Category: News (Page 308 of 401)

“Sopranos” A&E debut whacks the competition

The premiere episode of “The Sopranos,” which aired on A&E last week in a heavily publicized launch, drew a record-setting 4.27 million viewers — the highest debut ever for an off-network program on cable.

As a result, A&E management should be able to breathe a little more easily over the (also record-setting) $2.5 million per episode licensing fee they paid for the rights to air the show, assuming those numbers hold reasonably well . . . and assuming viewers are not turned off by the absence of f-bombs and the presence of clothing on the ladies at the Bada Bing.

Box Office Roundup: It’s on. Don’t get F’d in the A.

Based on Sunday’s estimates, courtesy of boxofficemojo.com:

1) Stomp the Yard: $22 million (owner: Bill Clark, A Don’t Call Me Shirley Joint)
Don’t Call Me Shirley had a huge week, owning the first, third and fourth place movies this week to come within $8 million of Mark Pfeiffer and Reel Times. I’ve said it prematurely before, but enjoy the view, Mark.
2) Night at the Museum: $17.1 million, $185.7 million to date (Will Harris, What’s All This, Then?)
Shockingly true fact: The last four movies that featured Ben Stiller in a starring role have grossed over $100 million.
3) The Pursuit of Happyness: $9.1 million, $134.4 million to date (Bill Clark: A Don’t Call Me Shirley Joint)
Scary Clown would be in second place had they picked this movie instead of “Stranger than Fiction.” Sigh.
4) Dreamgirls: $8.1 million, $64.9 million to date (Bill Clark: A Don’t Call Me Shirley Joint)
Bill’s onslaught continues, and “Dreamgirls” still hasn’t opened fully yet.
5) Freedom Writers: $7..1 million, $18.4 million to date.
Easily the most profitable free agent of the season.
6) Children of Men: $6.4 million, $21.3 million to date (David Medsker, Scary Clown Studios)
After winning the award for Best Picture by the lauded Central Ohio Film Critics Association, we would have expected this to do better. After all, everyone knows that those central Ohioans are known for their impeccable taste.
7) Alpha Dog: $6.1 million
Not even Mr. Sexy Back can make this movie worth seeing.
8) Primeval: $5.9 million (Jason Zingale, Seven Strangers Productions)
JZ’s wishing he had kept “Freedom Writers” right about now.
9) Arthur and the Invisibles: $4.3 million
Five words: Madonna and Jimmy Fallon are siblings.
10) The Good Shepherd: $3.9 million, $54.2 million to date (Bill Clark, Don’t Call Me Shirley)
In this instant-gratification society, and significant percentage of the public insists on being bored for two hours and 45 minutes at a time.

Current standings:
1) Reel Times Pictures $291.5 million
2) A Don’t Call Me Shirley Joint: $283.4 million
3) TSSU Productions: $279.1 million
4) Punch and Pie Pictures: $266.2 million
5) What’s All This, Then?: $256.1 million
6) Seven Strangers Productions: $195 million
7) Scary Clown Studios: $181 million
8) Nights and Weekends: $171.8 million

Don’t Call Me Shirley puts Reel Times away with the unnecessary remake of “The Hitcher,” while Scary Clown hopes that “Letters from Iwo Jima” will finally get released wide before the season ends.

Box Office Roundup: presence of Ben Stiller, lack of quality effects, acting, dialogue no impact whatsoever on a movie’s popularity

Based on Sunday’s estimates, courtesy of boxofficemojo.com:

1) Night at the Museum: $24 million, $164 million to date (Will Harris, What’s All This, Then?)
We always suspected that all Attila the Hun really needed was a good cry. Dear God.
2) The Pursuit of Happyness: $13 million, #124.1 million to date (Bill Clark: A Don’t Call Me Shirley Joint)
Don’t Call Me Shirley makes big bank on people’s never-ending thirst for sappy feel-good story.
3) Children of Men: $10.2 million, $11.9 million to date (David Medsker, Scary Clown Studios)
A Scary Clown movie enters the top three for the first time in weeks, though it probably won’t be enough to keep his studio from landing in the cellar by season’s end. When the hell is “Letters from Iwo Jima” opening wide?!
4) Freedom Writers: $9.7 million
Believe it or not, this one is a free agent. Seven Strangers dropped it at the last minute to pick up “Primeval,” and before that, Punch and Pie dropped it for “Black Christmas.” Whoops.
5) Dreamgirls: $8.8 million, $54.4 million to date (Bill Clark, Don’t Call Me Shirley)
Billy got coin. Billy got coin. Billy got, Billy got, Billy got coin. And the movie is only showing on 852 screens, which means Billy’s got even more coin coming his way. Look out, Mark.
6) Happily N’Ever After: $6.8 million (Deb Medsker, Punch and Pie Pictures)
Few movies have deserved their 5% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes more than this one. The studio brags about the film’s turnaround time. We think they rushed it.
7) Charlotte’s Web: $6.6 million, $66.9 million to date (Deb Medsker, Punch and Pie Pictures)
Official statement from Punch and Pie President Deb Medsker: “If you don’t go see ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ the terrorists win.”
8) The Good Shepherd: $6.5 million, $48.4 million to date (Bill Clark, Don’t Call Me Shirley)
Trivia note: in order to save money, the makeup artists aged Angelina Jolie’s character by punching her in the face.
9) Rocky Balboa: $6.2 million, $60.8 million to date (Will Harris, What’s All This, Then?)
What’s All This has roared out of the cellar, though he’s grateful we’re not doing the “5×5” version of the league, which factors IMDb user ratings (“Van Wilder” sports a rating of 1.7)
10) We Are Marshall: $5.1 million, $35.4 million to date (Kristin Dreyer Kramer, Nights and Weekends)
Official statement from Nights and Weekends President Kristin Dreyer Kramer: “You all suck.”
12) Code Name: The Cleaner: $4.6 million
Sometimes bad things happen to bad people.

Current standings:
1) Reel Times Pictures: $283.4 million
2) TSSU Productions: $275.9 million
3) Punch and Pie Pictures: $256 million
4) A Don’t Call Me Shirley Joint: $234.8 million
5) What’s All This, Then?: $230.2 million
6) Scary Clown Studios: $169.1 million
7) Seven Strangers Productions: $168.9 million
8) Nights and Weekends: $164.1 million

Coming this week: Seven Strangers drops their last movie of the year in the croc-fest “Primeval,” and Don’t Call Me Shirley releases “Stomp the Yard.”

“Say goodbye to the OC, bitch!”


We’ll miss you, Sidelooker.

After an abbreviated four-season run, and on the heels of what many critics have dubbed a creative revival following the death of Marissa Cooper (played by Mischa “Deer in Headlights” Barton), the Fox network has cancelled teen drama “The O.C.”

Though many were hooked on the show from its first episode, in which over-privileged stud Luke (Chris Carmack) uttered the memorable words “Welcome to the O.C., bitch!” to wrong-side-of-the-tracks newcomer Ryan Atwood (Benjamin “Sidelooker” McKenzie) after engaging in the obligatory Karate-Kid-style beat-down, the drama has continued to lose viewers during each successive season. Its final episode will air February 22.

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