Author Archive
 

 

EARLY FRIDAY BOX OFFICE: “Transformers” Surges to Possible 9-Digit Weekend

  Despite a $8.7M start on Thursday night that was no better than the year’s other blockbusters, and bulletins throughout the day that business was slightly softer than expected, reports at Deadline and elsewhere ar...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

UPDATED: THE SKED CABLE/NETWORK FRIDAY SCORECARD – 6/27/14

  NETWORK UPDATE:  Both WHAT WOULD YOU DO? and 20/20 climbed by 0.1.  There was no good news for CROSSBONES. FRIDAY CABLE:  It was a happy night for The Disney Channel, which premiered GIRL MEETS WORLD to a strong 1.3 r...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Behind the Friday Box Office – 6/27/14

  On Friday, the big alien robots blew things up. OPENINGS:  TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (Paramount) got the Friday it was hoping for, the biggest day of 2014 at $41.6M, and one that gives the blockbuster a strong (al...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

UPDATED: The “Transformers 4″” $100M Controversy & Behind the Weekend Box Office

  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 th...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Pilot + 1 Review: “The Last Ship”

  THE LAST SHIP:  Sunday 9PM on TNT Previously… on THE LAST SHIP:  It’s taken just a few months for a new pandemic to decimate the world’s population, and half a million people are still dying every day...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED Season Finale Review: “Penny Dreadful”

  If nothing else, this first half of 2014 has been marked as The Year of Eva Green.  Green will probably never be a mainstream Hollywood star–there’s something too feral and broken about her for wide audience...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Series Premiere Review: “The Leftovers”

  THE LEFTOVERS:  Sunday 10PM on HBO – Potential DVR Alert Part of the HBO mystique–what helps keep it so not-TV-ish–is the caliber of shows it doesn’t put on the air.  An adaptation of Jonathan F...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

UPDATED: THE SKED CABLE/NETWORK SAT/SUN SCORECARD – 6/29/14

  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...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Season Finale Review: “Nurse Jackie”

  In its 6th season, NURSE JACKIE went all the way back to square one.  There were cosmetic differences, of course–Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco) is now divorced, and increasingly alienated from her daughters Grace (Rub...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED Season Finale Review: “Beauty & the Beast”

  With a full season of experience and audience feedback under its belt, it’s not unusual for a TV series to improve in its second season.  What’s considerably less typical is for the reverse to happen.  Yet ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Season Premiere Review: “Under the Dome”

  UNDER THE DOME:  Monday 10PM on CBS The broadcast networks don’t get much in the way of pleasant surprises these days, but last summer’s UNDER THE DOME was an exception.  CBS’s “event” ada...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

UPDATED: THE SKED CABLE/NETWORK MONDAY SCORECARD – 6/30/14

  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 a...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Pilot + 1 Review: “Tyrant”

  TYRANT:  Tuesday 10PM on FX Previously… on TYRANT:  Barry Al-Fayeed (Adam Rayner) is a contented Pasadena-area pediatrician–and he’s also Bassam, the younger son of the longtime ruler of a Middle East...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

UPDATED: THE SKED CABLE/NETWORK TUESDAY SCORECARD – 7/1/14

  NETWORK UPDATE:  The only shifts came at 10PM, where THE NIGHT SHIFT lost 0.1 and CELEBRITY WIFE SWAP gained the same amount.  That made the margin between them a bit closer, but an 0.4 win for NIGHT SHIFT is plenty good e...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

TUESDAY NIGHT BOX OFFICE: “Tammy” Has Solid $1.3M Start

  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.  Ta...
by Mitch Salem