Amazon MGM Studios has extended the theatrical run of “Ali G: Who Iz I?” beyond its planned two-day stint, even as Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy arrived on Prime Video on Wednesday, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The film opened Friday as a short stunt engagement. It now keeps playing at select theaters, including several in the Los Angeles area, the AMC Empire 25 in New York and the AMC South Barrington 24 outside Chicago. The studio has not released U.S. box office grosses. In a statement to THR, Amazon MGM said “the stunt release delivered against our goals” of building awareness and urgency before the streaming debut.
Overseas numbers give a partial picture. In the U.K. and Ireland, the film took £1.3 million from 458 sites, or about £2.5 million with previews, according to Screen Daily. That ranks as the sixth-best comedy opening of the year there but trails the £3.2 million that “Ali G Indahouse” earned in 2002. UK-Ireland cinemas will keep the film for another weekend after it was first sold as a one-weekend release. Australia and the Netherlands added roughly $400,000 in opening grosses. Before release, Boxoffice Pro had projected a domestic opening between $6 million and $10 million, a forecast the limited rollout makes moot.
Reviews have been rough. The film holds about 48 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and the studio withheld it from most of the press before opening. Amy Schumer and Noel Gallagher have voiced support after seeing it in its first run.
Cohen directs for the first time and stars alongside Morgana Robinson as Julie, Ali G’s girlfriend. The story begins when Ali G learns she is eight months pregnant. He heads to America to reclaim his former glory. Cohen shot the R-rated film in secret, returning to the mockumentary method of “Borat” and “Brüno,” in which real people believe they are part of an actual documentary. The route mirrors the company’s last Cohen release. Amazon sent “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” straight to Prime Video in 2020. This time, the studio used a brief theatrical window to promote the streaming premiere.
