LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – “Bruno,” British  satirist Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest subversive outing, narrowly  claimed the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office in North  America, according to studio estimates issued yesterday.

The “mockumentary,” in which Baron Cohen plays a gay  Austrian fashion model seeking fame in the United States sold  $30.4 million worth of tickets during the three days beginning  July 10, distributor Universal Pictures said.

“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” held steady at No. 2 with  $28.5 million, taking the 12-day haul for 20th Century Fox’s  prehistoric cartoon to $120.6 million.

Last weekend’s champion, “Transformers: Revenge of the  Fallen,” slipped to No. 3 with $24.2 million; after 19 days,  Paramount Pictures’ robot sequel has earned $339.2 million,  easily the biggest movie of the year.

The one other new entry was Fox’s teen romantic comedy “I  Love You, Beth Cooper,” starring Hayden Panettiere in the title  role. It came in at No. 7 with $5 million, in line with the  studio’s modest expectations.

The opening for “Bruno” was also in line with the forecasts  of the General Electric Co unit, which paid independent producer  Media Rights Capital $42.5 million for distribution rights in  North America and eight foreign territories. Media Rights  declined to disclose the budget.

Baron Cohen’s previous release, the similarly outrageous  “Borat,” opened to $26.5 million in November 2006. But that was  from about 800 theaters, while “Bruno” played in 2,756  theaters. “Borat” ended up with $128.5 million in North America  and an additional $133 million internationally.

Universal said “Bruno” earned $20 million from the eight  international markets, led by No. 1 bows in Britain and Ireland  ($8.1 million) and Australia ($6.1 million).