The latest streaming and TV ratings, box office grosses, industry data — and the narratives behind the numbers.
Updated: October 21, 2025
Big Number
3.2B
The Daily Show had a strong third quarter for Comedy Central, including racking up its biggest social media consumption totals ever. The show drew 3.2 billion minutes of viewing time across its social channels from July through September, a 20 percent gain from the same quarter in 2024. On air, The Daily Show led all cable late-night shows (excluding sports) with a 0.45 rating among adults 18-49 in Nielsen’s three-day measurement.
Box Office
Tron Demos
The Disney sci-fi tentpole Tron: Ares pulled in a dismal $33.2 million from 4,000 theaters against a net production budget of at least $180 million. Overseas, the epic also failed to connect, grossing $27 million for a global start of $60.2 million. Some at Disney were always concerned only die-hard fans should show up. They were right; 18- to 24-year-old males, the sweet spot, badly underindexed. Full story.
STREAMING
The most-viewed series and movies of the week
↑ Tyler Perry has another Netflix No. 1 hit: “Black viewers still comprised about half of Beauty in Black’s audience (52%), but the Hispanic composition more than doubled, going from 14% to 31%,” Nielsen details.
↑ Warner Bros. reboot Superman saw its streaming audience “anchored in the 18-49 age range (55%),” Nielsen notes.
↑ The buzzy docuseries aka Charlie Sheen, described by THR as “Alternately candid and performative,” clocked in at No. 6 on the originals list.
↑ Spongebob Squarepants nearly hit the top 5 overall this week, as Paramount+ has three library shows in the top 10 acquired series list as well.
BOX OFFICE
The highest-grossing films domestically each weekend
↑ Scott Derrickson’s Black Phone 2 delivered horror maestro Jason Blum a major win in opening to a better-than-expected $26.5 million domestically.
BROADCAST
Top TV
The most-viewed primetime network shows
TV premiere dates for next week:
Tuesday, Oct. 21
7:30 p.m.: NBA on NBC (NBC)
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Lazarus (Prime Video)
Riot Women (BritBox)
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Lazarus (Prime Video)
Riot Women (BritBox)
Thursday, Oct. 23
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Allen Iv3rson (Prime Video)
The Kardashians (Hulu)
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (HBO Max)
Married at First Sight (Peacock)
Inside View
The narrative behind the numbers
MULTI
2 Games
Viewers: 24.55M…21.58M
Hail to the Chiefs
The NFL’s schedule makers put the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime twice in the week of Oct. 6, and both games delivered big audiences. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ last-minute 31-28 win over Kansas City on Monday Night Football drew 21.58 million viewers (12.09 million on ABC, 9.49 million on ESPN). Six days later, the Chiefs’ win over the Detroit Lions (which was also Taylor Swift’s first attendance at a game this season) led all of primetime for the week with 24.55 million viewers for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. — Updated Oct. 15.
BROADWAY
The top theatrical productions each week
↑ Chess brought in a strong $1.2 million across its first four preview performances.
Trailer Spotlight
The Boss
Deliver Me From Nowhere, starring Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen during his Nebraska era, arrives Oct. 24 from 20th Century Studios.
FILM REVIEW
Upcoming Releases
Notable movies heading to theaters
TRENDING
This week’s most searched and shared content
SOURCE: PARROT ANALYTICS ( Oct 3 – Oct 9, 2025)
This ranking shows the most in-demand series that have debuted in the last 365 days on major platforms with US audiences.
NEWS FEED
Joel Edgerton Wants to Make Indie Gems Like ‘Train Dreams’ Even If Hollywood Doesn’t: “I’d Be the Worst Studio Executive of All Time”
The Aussie star talks his acclaimed Oscar underdog, bonding with a young Timothée Chalamet, and making movies to last: “Does Bob What’s-His-Head in some Illinois small town really care what the budget of ‘One Battle After Another’ is?”
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Box Office: ‘Black Phone 2’ Dials It in for Blumhouse With $27.3M U.S. Opening and $43M Globally
Elsewhere, Aziz Ansari’s R-rated comedy ‘Good Fortune,’ starring Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves, didn’t find any gold, while holdover ‘Tron: Ares’ officially landed in bomb territory.
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His Lauded Movie Sat on the Shelf for Years. Now He Can’t Imagine Directing Another One
Angus MacLachlan finally got his acclaimed indie ‘A Little Prayer’ into theaters this past summer. But its bumpy road to release provides a painful case study in the tall hurdles faced by today’s indies.
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Daniels’ Event Film Back on Universal Calendar for 2027
The feature will arrive on Nov. 19, 2027.
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It’s Official: Josh Goldstine to Run Global Marketing and Distribution at Paramount Pictures
Goldstine landed the top job less than a year after being shown the door at Warner Bros. Pictures, where he arrived after long stints at both Universal and Sony.
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Box Office: ‘Tron’ in Big Trouble With $35M-$37M Opening, ‘Roofman’ Eyes Bland $8M Bow
The faith-based ‘Soul of Fire’ is looking at a nationwide debut of $3 million, while Luca Guadagnino’s ‘After the Hunt’ is opting to roll out slowly at the specialty box office
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It’s a Wrap: Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Calls Off Continued Overseas Rollout in Theaters (Exclusive)
The cinematic experience — tied to the release of her new album — was originally expected to play in a slew of additional international markets later in October. Not anymore.
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