4:21 pm ET, 12-Dec-97
Slow Thanksgiving for SF TV
The Thanksgiving period was a slow one for the Sci-Fi Wire top 20 list of speculative fiction TV shows, with many series taking the week off. In fact, the top 20 list collected data on only 19 shows for the week of Nov. 24-30, with perennial front-runner The X-Files leading the way.
Below is our complete top 19 list for the week ending Nov. 30, based on the Nielsen Galaxy report. The HH Rating is the average number of households viewing a specific show expressed as a percentage of all television households.
| RANK |
NETWORK/
SYNDICATOR |
PROGRAM |
HH RATING |
| 1 |
Fox |
The X-Files |
11.5 |
| 2 |
Universal TV |
Hercules |
6.4 |
| 3 |
Universal TV |
Xena |
6.3 |
| 4 |
NBC |
The Pretender (Special) |
5.9 |
| 5 |
Paramount |
Star Trek: DS9 |
5.1 |
| 6 |
UPN |
Star Trek: Voyager |
4.2 |
| 7 |
MGM |
The Outer Limits |
3.8 |
| 8 |
Tribune |
Earth: Final Conflict |
3.7 |
| 9 |
Warner |
Buffy |
3.5 |
| 10 |
Tribune |
Nightman |
3.2 |
| 11 |
Buena Vista TV |
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids |
3.2 |
| 12 |
UPN |
The Sentinel |
2.6 |
| 13 |
Universal TV |
Team Knight Rider |
2.5 |
| 14 |
Paramount |
Viper |
2.4 |
| 15 |
Rysher |
Highlander |
2.3 |
| 16 |
Rysher |
F/X The Series |
2.1 |
| 17 |
MGM |
Poltergeist: The Legacy |
1.7 |
| 18 |
Camelot/Western |
Conan |
1.4 |
| 19 |
20th Television |
Tales from the Crypt |
1.2 |
| Source: Nielsen Galaxy 11/24-11/30, 1997. Nielsen data subject to qualifications to be supplied upon request. |
3:37 pm ET, 12-Dec-97
TriStar Books Travel Agent
TriStar Pictures picked up an option on a science fiction screenplay called The Travel Agent, which could be the next film acclaimed director Wolfgang Petersen (Outbreak, In the Line of Fire) will helm, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The script was written by Gregory Hansen, whose most recent credit includes co-writing the Robert Downey Jr. flick Heart and Souls.
The Travel Agent takes place in the near future, after the U.S. government has discovered a way to send people six months ahead in time. When a group of so-called "travel agents" fails to return from a time-travel mission, the government sends an experienced economics expert into the future to see what went wrong. The expert learns that he himself will precipitate a revolution to overthrow the U.S. government after he learns of presidential wrongdoing.
12:05 pm ET, 12-Dec-97
MiB Sets New Rental Record
Men in Black set another video record when it surpassed $20.9 million in rentals after just two weeks in release, according to data from the Video Software Dealers Association's VidTrac service for the week ending Dec. 7. That was enough to top the previous record set last year by Independence Day, which earned $19.5 million in its first 14 days.
But, likely spurred by interest in MiB's co-star Will Smith, Independence Day managed to place eighth on the Sci-Fi Wire top 10 SF video rental list for the period between Dec. 1-7. Meanwhile, the new video release DNA finished a respectable sixth place in the top 10, edging out long-standing favorites Mars Attacks! and Star Trek: First Contact.
Below is the complete Sci-Fi Wire top 10 SF video rental list for the week of Dec. 1-7:
| RANK |
TITLE |
STUDIO |
WEEKS IN
RELEASE |
WEEKLY
EARNINGS
(Millions) |
TOTAL
EARNINGS
(Millions) |
| 1. |
Men in Black |
Columbia TriStar |
2 |
$7.31 |
$20.91 |
| 2. |
The Fifth Element |
Columbia TriStar |
6 |
$1.46 |
$14.04 |
| 3. |
The Lost World |
Universal |
5 |
$1.32 |
$22.59 |
| 4. |
Batman & Robin |
Warner |
9 |
$.61 |
$16.69 |
| 5. |
DNA |
Cabin Fever |
2 |
$.17 |
$.33 |
| 6. |
Mars Attacks! |
Warner |
25 |
$.14 |
$16.5 |
| 7. |
Star Trek: First Contact |
Paramount |
29 |
$.08 |
$15.95 |
| 8. |
Independence Day |
20th Century Fox |
54 |
$.04 |
$49.4 |
| 9. |
The Island of Dr. Moreau |
New Line |
50 |
$.04 |
$21.36 |
| 10. |
Crossworlds |
Trimark |
27 |
$.04 |
$2.75 |
Source: Video Software Dealers Association and VidTrac |
5:43 pm ET, 11-Dec-97
Space Adds First Wave, Lexx
The Canadian SF channel Space: The Imagination Station has signed a deal to broadcast an original, Canadian-produced science fiction series from Vidatron Entertainment called First Wave. The hour-long drama, which will air in late 1998, is being touted as the SF version of The Fugitive, with a plot that revolves around one man who can save the Earth from a hostile takeover by aliens who disguise themselves as humans.
The show was created by Chris Brancato (Species 2, The X-Files, The Outer Limits), who will executive produce along with Academy Award winner Francis Ford Coppola and Larry Sugar of Vidatron. CHUM Television, which owns Space, will also broadcast First Wave on other CHUM-owned TV stations.
In other news, Space announced it will air the SF movie series Lexx: The Dark Zone Stories at 9 p.m. on consecutive Friday nights beginning Jan. 9, 1998. The series of four two-hour movies, which aired in the United States under the name Tales from a Parallel Universe, focuses on a group of likable misfits who steal the galaxy's ultimate weapon from an evil power known as His Shadow.
4:28 pm ET, 11-Dec-97
UPC Science Fiction Awards Announced
Canadian author Robert J. Sawyer and U.S. writer James Stevens-Arce were the co-winners of the first prize in this year's Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya Science Fiction Awards, which were announced Tuesday, Dec. 10, in Barcelona, Spain. Sawyer was honored for his story "Psychospace," which is part of his upcoming SF novel Factoring Humanity (Tor, July 1998), while Stevens-Arce was cited for his story "Soulsaver."
The UPC special-mention prize was also a tie this year, split between Daniel Mares for "La maquina de Pymblikot" and Domingo Santos for "Bienvenidos al bicentenario del fin del mundo," both of whom are from Spain. The UPC jury also singled out Josep M. Turuguet of Spain for his story "La nostra propia llum" and Vassil Tsonev of Bulgaria for "Promenade fantastique." Finally, Xavier Pacheco Carmona and Josep Antoni Bonilla Hontoria received the UPC mention for their story "N'Znegt," while Fermin Sanchez Carracedo earned an honorable mention for "Al otro lado del tune!". All three are from Spain.
The Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya Science Fiction Awards are given annually by the university to unpublished works of SF between 25,000 and 40,000 words that are written in Catalan, Spanish, English or French. The jury votes on a mandatory first prize and also has the option of awarding a "special mention" prize as well as a prize to the best work presented by a member of the UPC. The first prize includes a cash award of approximately $8,000, while the winners of the optional awards take home about $2,000 apiece. The winning stories will be published by the UPC through Ediciones B in its collection NOVA ciencia ficcion.
10:03 am ET, 11-Dec-97
Mita, McClain To Write TriStar's Doom
After more than three years in development limbo, a project to turn Id Software's bestselling science fiction computer game Doom into a movie seems to be underway in earnest. TriStar Picture recently hired the writing team of Ron Mita and Jim McClain to develop the screenplay for the film, while both Dino Conte and Moe Lospinoso are attached to produce, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The project, which languished at Universal Pictures for several years before Lospinoso brought it to TriStar, is tentatively slated to begin production in late 1998 for a release sometime in 1999. The premise of the game is about a futuristic marine who must battle demonic forces first on Mars and then on Earth, although the movie will reportedly take place solely on Earth.
7:17 pm ET, 10-Dec-97
Flubber, Alien Lead Weak Box Office
For the second week in a row Flubber topped the box-office charts despite a somewhat anemic performance that saw weekend ticket sales of only $11.8 million, an almost 60 percent drop from its opening numbers. Alien Resurrection managed to finish in second for the week, although it also struggled, managing only $6.3 million in ticket sales during the Friday-to-Sunday period.
While the movie industry typically experiences a post-Thanksgiving slump, the early December box office has been particularly weak this year, off nearly 10 percent from last year's figures by most accounts. Even so, Flubber has performed amazingly well for Buena Vista, earning more than $50 million in its first 12 days of release and overcoming almost universally poor reviews by critics in the process. But Alien Resurrection has managed to take in only about $36 million over the same period, and other films have fared less well.
In related news, Variety ran an article last week predicting that Hollywood's sequel craze may be coming to an end, based largely on Alien Resurrection's underwhelming sales. The article estimated Resurrection would earn about $60 million at the box office, well short of the estimated $75 million it cost to make.
12:49 pm ET, 10-Dec-97
StarCraft Release Postponed
Blizzard Entertainment has postponed the release of its hotly anticipated science fiction game StarCraft until late January 1998, the company announced today. The game had been scheduled to ship in time for the current holiday season, but Blizzard president Allen Adham said, "It would be an injustice to customers, retailers and our development team to ship the game before it is ready."
StarCraft is a real-time strategy game that is the science fiction equivalent of Blizzard's fantasy-oriented Warcraft, a bestselling strategy title. Blizzard estimates it will sell 600,000 copies of StarCraft in the United States and more than 1 million copies worldwide.
2:55 pm ET, 9-Dec-97
Star Wars CD Goes Gold
RCA Victor's soundtrack CD Star Wars (A New Hope) Special Edition was just certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, according to an RCA press release. The double-CD set debuted at No. 49 on the Billboard 200 chart during its first week of release last January and recently passed the 500,000-units-sold requirement for a gold rating.
The soundtrack, which was "cleaned" and digitally remastered for its special edition release, features the original Grammy- and Oscar-winning score composed and conducted by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. It also contains several bonus cuts, including five raw takes of the Star Wars Main Title and a recently discovered outtake.
4:32 pm ET, 8-Dec-97
Trek Swept By The X-Files
For the first time since 1988 a Star Trek series did not dominate the syndicated action-hour market in the November Nielsen sweeps. Trek was ousted last month by off-network broadcast reruns of Fox's The X-Files, which earned an impressive 7.8 average household rating between Oct. 30 and Nov. 26, compared to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's 6.0 average rating.
Trek also came up short against other first-run dramas as Xena: Warrior Princess led that pack with a 6.3 average household rating. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's 6.0 rating did give it a tie for second place with Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but while ratings for Xena and Hercules were up 11 percent and 2 percent respectively from last year's November sweeps, Deep Space Nine's ratings dropped by 9 percent.
Two other science fiction first-run dramas that scored well in the sweeps were Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, which earned average ratings of 4.1 and 3.5 respectively.
3:57 pm ET, 8-Dec-97
ABC Adds Prey To Lineup
As part of programming changes that will take place early next year, ABC will be adding a one-hour "science fact" drama called Prey to its Thursday night schedule. The series stars Debra Messing as a bio-anthropologist who discovers that global warming has triggered the evolution of a new species of human.
This new species is "intelligent, bold and vastly similar to humans in appearance," and it is also bent on the destruction of the human race. Messing's character, Dr. Sloan Parker, learns of the new humans while investigating the murder of her mentor, but she is not alone. Several other people, including a fellow scientist backed by a well-financed secret organization and an FBI agent, are interested in the new species for their own reasons.
Prey will debut on ABC at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15. It also stars Adam Storke, Larry Drake, Vincent Ventresca and Frankie R. Faison.
1:09 pm ET, 8-Dec-97
MGM Options Ambrose's Man
MGM has optioned David Ambrose's science fiction novel The Man Who Turned Into Himself for producer Irwin Winkler, according to published reports. The novel is about a man whose consciousness is thrust into a parallel universe--complete with an alternate version of himself--after witnessing his wife's death.
Winkler will decide whether to take on the project after the screenplay is written, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Winkler's past projects include the SF action film The Net, as well as Guilty by Suspicion and Night and the City.
Ambrose's last novel, a story about artificial intelligence called Mother of God, was bought by Touchstone in 1996.
3:51 pm, 4-Dec-97
I Am Legend Film Too Costly?
Warner Bros. executives are balking at the projected $108 million price tag of the proposed Ridley Scott/Arnold Schwarzenegger science fiction film I Am Legend, according to Variety. Variety's Michael Fleming says the project probably won't get off the ground unless its budget can be trimmed to around $90 million, something that might be difficult considering that the film calls for the creation of a post-apocalypse Los Angeles.
I Am Legend would be the third film adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel of the same name, which tells the story of the last human being to survive a biological holocaust that mutates humans into vampire-like beings. The earlier SF films The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man were also based on Matheson's story.
3:20 pm, 4-Dec-97
The Postman Delivers R Rating
Despite attempts by director/actor Kevin Costner to change the minds of the Motion Picture Association's ratings board, Costner's new movie The Postman will open on Dec. 25 with an R rating, according to TV Guide. At a hearing last week before the board, Costner reportedly argued that the film should be rated PG-13, but the board voted 14-0 against him because of the film's graphic depictions of violence and at least one steamy sex scene.
The R rating will likely limit the audience for the film, which is the first movie Costner has directed since his Academy Award-winning performances behind and in front of the lens for Dances With Wolves. Costner also stars in The Postman, which is an $80 million post-apocalyptic action story based on David Brin's book of the same name.
2:52 pm, 4-Dec-97
Strange Universe Death Not Exaggerated
Rysher Entertainment's syndicated series Strange Universe was supposedly canceled earlier this month, at least according to The Hollywood Reporter, but the entertainment daily also reported that a Rysher spokesperson said a final decision to kill the show had not been reached. In the same article the Reporter quoted an unnamed inside source as saying "staffers pretty much got the message when price tags appeared on the office furniture."
If true, the cancellation will come as little surprise, since Strange Universe was already struggling as the lead-in to the underperforming talk show Vibe. Although Rysher hoped a new host for Vibe and a change in format for Strange Universe--a show featuring stories of the paranormal and related topics--might boost ratings, the help apparently came too late.
1:09 am, 4-Dec-97
Trek Fans Offered An Experience To Remember
Star Trek fans willing to shell out between $29.95 and $99.95 apiece will be able to attend an exclusive preview of Paramount Parks' much-heralded new attraction Star Trek: The Experience during a special event that will be held from 12:01 to 9 a.m. on Jan. 4, 1998, at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nev. The event is a one-night only "pre-opening" dubbed the "Warp and Ride Preview," which will be held prior to the attraction's official opening at 11 a.m. later that day.
"For more than 30 years, people have dreamed of being beamed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, tangling with aliens and flying through space and time on a shuttlecraft," said Jane Cooper, president and chief executive officer of Paramount Parks. "Star Trek: The Experience makes this dream a reality by bringing the Star Trek adventure to life as it has never been before. Providing the fans first access to this highly anticipated, first-of-its-kind attraction, is the perfect way to thank them for their continuing loyalty."
Tickets for the event go on sale December 5 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster in Las Vegas by calling 1-702-474-4000 or by visiting the Ticketmaster Web site at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit the Experience Web site at www.startrekexp.com.
12:36 am, 4-Dec-97
Universal Tries Out Young Hercules
Universal Studios will test the market for a second spin-off series from its hit syndicated show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys when it releases the direct-to-video movie Young Hercules early next year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 93-minute film stars Ian Bohen in the title role and was designed to serve double duty as a pilot for a TV series, although Universal reportedly has no buyers for such a series at this time.
Meanwhile, Universal will also try to cash in on the popularity of Hercules and its sister show Xena: Warrior Princess when it releases the made-for-video animated movie Hercules & Xena: The Animated Movie -- The Battle for Mount Olympus on Jan. 6, 1998. The movie features the voices of Hercules and Xena stars Kevin Sorbo and Lucy Lawless.
11:55 pm, 3-Dec-97
Big Names, And Voices, Join Planet Ice
Twentieth Century Fox Family Films has confirmed that a bevy of big-name stars will be lending their voices to Fox's upcoming animated science fiction film Planet Ice. Among the notables who have joined the project are Bill Pullman of Independence Day fame, Drew Barrymore of Scream and Hank Azaria of the upcoming movie Godzilla, as well as Matt Damon, Nathan Lane, Lena Olin and Jim Breuer.
Planet Ice was written by The Tick creator Ben Edlund and will be directed by Spider-Man's Art Vitello. It's a story about a 19-year-old boy named Cale who may be able to save a doomed human race by following a map that supposedly leads to a great treasure.
11:34 pm, 3-Dec-97
Hamill, Mumy Team For Outpost Omega
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill and Babylon 5 mainstay Bill Mumy are working on a new science fiction television project called Outpost Omega, according to TV Guide. The story is about a military family in space, a subject Hamill's background as a Navy brat makes him particularly well suited for.
According to the report, Martha Coolidge has just signed on to direct the two-hour pilot. Coolidge's past credits include Valley Girl and the science fiction comedy Real Genius.
2:01 pm, 2-Dec-97
Sci-Fi Invades France
The Sci-Fi Channel began airing in France on Nov. 14 with a four-hour, Friday night programming block on 13eme Rue: La Chaine de l'Action et du Suspense (13th Street: The Action and Suspense Channel). Sci-Fi's programming, which kicked off with the feature film Jacob's Ladder, will include regular series such as Battlestar Galactica and Earth 2, as well as films like Darkman and The Invisible Man.
All Sci-Fi Channel block series will be dubbed in French, while movies will be subtitled. The arrangement--which was okayed within a week of Universal Studios' assumption of the controlling interest in Sci-Fi's parent company, USA Networks--calls for the Sci-Fi programming to air every Friday night on 13eme at 8:13 p.m. local time.
