Weekend #27 of 2014 is looking like a not so hot $135 million for the top 12 films this weekend, -21% below the norm for this weekend.  It certainly doesn’t help that Independence Day and all its distractions of picnics, grilling and fireworks falls on a Friday, but there are precious few movies opening or holding […]

  Melissa McCarthy’s star vehicle TAMMY (Warners) may not be winning any critical plaudits (it’s at 19% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), but that’s not keeping her fans away, at least in the short term.  Tammy opened with $1.3M at Tuesday night shows, and while that’s far from the $5.5M that 22 Jump Street had last […]

  The broadcast networks are putting an unprecedented amount of original programming on their airwaves this summer.  With the exception of CBS, which just began ramping up its summer campaign with the return of Big Brother last week, most of the networks have aired at least a fresh hour per night Sunday-Thursday throughout June, and […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  UNDER THE DOME slipped another 0.1 in final numbers, tying its series low.  The resulting 2.1 rating still makes it a sizable hit, but this was hardly the way CBS was hoping to start the new season.  24 and the HARRY POTTER informercial also lost 0.1 each, as did one of the […]

Ratings for Sunday’s ESPN matches show that the Knockout Stage (starting with the Round of 16) is off to a great start.  The Netherlands vs Mexico match at 11:30 am Sunday averaged 5.7 million persons 2+ watching ESPN on television, while the 3:30 pm Costa Rica vs Greece match (settled by a shoot-out) hit 5.9 […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  RECKLESS was an even bigger flop in final numbers, losing 0.1 to a dismal 0.6.  WIPEOUT gained 0.2 to 1.2, but there was no increase for RISING STAR.  SATURDAY CABLE:  POWER (Starz) was steady at 0.4 for the combination of its 9PM and 10PM runs. SUNDAY CABLE:  THE LEFTOVERS (HBO) debuted with […]

  MONDAY UPDATE:  In the face of widespread industry skepticism, Paramount is sticking to its claim that TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION earned $100M last weekend–actually, $100,038, 390.  (The consensus is that the real number is $97-98M.)  Here’s the way the system works:  the vast majority of US theatres report their results to the 3rd-party company […]

The ratings below are household ratings from the 56 television markets with local Nielsen meters for Saturday June 28 and Sunday June 29, 2014. The 56 markets (out of 210 total) cover about 70% of the US television population.   Soccer: FIFA World Cup: The Knockout Round Begins Saturday 4.5 rating ABC 11:30 am Brazil […]