Alice in Wonderland.

At the other end of the scale, Disney's Zootopia cruised to another box office victory, picking up US$50 million and barrelling across the US$100 million mark domestically.

After two weeks of release, Zootopia, the critically acclaimed story of a plucky rabbit policewoman, has earned US$142.6 million in the US. In its second weekend, Zootopia only dropped 33 per cent - an impressive show of endurance at a time when major releases routinely see their grosses cut in half after a big opening.

The animated offering is benefiting from a lack of family fare. It's been more than six weeks since Kung Fu Panda 3 landed in theatres in America and the next big film aimed at younger audiences doesn't hit until April 15 with The Jungle Book.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theatres, according to comScore.

1. Zootopia, US$50 million.

2. 10 Cloverfield Lane, US$25.2 million.

3. Deadpool, US$10.8 million.

4. London Has Fallen, US$10.7 million.

5. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, US$4.6 million.

6. The Perfect Match, US$4.2 million.

7. The Young Messiah, US$3.4 million.

8. The Brothers Grimsby, US$3.2 million.

9. Gods of Egypt, US$2.5 million.

10. Risen, US$2.3 million.

- AAP