Deja Vu All Over Again

In a scene right out of the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day, the top 3 films from a week ago stayed exactly the same for a second week...Wow! Increasing the number of theaters showing Borat certainly paid off for all concerned...But not everyone is happy about the film's success: Borat Star Attacked in NY

Meanwhile, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause and Flushed Away had very little wiggle room between them over the second and third spots

Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo:

Tripling its release pattern, 'Borat' bagged an estimated $29 million to top the weekend again, while 'Stranger Than Fiction' [in 4th place with $14.1 million] led a weak crop of new releases...

Gray has more to say...

Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) greets fans and celebrates a 2nd week at #1.

Ian Mohr of Variety:

The B.O. weekend tally looked a lot like last week's as three pics -- led by Fox's "Borat" -- made strong holds and maintained the same rankings on the chart. Pocketing $29 million in its second frame, the politically incorrect comedy "Borat" actually topped its opening-weekend gross and likely will cross $100 million by Thanksgiving.

"Borat's" haul likely hurt Sony's debuting comedy "Stranger Than Fiction," which finished in the No. 4 slot. But Sony -- which has the latest James Bond pic bowing next frame -- believes "Stranger" can stick around and find additional [audiences].

Despite its "Borat" breakout, Fox execs didn't have all good news to celebrate: The studio's Russell Crowe vehicle "A Good Year" went sour. Upscale pic was roughed up by poor notices, Crowe's off screen antics and perhaps the expansion to 1,251 screens of Paramount Vantage's star ensemble drama "Babel," which moved into the No. 6 slot.

Focus Features' horror pic "The Return," meanwhile, was attacked by Lion's Gate holdover "Saw III," which was still skulking around the top five in its third frame to carve out further biz. Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring "Return" came in at No. 8 with $4.7 million from just under 2,000 [theaters]..

Continued...

In his weekend wrap-up fir Entertainment Weekly--Joshua Rich says: Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy makes $29 mil in wide release, while new movies from Will Ferrell and Russell Crowe underperform.