ABC Saturday Movie of the Week
ABC's weekly platform for theatrical movies since 2009.
ABC Saturday Movie of the Week is the umbrella title for a weekly American film series that airs on ABC. It began as a replacement for ABC's Big Picture Show and as a revival of the network's Movie of the Week theme, which had been used from 1969 until 1976. Since its inception, it has served as ABC's main platform for airing theatrical movies, though other movies also air under the movie of the week format during the holiday season and as special presentations.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Film presentation
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 12
- Episodes
- 178
- Runtime
- 120–300 minutes (with commercials)
- Network
- ABC
- First aired
- 21 February 2004
Facts from the source article.
Overview
After the regular series Wonderful World of Disney was canceled in December 2008, the ABC Saturday Movie of the Week became the network's primary outlet for films starting in 2009. Today, the name is only used for internal scheduling. Before a movie airs, viewers see either a short promo for the film or a disclaimer stating it has been adjusted for broadcast TV, with extra commercials and bonus content added to fill the three-hour block. The use of the second audio program is inconsistent; some weeks offer a Spanish dub, while others provide a Descriptive Video Service track.
ABC once held rights to a package of DreamWorks films, but those moved to NBC after Comcast bought DreamWorks. Only two films have permanent annual airings in the series: The Ten Commandments, which has been on ABC since 1973 and airs in a longer slot on a Saturday before Easter (except in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2025, when it aired before Palm Sunday), and The Sound of Music, which has aired since 2002 and traditionally runs on a Sunday before Christmas.
The Ten Commandments is usually the year's most-watched film in the series. Since Saturday Night Football debuted in 2006, and with the overall decline of new Saturday night programming on broadcast networks, networks buying fewer films except for major titles, and the growth of streaming, ABC now mainly uses its Saturday movie slot to fill weeks without sports or news. Saturday Night Football typically runs from September to mid-December, followed by holiday specials in December.
NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC takes over from mid-January through the NBA playoffs, and the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs, along with reruns of ABC series and 20/20 compilation episodes, occupy other Saturday nights.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of ABC Saturday Movie of the Week are there?
ABC Saturday Movie of the Week has 178 episodes across 12 seasons.
When did ABC Saturday Movie of the Week first air?
ABC Saturday Movie of the Week first aired on 21 February 2004.
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