MAN OF STEEL (Warners) had the opening it was looking for, with preliminary numbers at Deadline giving it $46M on Friday.  That includes $9M from Friday midnight shows, but not an additional $12M from Wal-Mart tie-in screenings at 7PM Thursday night.  Assuming the $46M number holds up, it should mean a $115-120M weekend ($132M […]

    Even as the scripted drama business on the broadcast networks subsides into increasing irrelevance, new players arise who want to take part.  Dramas may not be cost-effective in the way that they once were, but they’re still an unmatched vehicle for branding–just ask AMC–and Netflix, Amazon and Hulu are among the entities who […]

> Today we wind up SHOWBUZZDAILY‘s introduction of this year’s most promising Oscar contenders (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here, looking at those that could be called Also Eligible–they’re hoping just to get in the race. Also Eligible SHAME (Fox Searchlight – Dec. 2) SHOWBUZZDAILY odds to be nominated:  11/1 Bookie odds to […]

  OPENINGS:  After last week’s Fall Guy stumble, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (20th/Disney) arrived at the high end of projections with $56.5M.   That was roughly on par with the starts for 2011’s Rise ($54.8M) and 2017’s War ($56.3M), although a bit lower than 2014’s Dawn ($72.6M).  The franchise has reliably done better […]

> The tenth weekend of 2012 is looking to be solid in terms of total business but not at the runaway pace of the past few weeks.  The weekend is running 3% ahead of last year’s same weekend and 8% ahead of the multi-year average for this weekend.  The Lorax will remain the #1 film […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  CBS’s NO EXIT special, DYNASTY, WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY and DATELINE all lost 0.1 in final numbers         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  TNT’s NBA PLAYOFFS game was at 1.57, and the network’s afternoon coverage of the PGA CHAMPIONSHIP was […]

  THE AVENGERS:  Worth A Ticket – A Fun Summer Movie, No More Or Less   It’s easy to forget that THE AVENGERS is, you know, a movie.  It’s perhaps the ultimate example of corporate intellectual property, bioengineered years in advance of its production by Marvel and that company’s recent owner Disney, like the spawn […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  MISTRESSES lost its 0.1 morning bump in final numbers, while AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR went up the same, as did the WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY rerun.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  ESPN’s coverage of the HOME RUN DERBY took Monday […]