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"Borat" -- Bomb or Da Bomb?

Posted Nov 3rd 2006 2:38PM by TMZ Staff

Borat With its relentless PR campaign and endless stream of positive reviews, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" finally opens in theaters today. Despite the good buzz, the film's box office take will be on the watch list.

The movie was originally slated to open on about 2,000 screens, but was scaled back to 837 -- low tracking numbers being the cause. In comparison, "Santa Clause 3" and "Flushed Away" are opening wide on 3,707 and 3,458 screens, respectively. Put the two together and "Borat" has virtually no chance of opening in the top slot.

How far will it fall?

Two of the leading box office tracking websites, The-Numbers.com and BoxOfficeMojo.com, are predicting less-than-stellar receipts; The-Numbers.com has "Borat" opening in sixth place with just $5 million. BoxOfficeMojo.com predicts a slightly more positive opening; fourth place and $10.5 million. The budget for the film was just $17 million.

The news isn't all bad for Kazakhstan's least favorite son. Fandango.com surveyed thousands of moviegoers planning to see "Borat" and found that 96% are planning to see it this weekend. The site also reports that through yesterday at 3PM PT, 72% of ticket sales on the site were for "Borat."

Tags: borat, sasha baron cohen, SashaBaronCohen

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1. Who cares about this idiot? Shut-up already!!!

Posted at 3:01PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by Matt

2. I can't stand this dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 3:01PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by Richard

3. he sucks. this dude has to go away. the PR barage was too much. i would NEVER watch this movie. i want to see FLUSHED AWAY!!!!!!!!! the reviews have been great! :)

Posted at 3:06PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by Lou

4. LOSER

Posted at 3:19PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by Lou

5. who are these guys who scaled back the theatres ???Are they the same guys who hired TOM Cruiser to run UA studio cause they don't know jack ....BORAT WILL RULE THIS WEEKEnd !!! my predition is for ABOUT 43 MILLION dollars and the number one spot .... . Santa 3 and Flushed away will be for kids and parents and be seen once ....Borat will be for teeanagers and young adults and will be seen over and over again ...BORAT FOR PRESIDENT !!!

Posted at 3:29PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by BORAT FOR PRESIDENT

6. Sacha Cohen is a comedic genius who's over-the-top parody is way too far advanced for most feeble-minded American's appetites + their preference for 'diluted' humor that never seems to push the envelope the way Cohen does by ever testing his audience in not creating these false boundaries that we [Americans] need to accept as some sort of 'comfort zone' when it comes to comedy.

Posted at 3:32PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by Leonard

7. i AGREE WITH OTHERS THAT THIS DUDE IS A LOSER. IT WOULD BE FUNNY AS A SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE SKIT AND THAT'S IT. WTF YOU MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT IT? ON TOP OF IT, THIS DUDE IS A JEW AND HE MAKES FUN OF JEWS WHILE ACTING AS BORAT. SOMETHING NOT KOSHER ABOUT IT. IT WOULD BE FUNNY IF IT WAS AUTHENTIC, IF HE REALLY WAS SOME $*#(* 'ED UP PEASANT FROM SOME FORMER SOVIET BLOCK COUNTRY. GO AWAY BORAT OR WHATEVER THE #*#& YOUR REAL NAME IS.

Posted at 3:35PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by MOHAMED JOHNSON

8. I absolutely will NOT see it, just because of the relentless PR. If they have to go to all that trouble, it can't be worth it...

Posted at 3:53PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by Puh der Baer

9. a total piss. i just saw it . theatre was packed and everyone was luaghing constantly. huge hit. was TRULY funny. mostly b/c it was so un PC, something we so desperately need NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Posted at 4:34PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by greg

10. Bomb. The budget may have been 17 million for the movie but they must have spent 100 million promoting it because it was overexposed.
I feel like it's going to be one of those movies that sucks but most people who go see it won't admit it sucks for fear of going against the grain. With all the PR they tried to make this movie a legend before anyone had even seen it, and most people will say it's good even if they don't believe it is.

Posted at 4:27PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by B Diddy

11. sooner or later someone from Kazahstan will find and kick this dudes ass. Who ever catches that on tape will make money off it, i would buy it. I wonder how he would like it if someone pretended to be a jew from Israel and acted as what one might classify as a typical jew and exposed all their stereotypical characteristics. Hey Mel gibson that can be a movie for you to make.

Posted at 4:29PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by MOHAMED JOHNSON

12. He is not a loser. The only losers are going to be the people who miss out on this hilarious, brilliant movie. I've watched Ali G for years, and am so glad this movie was made. Can't wait for the Bruno movie!!

My wife, she's dead. High five!

Posted at 4:52PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by Amber

13. Sacha Baron Cohen = Tom Green for the smug, self-satisfied crowd.

Wow, what a genius SBC is. He's accosts everyday Americans and makes them look stupid! No wonder critics and the smug, self-satisfied crowd loves him. They all wallow in the belief they're intellectually superior to the average American yokel!

Hey, you obsequious Borat bootlickers, how funny would it be if a black comedian , like Marlon Wayans, portrayed a Conglese who naively talks about anti-Semitism and prostitution and incest in his village on the outskirts of Kinshasa? Not so funny, huh? But I guess Kazakhs are open game.

By the way, I love a good scatalogical romp as much as the next degenerate, but this Cohen guy, who has the best PR machine imaginable, is not funny. But alas, go ahead Boratophiles, and enjoy the movie this weekend. I just hope you don't strain your diaphragms as you force hearty bouts of laughter as each of Cohen's antics. I know with each burst, you'll be thinking internally, "man, I'm sooooo refined and smart. God, Americans are so stupid!"

For real humor, I think I'll watch my "Repo Man" and "Airplane" and "Three Stooges" and "Family Guy" and "Simpsons" DVDs this weekend.

Posted at 12:35AM on Nov 4th 2006 by P.J.

14. I heart Borat. This movie is going to be f***ing awesome!!!

Posted at 8:47PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by tiny

15. I saw the move it is GREAT! The funniest movie I ever saw the guy is genius, the theater was packed,non-stop laughing

Posted at 6:28PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by Jennifer

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