Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (often shortened to Borat) is a 2006 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles. It stars the British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen in the title role of a fictitious Kazakh journalist, traveling through the United States recording real-life interactions with Americans. It is the second film built around one of Cohen's characters from Da Ali G Show, following Ali G Indahouse, which also featured a cameo by Borat.
It was a critical and commercial success, despite an initially limited release in the United States. Cohen won the 2007 Golden Globe award for Best Actor: Musical or Comedy as Borat while the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture in the same category. Borat was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 79th Academy Awards but lost to The Departed.
Controversy surrounded the film even before its release. It has been criticised for having a protagonist who is sexist and anti-Semitic (Cohen is Jewish himself), and some who have appeared in the film have criticised and even sued its creators. All Arab countries other than Lebanon banned it, and the Russian government successfully discouraged cinemas there from showing it. It was released on DVD March 5, 2007 (a day later in Region 1 countries).
American audiences embraced the film, which played to sold-out crowds at many showings on its opening despite having been shown on only 837 screens, wildly surpassing its competition which was shown on over 3,500 screens.
Borat debuted to No. 1 on its opening weekend with a total gross of $26.4 million, beating its competitors Flushed Away and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. The film's opening weekend's theatre average was an estimated $31,511, topping Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest yet behind Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Spider-Man. It retained the top spot in its second weekend after expanding to 2,566 theatres, extending the box office total to $67.8 million.
In the United Kingdom, Borat opened at number 1, with an opening weekend gross of £6,242,344 ($11,935,986), the 43rd best opening week earnings in the UK as of March 2007. Since its release, Borat has grossed over $260 million worldwide.Wikipedia
