Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to Steve Coogan’s comedy “Alan Partridge.”

The film opened in the U.K. on Aug. 7, leading the box office in its opening weekend, and will have its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival next month. Magnolia plans a release early next year.

The Baby Cow/Studiocanal production was directed by Declan Lowney, and written by Rob Gibbons, Neil Gibbons, Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci and Peter Baynham. Producers are Kevin Loader and Henry Normal.

Coogan first created Alan Partridge over 20 ears ago as a BBC sports reporter on the radio show “On The Hour.” The film deals with Partridge at the center of a siege, when a disgruntled fellow DJ (Colm Meaney) decides to hold their station hostage after learning that he’s getting sacked by the new management.

Leslie Felperin gave the film a strong review for Variety, describing it as a “scissor-sharp comedy of ineptitude and failure.”

The deal was negotiated by Magnolia’s Dori Begley with Peter Van Steemburg of Studiocanal.

SEE ALSO: VARIETY’S REVIEW OF ‘ALAN PARTRIDGE’