Author Archive
 

 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 5.21.2017

  OPENINGS:  ALIEN: COVENANT (TSG/20th) slumped almost as badly on its 2d day of release as the unpopular Prometheus (22% vs 25%), and the result was a lackluster $36M weekend in the US–and even that number includes...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Finale Review: “Empire”

  In a season that was loaded with bad news for the broadcast networks, none may have been more distressing than the ratings trajectory of EMPIRE.  With all due respect to This Is Us, Empire was the last network show to p...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

“MIDNIGHT IN PARIS” : Ah, Paree!

> Worth A Ticket; A tasty croissant from Woody Allen. Woody Allen interrupts the opening credits of his new comedy MIDNIGHT IN PARIS to insert a montage of lovely Paris locations.  I mention this because after more than 40...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: Tuesday Ratings Projections

> A few notes: these projections are for original episodes (no repeats) aired in the 4th quarter of 2011.  Series premieres will likely be .3-.4 higher, thanks to network marketing pushes, and then tend to go down over tim...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

EARLY FRIDAY BOX OFFICE: “Cars 3″” Low On Gas, “All Eyez On Me” A Sleeper Hit

  CARS 3 (Pixar/Disney) will have a strong Fathers Day, which in turn will make its weekend multiple look good, but it’s off to a disappointing start.  In preliminary numbers at Deadline, its opening day is pegged a...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 8.13.2017

  OPENINGS:  There have been a lot of busted franchises this summer, but ANNABELLE: CREATION (New Line/Warners) held strong, with a $35M opening weekend that was down just 5% from the first Annabelle.  The new entry is c...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED: New Fall Show On-Air Promotion — September 6 Update

>With network on-air promotion activity tracked in hit summer shows (those near or above a 2.0 Adult 18-49 rating) for about seven weeks since mid-July, the networks’ promotional priorities are summarized below....
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 7.30.2017

  OPENINGS:  Word of mouth caught up with THE EMOJI MOVIE (Columbia/Sony) on Saturday, with a 14% drop (by comparison, Captain Underpants rose 11% on its 2d day of release, and last year’s Angry Birds Movie jumped 4...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

HOP: Easter Egg Over Easy

> Watch It At Home People complain that Hollywood doesn’t take risks, but Universal went and hired the director of Alvin and the Chipmunks to make a movie about a musical-minded, free-spirit digitally animated character w...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 3.06.2017

  OPENINGS:  LOGAN (TSG/20th) was in full control of the weekend at $85.3M, and the most impressive part of that may be the 5% Saturday drop, an even better hold than Deadpool‘s 10% and the 12% for The Wolverine, l...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED: Monday Ratings Projections

> A few notes: these projections are for original episodes (no repeats) aired in the 4th quarter of 2011.  Series premieres will likely be .3-.4 higher, thanks to network marketing pushes, and then tend to go down over tim...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 7.2.2017

  OPENINGS:  DESPICABLE ME 3 (Illumination/Universal) is the latest franchise to underdeliver this summer, with a 3-day studio estimate of $75.4M in the US.  That’s far below the $115.7M opening of Minions, and it ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

EARLY FRIDAY BOX OFFICE: “Spider-Man: Homecoming” Superheroic, “Despicable Me 3″” Drops, “Baby Driver” Holds Well

  It may have hurt Sony’s pride to turn SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (Marvel/Columbia/Sony) over to Marvel to produce, but it proved to be a smart business move, with preliminary numbers at Deadline that put opening day at...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: A Word About Put Pilots

> The network development season for shows that would go to series in 2012-13 is in full gear, and that means an avalanche of press releases and trade reports that describe many of the deals as “put pilots.”  I...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

EARLY FRIDAY BOX OFFICE: “Alien: Covenant” Doesn’t Blast Off, “Everything” Mild

  ALIEN: COVENANT (TSG/20th) was supposed to refresh the franchise after the disenchanted response to Prometheus, but it’s opening at the low end of expectations.  Preliminary numbers at Deadline put opening day at ...
by Mitch Salem