Network regimes come and go, ratings rise and (recently) fall, but one thing has been consistent at NBC for almost a quarter-century:  the presence of producer Dick Wolf and his LAW & ORDER franchise.  Hard times have come to L&O, and what was once a powerhouse triple-feature for the network is now just SVU, […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  The rerun NCIS: LA gained 0.1 in final numbers, and the rerun of THE SIMPSONS lost the same.          Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  Syfy’s WYNONNA EARP returned with a 0.13 premiere, up a tick from its last premiere in July […]

>This weekend will feature a moderately successful comic book movie targeting teens and young adults and a mediocre opening for a family comedy aimed at kids and young parents.  Last year Toy Story 3 opened this weekend to huge business, forcing year-to-year declines for the weekend overall. CORRECTION — The titles in the June 19, […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  THE BIG BANG THEORY, THE BLACKLIST and AMERICAN IDOL all gained 0.1 in final numbers.  An additional note:  quarter-hour numbers for AMERICAN CRIME reveal a somewhat troubling steady decline throughout the hour:  2.3/2.1/1.9/1.8.  The drop at 10:15PM makes sense because some SCANDAL fans who tried it out would have decided to exit, […]

  BROADCAST FINALS ABC:  AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS dropped 0.07 to 0.43, CELEBRITY WHEEL OF FORTUNE fell 0.11 to 0.50, SUPERMARKET SWEEP was down 0.05 to 0.37, and THE ROOKIE held at 0.31.  CBS:  With a lower NFL lead-in, 60 MINUTES was down 0.61 to 0.92.  The season premiere of THE EQUALIZER was at 0.77 […]

> Apparently we weren’t the only ones objecting to the changes in policy at gofobo.com. The site has quietly reset itself back into a version of its former self, posting information again about all nearby screenings and designating them as “private” or “open” depending on whether tickets are currently available.  The power of the popular […]

  THE FIRST TIME may be too lovable for its own good.  Jonathan Kasdan’s teen romance, which premiered in the Dramatic Competition at Sundance, couldn’t be more straightforward:  in its opening minutes, it introduces the adorable Dave (Dylan O’Brien) and Aubrey (Britt Robertson), two hyper-articulate sweethearts who meet outside a suburban LA party neither of […]

  THE DARK TOWER (MRC/Columbia/Sony) will probably win the weekend, but in unimpressive fashion.  It had a $7.7M opening day (including $1.8M from Thursday night), putting it on track for a $19M weekend.  The production budget was reportedly kept reasonable in the $60Ms, but Sony gave it an A-level marketing campaign, which will put total […]