Amazon Studios’ Borat Subsequent Moviefilm — which marks the streamer’s first original global tentpole — said Tuesday the Sacha Baron Cohen sequel was streamed by “tens of million of customers” during its debut over the weekend, resulting in huge engagement across its Prime Video platform.
The company wouldn’t elaborate further regarding numbers. There are more than 150 million Amazon Prime members around the world.
“Sacha has masterfully created one of the most well received films of these unprecedented times — showcasing some of the best and the worst of us, wrapped in one outrageous moment after another,” Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke said in a statement. “But at its core, Borat 2 is a heartwarming story of a father-daughter relationship and of female empowerment seen through a hysterical, satirical lens. With the tremendous launch of this global, tentpole movie, it’s clear our customers around the world want content that is both relevant and entertaining.”
Much has been written about the scene in the Borat sequel in which Rudy Giuliani is shown in what appears to be a compromising position in a hotel room with actress Maria Bakalova, who plays Borat’s 15-year-old daughter, Tutar.
The movie, which was shrouded in secrecy until several weeks ago, timed its release to the Nov. 3 presidential election.
In the lead-up to the film’s release on Oct. 23, Prime Video coordinated massive stunts and activities around the world, including sending enormous Borat balloons floating down the Thames in London, the Hudson River in New York, Toronto’s Harbourfront and Praia do Arpoador in Rio.
Borat 2 is currently Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an 85 percent score.
