4:23 pm ET, 9-Jan-97
The X-Files Tops Pre-Holiday Ratings
It seems even when TV viewers are getting ready for the holidays they still have time for The X-Files, which led the Sci-Fi Wire top 20 list of speculative fiction TV shows for the week of Dec. 15-21 with an 8.9 rating. With some SF shows off the air during the chaotic holiday programming schedule, Tribune's Earth: Final Conflict used the opportunity to climb into eighth spot on the top 20, besting both Star Trek series by a slim margin.
The ratings in this week's top 20 list are delayed longer than usual due to the Nielsen's holiday reporting schedule, which will be back on track after January. Below is our complete top 20 list for the week ending Dec. 21, based on the Nielsen Galaxy report. The HH Rating is the average number of households tuned in to a particular show, expressed as a percentage of all television households.
| RANK |
NETWORK/
SYNDICATOR |
PROGRAM |
HH RATING |
| 1 |
Fox |
The X-Files |
8.9 |
| 2 |
CBS |
Early Edition |
7.6 |
| 3 |
NBC |
3rd Rock from the Sun |
7.5 |
| 4 |
Fox |
Millennium |
5.3 |
| 5 |
Universal TV |
Xena |
5.1 |
| 6 |
Fox |
The Visitor |
4.8 |
| 7 |
Universal TV |
Hercules |
4.6 |
| 8 |
Tribune |
Earth: Final Conflict |
3.9 |
| 9 |
UPN |
Star Trek: Voyager |
3.8 |
| 10 |
Paramount |
Star Trek: DS9 |
3.8 |
| 11 |
UPN |
The Sentinel |
3.2 |
| 12 |
Buena Vista TV |
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids |
3.1 |
| 13 |
MGM |
The Outer Limits |
2.8 |
| 14 |
Warner |
Buffy |
2.7 |
| 15 |
Universal TV |
Team Knight Rider |
2.5 |
| 16 |
Tribune |
Nightman |
2.4 |
| 17 |
Eyemark |
Psi Factor |
2.3 |
| 18 |
Rysher |
F/X |
2.0 |
| 19 |
Rysher |
Highlander |
2.0 |
| 20 |
Paramount |
Viper |
1.9 |
| Source: Nielsen Galaxy 12/15-12/21, 1997. Nielsen data subject to qualifications to be supplied upon request. |
11:54 am ET, 9-Jan-98
Sci-Fi Audience Up 47 Percent In 1997
The Sci-Fi Channel's average audience during prime time reached a new high of 291,000 households in 1997, up 47 percent from its 1996 average of 198,000 households. The channel's average prime time rating also rose significantly last year, up from a .6 to a .7, or an increase of 17 percent.
The growth in both audience and ratings was driven by the success of the network's movie theme weeks, its new original programming and its programming marathons. Last January's "blockbuster" movie week, which included the highly-rated Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, was the channel's highest-rated theme week since Sci-Fi's Nielsen measurements began in 1993, earning a 1.7 share in prime time. Other strong performers included the documentary Roswell: Coverups and Close Encounters, the Twilight Zone marathon and the regularly-scheduled series Sightings and Seaquest.
The channel expects similar growth in the first quarter of 1998, when it will feature the off-network premieres of American Gothic, Space: Above and Beyond and Earth 2.
11:18 am ET, 9-Jan-98
Stars Agree To Play Wing Commander
Four of Hollywood's rising stars have joined Fox's $27 million screen adaptation of the popular space combat game Wing Commander, according to Variety. Mathhew Lillard (Scream), Freddie Prinze Jr. (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Saffron Burrow (Circle of Friends) and Elise Neal (Scream 2) will play four hotshot space pilots who discover that the cruiser whisking them to the front lines of an interstellar war is actually rigged to obliterate the universe.
The film will begin shooting later this month in Luxembourg and Germany under the direction of Chris Roberts.
6:18 pm ET, 8-Jan-98
B5 Earns Stellar Ratings On TNT
The Jan. 4 debut of Babylon 5 on Turner Network Television was seen by 10.7 million unique viewers, according to TNT, exceeding the network's expectations for the show and pulling in some impressive ratings in the process. The B5 movie "In the Beginning" aired at 8 p.m. ET that evening, earning a 4.1 rating and a 5.0 share while delivering about 3 million households. The re-edited Babylon 5 pilot that followed earned a 3.4 rating and a 5.9 share, delivering 2.4 million households.
"It certainly is nice to be looking at not just the great numbers on Sunday night, but the first three days of the program on the network," said Barry Koch, vice president of research for TNT. "Through about three days on the network, and again it's only three days, but we're looking at household ratings up about 33 percent over what had been airing in the time period, and we're looking at, in some demographics, 50 to 100 percent increases."
Reruns of the first four seasons of Babylon 5 began airing Jan. 5 in the 7 p.m. weeknight timeslot, replacing Lois & Clark. The fifth and final season of Babylon 5 will run on TNT in the 10 p.m. ET Wednesday night timeslot, beginning Jan. 21. Although Koch said it's too soon to say how B5 will fare on TNT in the long run, he said, "I think we're all feeling pretty good about it right now."
5:27 pm ET, 8-Jan-98
1997 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees Announced
The judges of the Philip K. Dick Award and the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society today announced the final ballot for the 1997 award. The six nominated works that made the final ballot include:
- William Barton, Acts of Conscience (Warner Aspect)
- Stepan Chapman, The Troika (Ministry of Whimsy Press)
- Susan R. Matthews, An Exchange of Hostages (Avonova)
- Richard Paul Russo, Carlucci's Heart (Ace)
- Denise Vitola, Opalite Moon (Ace)
- Catherine Wells, Mother Grimm (Roc)
The first prize and any special citations will be announced April 10 at Norwescon 21, which will be held in the Doubletree Hotel, SeaTac Airport, Seattle, Wash.
The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, while the award ceremony is sponsored by the NorthWest Science Fiction Society. The judges for the 1997 award were Paula E. Downing (chair), Brooks Landon, Carter Scholz, Stephanie A. Smith and Robert Charles Wilson.
3:32 pm ET, 8-Jan-97
Contact, MiB Lead Video Rentals
Since its December release, Contact has proven to be the king of the lucrative holiday video rental market, managing to earn a sizable $6.13 million and leading the Sci-Fi Wire top 10 SF video rental list for the week ending Jan. 4. Men in Black, the top-grossing SF video rental of 1997, continued its unrelenting success with home viewers, taking in $5.28 million for the week and finishing No. 2 on the top 10. New Line's comic book adaptation Spawn managed a respectable third on earnings of $3.36 million.
The SF video market will likely remain calm until Jan. 27, when the SF/horror flick Event Horizon is scheduled to hit rental store shelves. Below is the complete Sci-Fi Wire top 10 SF video rental list for the week ending Jan. 4:
| RANK |
TITLE |
STUDIO |
WEEKS IN
RELEASE |
WEEKLY
EARNINGS
(Millions) |
TOTAL
EARNINGS
(Millions) |
| 1. |
Contact |
Warner |
4 |
$6.13 |
$14.12 |
| 2. |
Men in Black |
Columbia TriStar |
6 |
$5.28 |
$37.85 |
| 3. |
Spawn |
New Line |
2 |
$3.36 |
$5.42 |
| 4. |
The Fifth Element |
Columbia TriStar |
10 |
$2.31 |
$20.47 |
| 5. |
The Lost World |
Universal |
9 |
$1.68 |
$27.27 |
| 6. |
Batman & Robin |
Warner |
13 |
$.90 |
$19.02 |
| 7. |
Mars Attacks! |
Warner |
29 |
$.34 |
$17.26 |
| 8. |
Asteroid |
Live |
17 |
$.20 |
$3.49 |
| 9. |
DNA |
Cabin Fever |
6 |
$.18 |
$.90 |
| 10. |
Star Trek: First Contact |
Paramount |
32 |
$.16 |
$16.35 |
Source: Video Software Dealers Association and VidTrac |
4:18 pm ET, 7-Jan-98
3rd Rock Makes '97 "Foe-Paw" List
NBC's hit science fiction comedy 3rd Rock from the Sun was one of 10 media works listed on The Ark Trust's "Foe-Paw" list for 1997. The Trust is an animal-protection agency that monitors animal messages in the media entertainment industry, and its Foe-Paw list tracks media works that convey anti-animal messages.
According to the 1997 Foe-Paw Report, 3rd Rock was cited for an episode where, "upon hitting a chipmunk with his car, Dick has a life-changing experience causing him to adopt a cruelty-free lifestyle, which is ultimately renounced as an 'insane kick.'" Dick is 3rd Rock's main character, who is portrayed by veteran actor John Lithgow.
Trust president Gretchen Wyler, herself a television actor, added that "We are not condemning entire television series, films or magazines with the 'Foe-Paw' Report. Rather, we are questioning the sensitivity and wisdom behind singular TV episodes, film sequences, articles and commercials which conveyed messages that devalue animals."
2:00 pm ET, 7-Jan-98
USA/Sci-Fi Acquire 28 MGM Films
USA Network and the Sci-Fi Channel picked up 28 films from MGM Domestic Television Distribution, including the exclusive network window for Species 2, Lord of Illusion and Hackers. The deal also includes many classic science fiction and horror titles such as Mad Max, Child's Play and The Last Man on Earth.
Species 2 will air on USA Network, while Sci-Fi will run Lord of Illusion and Hackers. The other genre-related films in the package include The Dark Half, Leviathan, Poltergeist III, Robocop 3, The Amityville Horror, Futureworld, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Love Bites: The Reluctant Vampire, Meteor, Moon 44, Pumpkinhead, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Empire of the Ants, An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe, The Pit and the Pendulum, Premature Burial, The Raven, Reptilicus and Tales of Terror.
11:42 am ET, 6-Jan-98
Hitchhiker's Film In The Works
Douglas Adams' popular science fiction story The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is finally headed to the big screen, according to Variety. Columnist Michael Fleming reports that Hollywood Pictures has picked up the screen rights to Hitchhiker's, and Jay Roach (Austin Powers) has agreed to the direct the film, which is tentatively scheduled for a summer 2000 release.
The deal means more than money to Adams, who told Fleming, "the single most substantial frustration of my entire career was that this was not a movie." Although Hitchhiker's has succeeded as a radio play, a book, a computer game and a TV show, Adams was never able to get a movie deal off the ground, despite having written two different drafts of a screenplay (one with Ivan Reitman and one with former Monkee Mike Nesmith).
This time around Adams will be co-writing an all-new screenplay with Roach.
11:14 am ET, 2-Jan-98
ADV Dispels Neon Genesis Rumors
Apparently responding to rumors circulating on the Internet and elsewhere, A.D. Vision has posted a statement on its Web site denying reports that its popular anime title Neon Genesis Evangelion is being re-dubbed and readied for broadcast on MTV. The statement says, "A.D. Vision does have the broadcast rights to Neon Genesis Evangelion and would certainly be involved in such a project."
The statement also said that A.D. Vision would not require or agree to a change in the name of the series or the storyline, and that in any case "no one has contacted A.D. Vision on this matter." The posting concluded by saying that "other than this post, any information or quotes involving this rumor and attributed to A.D. Vision are erroneous."
1:03 pm ET, 1-Jan-98
UPN To Air Alien Abduction Special
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, UPN will preempt its normal 9 p.m. programming to air an hour-long special that purportedly shows a family's encounter with "what may be extraterrestrial life forms," according to a UPN press release. The special focuses on a videotape allegedly shot and narrated by 16-year-old Thomas McPherson, who reportedly disappeared along with his family during a Thanksgiving Day outing last year.
UPN says the tape shows a series of strange occurrences that "culminate in what appears to be a frightening encounter with strange creatures." UPN further notes that "the recently acquired videotape is the sole testament to the fate of the McPherson family."
The special, called "Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County," will air from 9-10 p.m. ET/PT.
CORRECTED 12:15 pm ET, 7-Jan-97
Arthur C. Clarke Knighted
Earlier this week the British government added yet another in a long list of honors given to SF author Arthur C. Clarke when it bestowed the title "knight" on him. The British-born Clarke told the Reuters news agency that he was flattered by the honor, although his declining health would not permit him to receive his knighthood in person.
Traditionally Queen Elizabeth awards the knightly honors during a ceremony in England's royal palace, but Clarke said he would be unable to travel from his home in Sri Lanka to London. However, Clarke will be able to meet Prince Charles in February 1998 when the future king visits Sri Lanka during celebrations for the country's 50th anniversary of independence from Britain.
8:12 pm ET, 30-Dec-97
Bandai Creates New Animation Division
Bandai Visual, a leading Japanese animation producer, has formed a new division devoted entirely to computer-generated filmmaking, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The new unit, called Digital Engine, includes SF animation gurus Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) and Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), both of whom are at work on new SF projects.
Otomo's first film for Digital will be a 19th century SF adventure called Steam Boy, which will be completed in 1999. Oshii is working on a $20 million SF action-adventure film titled G.R.M.--which rivals Japan's record-breaking Princess Mononoke in budget--for release in 2000.
Several major U.S. studios are said to be in talks with Bandai about co-financing and distributing future Otomo/Oshii projects.
1:53 pm ET, 29-Dec-97
The Postman Delivers Holiday Bomb
Kevin Costner's $80 million epic science fiction film The Postman failed to deliver a strong box-office performance during its Christmas debut, taking in just $6.8 million between Dec. 25-28, according to Variety. Although The Postman--based on David Brin's novel of the same name--opened in more theaters than any other new release, it earned the lowest per-theater average and barely made Variety's list of top 10 films at the North American box office.
The Postman's poor performance comes at a time when Hollywood is seeing record sales at the box office, spurred on largely by the success of Titanic, Tomorrow Never Dies and Scream 2. The box office continues to hit new highs even though earlier this month Scream 2's estimated opening weekend gross was scaled back from $39.2 million to $33 million after Miramax announced it had found an error in its bookkeeping.
