What was that about Adam Sandler having career trouble? OPENINGS:  Sony‘s decision to open HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA a week before Disney’s Frankenweenie turned out to be a brilliant move, as Hotel is on track for the biggest September opening in history, close to $40M, not to mention Sony’s biggest animation hit ever.  And just to add whipped […]

Another step toward the end of original programming on Fridays. CBS:  MADE IN JERSEY is the worst flop of the season’s first week, a disaster at 1.1 any way the numbers are cut.  The show could only tie a repeat of the low-rated Last Resort pilot, and started out even with Fringe, TV’s poster child […]

The first Friday of the new season was down 17% in the fast nationals from last year (4.9 rating with Adults 18-49 TOTAL for the four broadcast network versus 5.9 the same night in 2011). CBS and ABC tied for first place last night, each with all of a 1.3 rating from 8-11 pm.  CBS […]

After three tough weekends with 20-25% declines versus prior years, the 39th weekend of 2012 is looking like $101 million for the Top 12 films Friday-Sunday, up 13% from the same weekend last year.  Sony opened two films to two completely different segments: Hotel Transylvania opened very well to kids and families, while Looper opened […]

  It appears as though Hollywood is going to have some good news at the boxoffice this weekend, for the first time since mid-summer.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, the surprisingly sprightly HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (Sony) is off to a big start with a $11M Friday that should mean around a $38M weekend.  That number […]

[UPDATE:  As expected, the post-football numbers for NBC left its shows with ratings virtually identical to last week’s.  Optimists might say that’s an accomplishment with this week’s much stronger competition–but it’s also true that the shows, none above a 1.6 except THE OFFICE’s 2.1, didn’t have much room to fall.  GLEE and SCANDAL also lost […]

Completely updated with official national ratings. Thursday premiere night is down 23% collectively for the broadcast networks (10.5 Adult 18-49 rating last night versus 13.7 last fall on premiere Thursday).  CBS is most on track, winning the night and just two tenths of a rating point behind both last year and our estimate for the […]

  Friday isn’t yet Saturday for the broadcast networks–there’s still plenty of original programming on the night.  But declining ratings and revenues have made it something like the network Island of Misfit Toys, where shows that skew too old or fall in too narrow a niche share space with miscellaneous newsmagazines and reality shows.  It’s […]