Ali G: Who Iz I? Stays in Cinemas Longer Than Planned

Amazon MGM Studios has extended the cinema run of Ali G: Who Iz I?, a film that was first set to play in theatres for only two days. The Hollywood Reporter reported the extension as an exclusive, and the studio gave it a statement for the story.

The film opened in theatres on Friday. The extended run continues at selected venues, including cinemas in the Los Angeles area, the AMC Empire 25 in New York City and the AMC South Barrington 24 in the Chicago suburbs. Amazon MGM has not released box office figures for the film, so no ticket totals are public yet.

The studio called the short release a stunt. A stunt release is a small, brief run in cinemas used to build attention before a film reaches home screens. Amazon MGM said the approach met its goals of raising awareness, generating excitement and creating FOMO, or fear of missing out, ahead of the film's global debut on Prime Video.

That debut is now days away. The film arrives on Prime Video worldwide on Wednesday, 28 October, according to Amazon MGM's own press materials.

The film marks Sacha Baron Cohen's feature directorial debut. He also stars in it, reprising the character he created for Da Ali G Show in the early 2000s. The Hollywood Reporter's review noted that it is the character's first big-screen outing since 2002.

The story follows Ali G, who learns that his girlfriend, played by Morgana Robinson, is eight months pregnant. He travels to America to prepare for the arrival of the baby.

Film releases usually follow a set gap, known as the theatrical window, between cinema release and home viewing. That gap can run for weeks or months. Here, the cinema run was planned to be a couple of days, and the studio has now kept some screens showing the film for longer. Amazon MGM has not said how long the extended run will last.