Fox Downsizes "Borat" Opening
Fox is cutting down the number of theaters showing the film due to a lack of audience awareness.
Less than two weeks from its Nov. 3 debut, "Borat" is being reduced to 800 theaters in its opening weekend, down more than half from 2,000 theaters.
Fox is citing the public's relative lack of awareness of the film for its downsized debut. According to surveys, many people outside big cities and college towns know nothing about the film.
"Our research showed it was soft in awareness," said Fox distribution chief Bruce Snyder.
Some analysts believe "Borat" may be suffering the same fate as this summer's "Snakes on a Plane," which was excessively hyped before its release only to earn mediocre numbers at the box office.
However, early screenings have seen mostly positive critical reviews about the film, which follows Kazakh journalist Borat as he travels across America.
The film's star Sacha Baron Cohen created the Borat character as part of "Da Ali G Show," his popular U.K. comedy show.
