"Borat" Opening Weekend Scaled Back

Fox has cut the number of screens "Borat" is opening on November 3 from about 2000 way down to 800. They're petrified over the tracking numbers because those indicate most filmgoers haven't a clue what the movie is or even that it's coming out. It's the opposite of "Snakes On A Plane" -- that movie wasn't good but had a tidal wave of publicity. So imagine what happens to "Borat" -- it opens, get good reviews, generates great word of mouth (it really is hilarious) and then people actually discover it, rather than feeling it's been hyped to death and that they're sick of it even before the movie opens. It's called having legs. It doesn't help that the trailer for "Borat" is weak -- it meanders and tries to fit in snippets of four or five jokes when they'd be better off setting up one scene properly and letting it play to give the flavor of the movie. Besides, I don't believe the tracking numbers are catching the number of young people eager to see this film. It's gonna be a hit. And the cut in screens will work in its favor.