The box office is roaring back to life this weekend after three weeks of unimpressed moviegoers.  The 23rd weekend of 2012 is looking like a killer $183 million for the Top 12 films Friday-Sunday, up 38% from this weekend last year and up 25% from a more normal second weekend in June.  As expected, Prometheus […]

  OPENINGS:  There was nothing supernatural about the blah $17M opening for CARRIE (Screen Gems/Sony/MGM), on the low end of Halloween horror openings, and with Bad Grandpa targeting a similar audience next weekend, there’s little chance for recovery.  Even though the reviews were never going to be good, Sony’s strategy of keeping the movie under […]

  Another TBD for ABC’s midseason:  the high-concept comedy MIXOLOGY.  The entire season takes place in a single night, at a bar where 10 single people are looking for love (or a close substitute), which–if things don’t go well–has the potential of feeling like one long night.  Think of it as a sitcom 24, but […]

> On cable this past week, NFL football was again the top-rated program, and Jersey Shore was in second place, as usual.  But tying for second was the Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen, which aired 30 minutes after the first Sheen-less Two and a Half Men was broadcast.  Even the repeat of the Roast […]

  BROADCAST FINALS ABC;  AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS lost 0.05 to 0.42, AMERICAN IDOL gained 0.06 to 0.65, and THE COMPANY YOU KEEP was down 0.02 to 0.25. CBS:  After powerhouse afternoon NCAA TOURNAMENT games at 1.89/2.75, primetime was up across the board:  60 MINUTES by a tenth to 1.03, THE EQUALIZER by 0.14 to […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  NASHVILLE held onto a share of the 10PM lead, as it maintained its 1.5 rating, now tied with CHICAGO PD, which gained 0.1 in final numbers.  ARROW also rose by 0.1, as did the first hour of the 2-hour HELL’S KITCHEN telecast. Ratings in key demos for the Top 25 original cable […]

NOTE: The ABC numbers below will decline slightly in the official nationals this afternoon because of local pre-emptions in Kansas City and Milwaukee for NFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (aired nationally on ESPN). The CBS numbers below for the NFL special game (rescheduled from Sunday afternoon) will rise in the official nationals when live viewing on […]

> OPENINGS:  THINK LIKE A MAN (Screen Gems/Sony) ran away with the weekend, with a $33M opening that beat every Tyler Perry start except Madea Goes To Jail.  Perry’s movies tend to be quite frontloaded, ending up with a little over double their opening weekend, and we’ll see if Think can hold up better.  In […]