'Peter Pan' ratings slide from 'Sound of Music'

Viewers weren't eager to see Peter Pan fly.

An average of just 9.2 million people watched NBC's heavily hyped Peter Pan Live! Thursday night, less than half the audience that tuned in last December for The Sound of Music Live, which claimed 18.6 million its first night. The audience of younger adults ages 18 to 49 also fell by exactly half from last year's special, according to Nielsen estimates.

Music had more memorable tunes, and star power may also have been an issue: Allison Williams, best known for HBO's Girls and as Brian Williams' daughter, was no Carrie Underwood, who brought millions of her younger fans to her movie. But those who did tune in didn't like what they saw: Peter's audience fell in each half hour, from a peak of 11.4 million at 8 p.m. ET/PT to a low of 7 million toward the end of the three-hour telecast.

Among all viewers, CBS's regular lineup of sitcoms and Elementary topped Pan throughout the night, but the preliminary figures include NFL Thursday Night Football coverage in Chicago and Dallas, which means final results will be lower.