Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ sets Prime Video release date after brief theatrical stint

Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ created quite a stir before its theatrical release. Amazon MGM Studios released the movie on October 23. After its two-day theatrical run, Cohen's directorial debut will begin streaming on October 28. It will be available worldwide on Prime Video. Cohen announced the date as Ali G via the character's official social media handle. “Dere’s 14400 minutes in a day meanin u’ll be able to watch it 161 times a day for de rest of ya lives for free,” he captioned the post.

Cohen announced the date in Ali G's signature dialect. "Big up yourself. Yo, this be Ali G. Me movie, 'Ali G, Who Iz I', is coming to you live and direct on Wednesday, the 28th of October on Amazon Prime Video, innit? You gotta sign up," he said. The movie follows hip-hop journalist Ali G, a character Cohen created for his sketch comedy series "Da Ali G Show.' The series premiered in the UK and later on HBO.

'Ali G: Who Iz I?' follows Ali G's American adventures after he finds out his girlfriend Julie (Morgana Robinson) is eight months pregnant. According to THR, an AI-generated email campaign targeted the movie. The campaign asked cinema chains to ban the venture. No cinema chain boycotted the movie. According to Sangita Myska, the backlash reportedly stemmed from the alleged racial overtones of Ali G. In an interview, Cohen expressed his feelings about the divisive character. “The core joke is that a white moron, possibly the stupidest man in the world, is interviewing a white expert or high-status politician, and that white expert or high-status politician believes that this imbecile played by me is real, and that leads to comedy,” he explained. “And in my belief, it slightly undermines the power of the establishment.”