'Bobby' maps o'seas course

Sony plans to tout Cohen, speed

By DAVE MCNARY

Sony's comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" has the earmarks of a solid domestic performer, thanks in no small part to the popularity of both NASCAR and Will Ferrell.

It's dicier outside the U.S., where sports comedies can be a tough sell and racing buffs fixate on Formula 1 cars. There's no overseas premiere, and Ferrell is not going on a European junket.

But Sony's not giving up, either. It plans to highlight the pic's co-star, Sacha Baron Cohen, who plays a Formula 1 driver and Ferrell's nemesis. "We're selling the comedy, not NASCAR," says Sony Pictures Releasing Intl. prez Mark Zucker.

The pic's also being retitled abroad to make the point that it's about driving fast, with titles that translate to "Ricky Bobby: High Speed Legend." In Spain, site of the first foreign launch on Aug. 18, it will called "Ricky Bobby: Loco por la Velocidad" or "Crazy for Speed."

For many comedians, overseas remains the final frontier. Ferrell's comedies haven't exactly connected overseas yet -- "Elf" was adequate with $45 million overseas, but "Old School" grossed a mere $11 million, "Anchorman" $5 million and "Kicking and Screaming" $3 million offshore.