Not the kind of history the major networks like to set. CW:  Last night may have been the first time a CW series beat not one, but two of the big networks, as THE VAMPIRE DIARIES climbed an impressive 0.3 to 1.3 and NBC and ABC fell.  At 9PM, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was also […]

  OPENINGS:  Even in healthy times, Super Bowl weekend isn’t a fertile time for movie openings, the exceptions being counterprogramming like 2008’s Hannah Montana concert movie.  In that vein, this weekend featured the limited release of the animated EARWIG AND THE WITCH (GKids) at 430 theatres, for a $100K total that translated into a $230 […]

>Cars 2 exceeds its forecast, but will it hold up?  Bad Teacher also blows past its forecast, driving the weekend up 16% over the same weekend last year. Cars 2 opened with $25.4 million on Friday, and it looks like the Pixar sequel will gross $74 million from Friday-Sunday.  The film is headed for $195 […]

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  Here is a final look at the 2017 film slates by studio, including early 2018 dollars for films released later in 2017. We will start tracking the 2018 studio slates next week. YEAR TO DATE BOX OFFICE. Looking at North American box office, 2018 to date is now +1% above last year and now +4% above […]

  NBC:  NBCUniversal wants everyone to know that JURASSIC WORLD is opening Friday, and a 1.2 rating for a run of the 22-year old JURASSIC PARK was an effective way of furthering that.  (PARK will also be running on the company’s cable networks prior to the new release.)  ABC:  After 0.8 for a SHARK TANK […]

  JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (Warners) climbed in its 2nd day of release, but not high enough to make any real difference.  Jack, according to preliminary numbers at Deadline, had a 60% Saturday bump, a good-but-not-great family audience increase (Escape From Planet Earth rose 80% on its 2d day a couple of weeks ago), which […]

> See A Word About Busted Pilots  The double meaning of “little” in the title of Fox’s busted sitcom pilot LITTLE IN COMMON is that the 3 couples at its center are brought together only because their respective kids all play on the same little league team.  That’s about it for cleverness, though, in this […]

The PGA and the weekend’s broadcaster (in this case NBC) usually have reason to be overjoyed when Tiger Woods is in contention at a tournament.  This weekend at Doral, Florida (the WGC Cadillac event), Woods won the event going away.  Saturday from 2-6 pm NBC averaged a 3.0 household rating and 7 share in the […]