Idiocracy Big in Brooklyn, Japan?

By Michelle Orange, Reeler reviews editor

Mike Judge's Idiocracy came to DVD on January 9th, and the numbers for its first week of rentals are in: coming in at number 22, Idiocracy made $2.2 million in five days, more than seven times what it made in its pitiful excuse for a theatrical release. Any questions I had about Fox's plan for pushing the film on DVD, a la Office Space, were answered when I wandered into my local Brooklyn Blockbuster and saw it spread across three shelves. Less space than Little Miss Sunshine, but triple that of, say, Beerfest, which made $19 million at the box office.

I take the fact that I had to return to Blockbuster for five days in a row (shut up) before I could get my hands on a copy as a good sign, but for all of us still pissed about the fact that the film never screened in New York, it's bittersweet vindication. Fox is also opening Idiocracy theatrically in Germany this week, its only international release so far -- with the logo-mad set design, vending machine clothing, and big, American "How you like me now?", you would think yankee (if not irony)-loving Japan would be a perfect fit.

Posted at January 22, 2007 11:59 AM