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The New York Film Festival has announced its opening night film this year, Roman Polanski's Carnage. The film's highly anticipated--but how does it stack up to past opening nights at the festival, using NYFF's most important metrics?

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2001: Va Savoir. * Auteur factor: 8/10. Jacques Rivette is a beloved French director, if not quite as well-known to festival-trolling NYU sophomores as Godard. * Festival factor: 7/10. Played previously at Cannes, and Mr. Rivette had won two prizes for a different film at Berlin. * Hype: 4/10. Hard to gauge a decade-old film's hype in retrospect, but this year's festival also hosted Y Tu Mama También and Mulholland Drive. Overshadowed! * Total: 19/30 NYFF points.

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2002: About Schmidt. * Auteur factor: 6/10. Alexander Payne, pre-Sideways, was well-liked but not yet in the American firmament. * Festival factor: 6/10. Played at Cannes. * Hype: 7/10. While Mr. Payne wasn't yet the force he is today (or was in 2005--it's been a long time since Sideways!), his Election followup was highly anticipated and was tipped to win a few Oscars (which it did not do). * Total: 19/30 NYFF points.

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2003: Mystic River. * Auteur factor: 9/10. This was the film that re-established Mr. Eastwood--it's only the fact that his previous film was Blood Work that keeps him from a 10. * Festival factor: 6/10. Played at Cannes. * Hype: 6/10. This film was a slow-burner of sorts: NYFF helped boost its cred, but it reached its critical mass only once it had opened in theaters. (Remember 2003? Sean Penn winning Best Actor was kind of an upset!) * Total: 21/30 NYFF points.

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2004: Look at Me. * Auteur factor: 6/10. Agnes Jaoui is French, which counts for a bit. * Festival factor: 7/10. Won Best Screenplay at Cannes. * Hype: 3/10. Forgive our ignorance! * Total: 16/30 NYFF points.

2004: Look at Me. * Auteur factor: 6/10. Agnes Jaoui is French, which counts for a bit. * Festival factor: 7/10. Won Best Screenplay at Cannes. * Hype: 3/10. Forgive our ignorance! * Total: 16/30 NYFF points.

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2005: Good Night, and Good Luck. # Auteur factor: 4/10. George Clooney had only made one film previous to this. A bonus point, though, for his super-fame. (A reaction against last year?) # Festival factor: 7/10. Played in Venice (marginally less important than Cannes), won a ton of prizes there. # Hype: 7/10. This was a big deal! (It was very politically resonant during the mid-Bush years, as it is very hard or very easy to recall depending on one's interest in Fox News.) # Total: 18/30 NYFF points.

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2006: The Queen. * Auteur factor: 7/10. You guys, Stephen Frears made Dangerous Liaisons! * Festival factor: 8/10. Best Actress and Screenplay at Venice! * Hype: 7/10. Pretty steady drumbeat through the fall * Total: 22/30 NYFF points (if Stephen Frears were French, it'd be next to perfect!).

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2007: The Darjeeling Limited. * Auteur factor: 8/10. His films all look a certain way and follow the same conventions--even if you're not a Wes Anderson fan, you must admit, the guy's got panache. * Festival factor: 6/10. Played in Venice. * Hype: 8/10. This was seen as a potential return to form after The Life Aquatic. * Total: 22/30 NYFF points.

2007: The Darjeeling Limited. * Auteur factor: 8/10. His films all look a certain way and follow the same conventions--even if you're not a Wes Anderson fan, you must admit, the guy's got panache. * Festival factor: 6/10. Played in Venice. * Hype: 8/10. This was seen as a potential return to form after The Life Aquatic. * Total: 22/30 NYFF points.

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2008: The Class. * Auteur factor: 4/10. This was Laurent Cantet's breakout film--he previously had not been terrifically known or appreciated. The guy's French, though. * Festival factor: 10/10. Won the Palme d'Or at Cannes! * Hype: 10/10. Won the Palme d'Or at Cannes! * Total: 24/30 NYFF points.

2008: The Class. * Auteur factor: 4/10. This was Laurent Cantet's breakout film--he previously had not been terrifically known or appreciated. The guy's French, though. * Festival factor: 10/10. Won the Palme d'Or at Cannes! * Hype: 10/10. Won the Palme d'Or at Cannes! * Total: 24/30 NYFF points.

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2009: Wild Grass. * Auteur factor: 10/10. Alain Resnais! * Festival factor: 9/10. Special prize at Cannes! * Hype: 7/10. Lots of cred, but not exactly a seat-filler in the vein of 2010's entry... * Total: 26/30 NYFF points.

2009: Wild Grass. * Auteur factor: 10/10. Alain Resnais! * Festival factor: 9/10. Special prize at Cannes! * Hype: 7/10. Lots of cred, but not exactly a seat-filler in the vein of 2010's entry... * Total: 26/30 NYFF points.

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2010: The Social Network. * Auteur factor: 8/10. David Fincher was coming off a big Oscar-y commercial hit in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but the hallmarks of his work are consistent and have many fans. * Festival factor: 5/10. Didn't play Cannes, Venice, or Berlin. But know what's cool? An NYFF exclusive. (No?) * Hype: 9/10. Remember fall 2010? It seems so long ago. But this was a biggie. * Total: 22/30 NYFF points.

2010: The Social Network. * Auteur factor: 8/10. David Fincher was coming off a big Oscar-y commercial hit in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but the hallmarks of his work are consistent and have many fans. * Festival factor: 5/10. Didn't play Cannes, Venice, or Berlin. But know what's cool? An NYFF exclusive. (No?) * Hype: 9/10. Remember fall 2010? It seems so long ago. But this was a biggie. * Total: 22/30 NYFF points. * Festival factor: 5/10. Didn't play Cannes, Venice, or Berlin. But know what's cool? An NYFF exclusive. (No?) * Hype: 9/10. Remember fall 2010? It seems so long ago. But this was a biggie. * Total: 22/30 NYFF points.

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2011: Carnage. * Auteur factor: 10/10. Roman Polanski, love him or hate him, is a bit of a living legend, though recent outings have not been universally loved. * Festival factor: 5/10. Another NYFF exclusive. * Hype: 8/10. More than a French Cannes winner that Upper West Side people will begrudgingly see, less than The Social Network. * Total: 23/30 NYFF points.

2011: Carnage. * Auteur factor: 10/10. Roman Polanski, love him or hate him, is a bit of a living legend, though recent outings have not been universally loved. * Festival factor: 5/10. Another NYFF exclusive. * Hype: 8/10. More than a French Cannes winner that Upper West Side people will begrudgingly see, less than The Social Network. * Total: 23/30 NYFF points.