The tragedy in Aurora, Colorado is continuing to cause ripple effects across popular culture.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC and other networks have removed commercials for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES from their air, because of the concern that these ads would be unsuitable to broadcast in the midst of network coverage of the […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  THE VOICE, THE FLASH, MASTERCHEF JR and CHICAGO FIRE all gained 0.1 in final numbers, while ABOUT A BOY declined by the same margin.  Ratings in key demos for the Top 25 original cable telecasts (plus a few other lower-rated but noteworthy programs): Controversy about the sex on last week’s SONS OF ANARCHY (FX) […]

  THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (Warners) remained effortlessly in front for a 2d straight weekend, according to preliminary Friday numbers at Deadline.  Rises earned another $20M on Friday, bringing it to $245M in 8 days, and a likely Weekend 2 of $66M, which would bring it to around $290M by Sunday night (plus hundreds of […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, weekend #48 of 2014 looks like $148 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, down 18% the norm for Thanksgiving weekend ($180 million) and down 24% from the same weekend last year.  Pretty weak. Opening at 3,654 theaters, Penguins of Madagascar from Fox and DreamWorks Animation is on track for a $26.9 million opening […]

Total Recall joins the chart this week in the middle of the pack, with a projected $66 million final domestic total and $6 million to date overseas.  It might get to $95 million overseas ultimately, which would put its eventual worldwide total around $160 million (just behind The Dictator, not what Sony was banking on). Diary of […]

The 33rd weekend of 2012 is looking like $129 million for the Top 12 films Friday-Sunday, not as strong as we forecast Wednesday (because Expendables 2 is not as big as we forecast) but still up well over 20% from comparable weekends the past several years.             The Expendables 2 from […]

  THE HOBBIT:  THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (New Line/MGM/Warners) opened on Wednesday to $24.5M, which is both the 12th-highest opening Wednesday ever (and 3rd-highest in December) and the lowest opening day for a Peter Jackson Tolkien adaptation since The Fellowship of the Ring ($18.2M) back in 2001.  The Armies start was below the Wednesday […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  The 8PM rerun of MODERN FAMILY lost 0.1 in final numbers.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  News dominated Tuesday cable, with Fox News’s TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT at 0.35/0.57/4.2M, and with CNN’s CUOMO PRIME TIME at 0.29/0.45/2M and MSNBC’s RACHEL MADDOW […]