Monday, November 06, 2006

Another Lesson For "Borat"

Some other studios claim Fox left money on the table by having "Borat" debut on only 837 screens. If it had been on 3000 screens, maybe it could have doubled the $26 million it made...or done even better. Here's another thought: maybe studios are wasting money by opening every stupid movie on 3000 screens. If you can make $26 mil on just 800 screens, why do you need 3000 screen openings for anything but "Spiderman 3? Until digital projectors become common, every single print you make costs lots of money. Plus, there's a lot to be said for packed houses roaring with laughter over a comedy. If the movie had made $40 million but the theaters weren't nearly as full (and the people in them weren't so excited to be seeing a sold-out film), maybe the experience wouldn't have been so much fun and the word of mouth not so electric as it's going to be. See "Borat" three weeks from now in a two-thirds empty theater on a Wednesday afternoon and trust me, you'll come out saying, "It was alright, but it wasn't that funny.' Go on a Friday night in primetime and you'll enjoy it a lot more. Instead of thinking Fox wasted money by not being on more screens, maybe every other studio is WASTING money by going beyond 1500 screens and giving moviegoers a less-satisfying experience in the process.

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