Weekly Over/Under: Borat wins the Midterm Elections!

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on November 10, 2006

Last week we underestimated Borat. In fact, we are pretty sure that everyone else did as well. But alas, the public did not underestimate the power of Borat, handing him the keys to the weekend box office and a cash prize of over $26 million on less than 850 screens nationwide. A fact that easily slid Borat onto the top spot on this week’s Top 5 (via IMDB):

1. Borat - $26.5 million
2. The Santa Clause 3 - $19.5 million
3. Flushed Away - $18.8 million
4. Saw III - $14.8 million
5. The Departed - $7.7 million

Thoughts: The Departed and Saw III could only just hold on tight as three hot new releases slammed into theaters. And when I say “three hot new releases”, I mean Borat and two “so-so” films. Borat dominates, and the two kiddie flicks are in tow. The question remains, can the Kazakh journalist do it again?

But before we answer that question, we have to look at the standings through last week’s Over/Under.

Neil Miller - Over (October: 4-0 All Time: 6-2)
Brian Gibson - Under (October: 2-1 All Time: 5-2)
Chris Beaumont - Under (October: 2-2 All Time: 5-3)
Robert Fure - Over (October: 3-1 All Time: 6-2)
Cole Abaius - Under (October: 1-1-1 All Time: 2-4-1)
Matt Alexander - Over (October: 2-0 All Time: 4-0)

Finally a split panel! This feature can now die happy… I went undefeated in October, of course. But then again, this is my game. Robert is definitely chasing away, though, with many others (including the dubious 1-1-1 score of Cole) are just slipping away. It makes me curious as to how November will shape up… Let’s begin.

This Week’s Over/Under: Will Borat clear the $35 million mark?

The Analysis: Last week Borat made $26 million on only 800 or so screens. This week the film gets expanded to over 2,000 screens. This means more exposure to America’s youth, which is never a bad thing. One significant advantage is the new promotional commercial where they keep showing where Entertainment Weekly asked “Has this man made the funniest movie ever?” While the answer is still up for debate, the verdict on Borat’s success is out - and the future is very nice!

Another big win for Borat this weekend, on top of being in more theaters, is the lack of competition in the comedy genre. The #2 and #3 films last weekend (The Santa Clause 3 and Flushed Away) are more kid films than anything else. As well, the other new films this week include A Good Year, Harsh Times, The Return and Stranger than Fiction. Let’s see - a Russell Crowe fest takes away the 40-60 yr. old female demo, Harsh Times takes away the Boyz in the Hood demo, The Return is another J-Horror knock-off and Stranger than Fiction is a blah attempt by Will Ferrell to carry a dramatic film. That said, Borat should win again.

My Bid: Borat takes OVER the world again this week. How can you stop this madness?

Feel free to post your bid below! And for more in-depth conversation around this and any other film related topic, don’t forget to visit the Film School Rejects Forum.

Also, check out what the Film School Rejects thought of this week’s releases by checking out the reviews below:

- Neil Miller says Borat is “110%, indisputably hilarious.”
- Brian Gibson is unaffected by Flushed Away; Chris Beaumont is a bit more lukewarm.
- Chris Beaumont gets a headache from The Santa Clause 3.
- Brian Gibson finds little substance in Stranger than Fiction.

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