SCI FI's wildly successful original movie franchise soared to its best-ever household ratings (2.6 HH) with PTERODACTYL, which was first broadcast Aug. 27, 2005. This film produced exclusively for and by SCI FI Channel will air again tonight, Sept. 1 at 9:00 pm.
With non-stop action and explosive CGI from acclaimed director Mark L. Lester (COMMANDO, FIRESTARTER, WHITE RUSH), the past and present collide, with the future title for dominant species of the planet at stake. Visual effects were produced by Worldwide FX of Bulgaria did the vfx for this movie. Scott Coulter was the vfx producer and Simeon Asenov was vfx supervisor.
PTERODACTYL was the #1 primetime, non-sports program on basic cable on August 27. Viewership for this film was up 55% in HH ratings, +58% in P18-49 and +62% in P25-54 versus the 2005 original movie average.
PTERODACTYL was also the channel's highest rated movie including acquired and new-to-SCI FI titles since the 1995 broadcast of RETURN OF THE JEDI.
The story takes place in the deep, lush forests of Eastern Anatolia, Turkey, which is peaceful, tranquil, idyllic, but the dormant volcano of Mt. Ararat holds deep within it a deadly secret something thats been asleep for millions of years.
A scientific team led by Professor Michael Lovecraft (CAMERON DADDO SHE SPIES, RIVERWORLD) is searching for a deep rift that may reveal clues to the distant past. Meanwhile, a special ops military unit led by Captain Bergen (COOLIO DAREDEVIL, BATMAN & ROBIN) is hunting down a terrorist and his soldiers hidden near the base of the volcano.
Before long, both groups are forced to rely on one another if either plans to make it out alive as they face a threat unknown to mankind since the Jurassic pterodactyls.
These voracious predators, with a 20-foot wingspan and an attitude to match, have awoken hungry. When they snatch the professors colleague and love interest, Kate (Amy Sloan THE AVIATOR, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW), the remaining troops and students must make their way into the pterodactyls den and rescue her before its too late.
Lovecraft and Bergen realize that if the pterodactyls are allowed to multiply and spread, the consequences for mankind could be dire.
SCI FI's original movie franchise is the channel's homage to the drive-in, a re-imagination of cinema's earliest sci-fi treats. Like the classic sci-fi fare of yore, these films over escapist fun while simultaneously challenging the imagination. The channel will supercharge Saturdays in 2006 with an unprecedented 28 original action movies up from 2005's slate of 23.
In addition to SCI FI's blockbuster original movie PTERODACTYL the channel delivered its best August ever in key viewer demos and is ranked in the top 10 among all measured basic cable networks in prime, driven by the success of the SCI FI Friday block of original programming featuring STARGATE SG-1, STARGATE ATLANTIS and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
