Sunday, October 7, 2007

NETWORK PRIMETIME AVERAGES WEEK OF 09/24/07 - 09/30/07

1
CSI
CBS
Thu
9:00 PM
14.9/23.0
16,754,000
25,220,000
2
DANCING W/THE STARS-MON
ABC
Mon
8:00 PM
13.5/20.0
15,209,000
21,247,000
3
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
Thu
9:00 PM
13.2/20.0
14,839,000
20,926,000
4
DANCING W/STARS SP-9/25(S)
ABC
Tue
8:00 PM
12.2/19.0
13,743,000
18,505,000
4
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
Sun
9:00 PM
12.2/18.0
13,804,000
19,317,000
6
DANCING W/STARS RESULT SP(S)
ABC
Wed
8:00 PM
11.1/18.0
12,504,000
16,811,000
7
WITHOUT A TRACE
CBS
Thu
10:01 PM
10.9/18.0
12,252,000
16,676,000
8
HOUSE
FOX
Tue
9:00 PM
10.7/16.0
12,125,000
18,307,000
9
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
Mon
10:00 PM
10.0/16.0
11,233,000
15,078,000
10
HEROES
NBC
Mon
9:00 PM
9.9/14.0
11,118,000
16,972,000
11
PRIVATE PRACTICE
ABC
Wed
9:00 PM
9.8/15.0
11,040,000
14,406,000
12
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
Sun
8:24 PM
9.4/15.0
10,601,000
15,013,000
13
BROTHERS & SISTERS
ABC
Sun
10:01 PM
8.8/15.0
9,967,000
12,832,000
13
EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED.
ABC
Sun
8:00 PM
8.8/14.0
9,916,000
14,250,000
13
NCIS
CBS
Tue
8:00 PM
8.8/14.0
9,888,000
13,894,000
16
COLD CASE
CBS
Sun
9:00 PM
8.7/13.0
9,783,000
13,705,000
17
60 MINUTES
CBS
Sun
7:30 PM
8.5/14.0
9,577,000
12,823,000
17
BIONIC WOMAN
NBC
Wed
9:00 PM
8.5/13.0
9,618,000
13,910,000
17
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
Mon
9:00 PM
8.5/12.0
9,546,000
13,582,000
20
SURVIVOR: CHINA
CBS
Thu
8:00 PM
8.3/14.0
9,385,000
14,145,000

Box Office Report 10/07/07

Stiller Finds Heartbreak at Box Office

There's something about a reunion of Ben Stiller and the Farrelly brothers that audiences didn't want to see.
Stiller and the Farrellys' "The Heartbreak Kid" pulled in a modest $14 million during opening weekend, coming in at No. 2 behind "The Game Plan," which remained the top flick for the second-straight weekend with $16.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Paramount and DreamWorks had expected more from "The Heartbreak Kid," which reteamed Stiller with Peter and Bobby Farrelly. The trio collaborated on 1998's smash "There's Something About Mary."

The studios had gotten positive reaction from audiences at advance screenings, but reviews for "The Heartbreak Kid" came in much harsher than expected, said DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan.
"We were surprised," Sullivan said. "The reviews hurt us. We love the movie. We've seen it play great. But I think reviews do matter on an R-rated movie."

An update of the 1972 comedy written by Neil Simon and directed by Elaine May, "The Heartbreak Kid" stars Stiller as a man who marries an incompatible bride, then meets the perfect woman on his honeymoon.

"The Heartbreak Kid" did manage to come in slightly ahead of the $13.7 million first weekend of "There's Something About Mary," which lingered in theaters for months and became one of 1998's top hits at $176.5 million.

Movies hung around longer then, but today's films tend to live or die based on their opening weekends, analysts said. That bodes ill for "The Heartbreak Kid," which would need to hold strongly in coming weeks to make good on its $60-million-plus production budget.

"The shelf life of films is so much shorter today than it was 10 years ago," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "You have to make your mark early to sustain yourself in today's marketplace."

"The Heartbreak Kid" also played much wider 3,229 theaters, about 1,000 more than "There's Something About Mary," which still managed to pack in far more viewers. Based on today's higher ticket prices, "There's Something About Mary" pulled in nearly 3 million people over opening weekend, compared to just over 2 million for "The Heartbreak Kid."
In limited release, George Clooney's acclaimed legal drama "Michael Clayton" opened strongly with $704,000 in 11 theaters, a promising lead-in for the film's nationwide rollout Friday.

Released by Warner Bros., "Michael Clayton" stars Clooney as an attorney at a huge Manhattan law firm dealing with personal financial ruin while trying to salvage a class-action case for a corporate client.
Disney's "The Game Plan," a football family tale starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, held up strongly in its second weekend, raising its total to $42.8 million.

Overall revenues were down for the third-straight weekend, with the top-12 movies taking in a meager $65.7 million, off 35 percent from the same weekend last year.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Game Plan," $16.3 million.
2. "The Heartbreak Kid," $14 million.
3. "The Kingdom" $9.3 million.
4. "Resident Evil: Extinction," $4.3 million.
5. "The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising," $3.7 million.
6. "Good Luck Chuck," $3.5 million.
7. "Feel the Noise," $3.4 million.
8. "3:10 to Yuma," $3 million.
9. "The Brave One" $2.3 million.
10. "Mr. Woodcock," $2 million.


3:10 to Yuma Official Trailer

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Lost Writers Eye The End

Producers of ABC's Lost told SCI FI Wire they know how the show will end, though the series finale won't happen until 2010. The producers even know what the final shot will look like, they said in interviews.

Co-creator and executive producer Damon Lindelof said that the writers will be working toward the end of the series over the next two years. "We always knew the ending," he said. "We just didn't know how much time to take before we got there. So, yes, it still completely fits with where we're at in the storytelling right now."

Lost will become more focused because the end is in sight, the producers added. "With 48 episodes to go, it's exciting to be working towards an endpoint we're already familiar with," Lindelof said.

During a press conference for the release of the Lost season-three DVD set on Dec. 11, executive producer Carlton Cuse said that the show will be using flash-forward scenes, but warned cryptically that "it would be wrong to think that the flash-forward you saw is the end of the series." Viewers got their first glimpse at a possible future in the third-season finale last spring.

Cuse added that he already has the final image of the series in mind. "Yes, we do know what the last image of the show is," Cuse said. "And it won't be a black screen!" he added, alluding to the controversial cut that ended HBO's The Sopranos.

Source: SCI-FI Wire

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Jackie Chan no fan of 'Rush Hour' series

By MIN LEE, AP Entertainment Writer
Sun Sep 30, 10:02 AM ET

HONG KONG - "Rush Hour" put Jackie Chan in Hollywood's major leagues, but the Hong Kong star isn't a fan of his successful action comedy franchise.

Chan said when he made the first installment of the "Rush Hour" series in 1998 he only wanted to test the U.S. market and didn't have high hopes.
"When we finished filming, I felt very disappointed because it was a movie I didn't appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved. I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn't understand the American humor," Chan said in a blog entry on his Web site seen Sunday.
The actor said he made the sequel because he was offered an "irresistible" amount of money to do it and made the recently released third installment to satisfy fans of the series.
Chan said "Rush Hour 3" was no different from the first two installments for him.
"Nothing particularly exciting stood out that made this movie special for me ... I spent four months making this film and I still don't fully understand the humor," he said, adding the comedic scenes may be lost on Asian audiences.
Chan's comments came even though the "Rush Hour" series, which revolves around the racial humor stemming from the pairing of a Chinese (Chan) and a black (Chris Tucker) police officer, helped the action star cross over to mainstream American audiences.
"Rush Hour" was Chan's first movie to break $100 million at the U.S. box office, earning $141 million, according to the box office tracking Web site, Box Office Mojo. "Rush Hour 2" made $226 million and "Rush Hour 3" has earned $137 million so far.
Chan has been known to be blase about his Hollywood work. He said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press that he uses the high salary he earns in the U.S. to fund Chinese-language projects that truly interest him.
He also showed little enthusiasm for his latest Hollywood project, "The Forbidden Kingdom," which marks his first on-screen collaboration with fellow action star Jet Li.
____
On the Net:
http://www.jackiechan.com

Monday, October 1, 2007

NETWORK PRIMETIME AVERAGES WEEK OF 09/17/07 - 09/23/07

1
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
Sun
8:25 PM
11.8/19.0
13,342,000
19,049,000
2
CSI
CBS
Thu
9:00 PM
9.1/15.0
10,270,000
14,071,000
3
SURVIVOR: CHINA - SPECIAL(S)
CBS
Thu
8:00 PM
9.0/15.0
10,159,000
15,354,000
4
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
NBC
Sun
8:15 PM
8.7/15.0
9,808,000
13,864,000
5
COLD CASE
CBS
Sun
9:00 PM
8.2/12.0
9,253,000
12,746,000
6
60 MINUTES
CBS
Sun
7:00 PM
7.6/13.0
8,555,000
11,370,000
6
SHARK
CBS
Sun
10:00 PM
7.6/13.0
8,526,000
11,419,000
6
WITHOUT A TRACE
CBS
Thu
10:01 PM
7.6/13.0
8,579,000
11,277,000
9
DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON
NBC
Mon
8:00 PM
7.5/12.0
8,455,000
11,715,000
10
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
Mon
9:00 PM
6.9/11.0
7,820,000
10,845,000
11
FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3
NBC
Sun
7:59 PM
6.7/12.0
7,573,000
10,292,000
12
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
Mon
10:00 PM
6.5/11.0
7,342,000
9,651,000
12
DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED
NBC
Wed
8:00 PM
6.5/11.0
7,288,000
9,862,000
14
FAMILY GUY
FOX
Sun
9:00 PM
6.3/9.0
7,087,000
10,806,000
15
CSI: NY
CBS
Wed
10:06 PM
6.2/11.0
6,959,000
9,182,000
16
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
Sun
9:00 PM
6.1/9.0
6,876,000
9,021,000
16
OT, THE
FOX
Sun
7:32 PM
6.1/11.0
6,877,000
9,502,000
18
BACK TO YOU
FOX
Wed
8:00 PM
6.0/10.0
6,719,000
9,480,000
18
KID NATION - SPECIAL(S)
CBS
Wed
8:00 PM
6.0/10.0
6,722,000
9,382,000
20
K-VILLE
FOX
Mon
9:01 PM
5.7/9.0
6,432,000
8,928,000

Box Office Report 9/30/07

'Game Plan' Pays Off With $22.7 Million
Sunday September 30 12:26 PM ET

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had the winning game plan at the box office. Disney's "The Game Plan," starring Johnson as a football quarterback whose bachelor lifestyle is disrupted by the arrival of a daughter he never knew he had, opened as the top weekend flick with $22.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The weekend had looked like it would be a showdown between "The Game Plan" and Universal's Middle East thriller "The Kingdom" which stars Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner as members of a U.S. team investigating a terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia.
But "The Kingdom" fell short, debuting at No. 2 with a solid $17.7 million.

The previous weekend's top movie, Sony's action tale "Resident Evil: Extinction," fell a steep 66 percent from its opening-weekend gross, finishing in third place with $8 million and raising its total to $36.8 million.
Johnson was the latest action hero aiming to broaden his audience with a family film. With a PG rating, "The Game Plan" took advantage of a long dry spell for kid-friendly movies, as parents with children made up two-thirds of the audience.
"There was definitely pent-up demand for people who don't necessarily want to go to the heavy R-rated films," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "The entire general audience has been underserved lately."
"The Kingdom" faced heavy competition from other violent R-rated films, among them "3:10 to Yuma," "The Brave One" and "Eastern Promises." Though not an overtly political film, "The Kingdom" also had to test audience interest for action tales set against the war on terrorism.
"If you're going to tell stories like this, you're going to tell stories of what's actually going on in our world. It's very difficult, challenging subject matter," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. "Either you're going to like this kind of movie or you're not."
In limited release, Fox Searchlight's "The Darjeeling Limited" opened strongly, taking in $140,000 at two New York City theaters on Saturday and Sunday, following its premiere Friday at the New York Film Festival.
Directed by Wes Anderson ("The Royal Tenenbaums"), the film stars Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman as brothers on an odyssey across India.
Focus Features' World War II saga "Lust, Caution" also did well in its debut at one New York City theater, taking in $61,688. From director Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain"), the NC-17-rated "Lust, Caution" features scenes of explicit sex as a Chinese woman goes undercover in a plot to kill a man collaborating with invading Japanese forces.
Both films expand to more theaters Friday.

It was the second straight weekend that Hollywood business was down after a summer of record revenue. The top 12 movies took in $76.7 million, down 11 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Open Season" was the No. 1 movie with $23.6 million.
"What goes up must come down," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "It would be really difficult to maintain three, four months of up box office, so this was kind of inevitable. It was quite a strong fall last year, so we're having a little trouble competing."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Game Plan," $22.7 million.
2. "The Kingdom," $17.7 million.
3. "Resident Evil: Extinction," $8 million.
4. "Good Luck Chuck," $6.3 million.
5. "3:10 to Yuma," $4.2 million.
6. "The Brave One," $3.8 million.
7. "Mr. Woodcock," $3 million.
8. "Eastern Promises," $2.9 million.
9. "Sydney White," $2.7 million.
10. "Across the Universe," $2.05 million.


The Game Plan Trailer