Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks on Tuesday proved less “spectacular” than last year, drawing in nearly 600,000 fewer linear viewers.

Still, NBC comfortably topped broadcast’s primetime outright, besting the rest of its Big 4 competition combined in the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic. Of course, everything else on those other channels was a rerun, which diminishes that claim quite a bit.

On the bright side, this show was the second-highest-rated Macy’s fireworks special in four years, and the 2017 TV event grew all the way to its big finish.

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NBC was first in ratings with a 1.2 rating/6 share in the key demo and in total viewers with an average of 6 million, according to preliminary numbers. From 8 to 10 p.m., the live run of “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” posted a 1.3/7 and 6.4 million viewers. An encore started at 10 o’clock.

In the main demo, the original boom-boom bang-bang special slipped 13 percent versus 2016.

CBS, ABC and Telemundo tied for second in ratings, each with a 0.4/2. CBS was second in total viewers with 4.9 million, ABC was third with 1.9 million, and Telemundo was fifth with 1.014 million.

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Fox and Univision tied for was fifth in ratings, both with a 0.3/2. Fox was fourth in total viewers with 1.3 million, Univision was sixth with 957,000.

The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.2/1 and in viewers with 619,000.

Best 4th Movies in Franchises Ranked, From 'Jaws IV' to 'Mad Max Fury Road' (Photos)

Not many film franchises get the distinction of hitting number four. It's even more impressive when they're actually good. This 4th of July, we're counting down from worst to best some of the most notable "fourth" films in their respective franchises.
30. "Jaws IV: The Revenge" (1987)

"I have never seen it ('Jaws 4') but by all accounts it is terrible," star Michael Caine said about the movie. "However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific."
Universal
29. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009)

Thank the heavens that "Logan" and "Deadpool" happened.
20th Century Fox
28. "Batman & Robin" (1997)

Between George Clooney's bat suit nipples, Mr. Freeze's groan-worthy puns and Poison Ivy's garish costume, they should've put this franchise on ice.
Warner Bros.
27. "Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol" (1987)

Did you know the Razzies had a "Worst Original Song" category? The one from this film was called "Let's Go to Heaven in My Car."
Wikimedia Commons
26. "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" (1988)

This sequel is easily confused with the third film, and far superior, "Dream Warriors."
New Line Cineams
25. "Superman IV: The Quest For Peace" (1987)

Folks, just because there's a fire hydrant doesn't mean it's New York.
Warner Bros.
24. "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" (1984)

"The Final Chapter." That's hilarious.
Paramount
23. "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" (1988)

After "Season of the Witch," we'll take anything.
Fox
22. "Sudden Impact" (1983)

"Go ahead," Dirty Harry would say, "Make my day..." No please, make our day. This movie is not great.
Warner Bros.
21. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008)

It's a shame when the highlight of your movie is when Harrison Ford crawls out of a refrigerator. This movie got "Jump the Shark" replaced with "Nuke the Fridge."
Paramount
20. "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014)

This is the "Transformers" movie with dinosaurs/dinofours.
Paramount
19. "Alien Resurrection" (1997)

It's probably aged better than a lot of the other fourth films, but "Resurrection" suffers from a thin plot and an obvious attempt to keep a franchise alive.
20th Century Fox
18. "Terminator Salvation" (2009)

The only good thing that came out of "Salvation" was Christian Bale's freakout.
Warner Bros.
17. "Vegas Vacation" (1997)

Why would we watch "Vegas Vacation" when "Christmas" and the original exist?
Warner Bros.
16. "Saw IV" (2007)

Might as well have been "Saw IV: The Final Chapter."
Lionsgate
15. "Shrek Forever After" (2010)

It's "Shrek FORever After." Like "FOURever." Get it? GET IT?
Dreamworks
14. "Live Free or Die Hard" (2007)

We didn't need another "Die Hard" movie, but considering the 12-year break between the third and fourth ones, this isn't half bad.
20th Century Fox
13. "Bourne Legacy" (2012)

Remember when Jeremy Renner starred in a Bourne film? No? Just us then?
Universal Pictures
12. "Bride of Chucky" (1998)

One of Jennifer Tilly's best roles, without a doubt.
Universal Pictures
11. "Lethal Weapon IV" (1998)

Fun yes, and Jet Li is awesome. But, by this point, the franchise was getting too old for this sh--.
10. "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" (1972)

Fans of the "Planet of the Apes" prequels should check out Caesar's original origins -- although, in our opinion, the new films do the character more justice.
20th Century Fox
9. "Thunderball" (1965)

But what if James Bond went underwater?
Eon Productions
8. "Scream 4" (2011)

It's easily a cash grab, but it's one of the most fun horror movies to come out in recent years and is way better than it has any right to be.
Dimension Films
7. "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (2011)

We thought we'd get bored of watching Tom Cruise jump out of things. We were wrong.
Paramount
6. "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (1986)

They made us really care about those whales in this fish out of water sci-fi.
YouTube
5. "Fast & Furious" (2009)

You have this film to thank for your favorite, average, drag racing, action flicks getting turned into what is ostensibly a superhero film with cars. We're not complaining.
Universal Pictures
4. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005)

The third and last films in the franchise are probably the best in terms of quality and how successfully it adapted the source material... but "Goblet of Fire" killed off Robert Pattinson and broke our hearts.
Warner Bros.
3. "Rocky IV" (1985)

Yes, the "Rocky" movies became incredibly corny after the first two installments, but Rocky vs. the Russians might be the most quintessentially '80s concept ever put to film, and it hasn't been topped since.
MGM
2. "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" (1977)

Technically, this is the first "Star Wars" movie made, so it can't possibly be number one on our "fourth movies" list. But because George Lucas gave us a sequential order that we have to stick by, we'll give it the distinction.
Lucasfilm
1. "Mad Max Fury Road" (2015)

George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" managed to reboot a dead franchise, making it explosively modern and fresh, and it stands as one of the best action movies of the 21st Century. It lives. It dies. It lives again. Shiny and chrome.
Warner Bros.

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From “Jaws IV” to “Mad Max: Fury Road,” we celebrate the best (and worst) sequels that were the fourth entries in their series

Not many film franchises get the distinction of hitting number four. It's even more impressive when they're actually good. This 4th of July, we're counting down from worst to best some of the most notable "fourth" films in their respective franchises.

View In Gallery

Best 4th Movies in Franchises Ranked, From 'Jaws IV' to 'Mad Max Fury Road' (Photos)

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