Bill Maher’s ‘Religulous’ Quietly Opens in NY, LA

Lionsgate has very discreetly opened Bill Maher’s Religulous in two theaters — one in New York, the other in Los Angeles — in an qualifying run for next year’s Academy Awards. Religulous is being described as “the nonfiction film about the greatest fiction ever told.” This anti-religious interview documentary springs from the fevered brows of producer-star Bill Maher and director Larry Charles (the mastermind behind Borat).

The Academy’s Rule 12 states that any documentary hoping to qualify must open in both Los Angeles Country and the borough of Manhattan for at least one week prior to the end of August. Having already premiered at the Traverse City Film Festival, the doc will then formally show at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, before opening proper on October 3rd.