DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Israel's strike showed Iran's air defenses were 'woefully unprepared.' Here's what Tehran may do next.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The incident in the city of Isfahan may force Tehran to upgrade its air defenses, possibly from more advanced Russian systems, to defend itself from the possibility of larger Israeli missile attacks. While Iranian air defenses failed to stop Israel's strike they have hugely improved in recent years. AdvertisementThe S-300PMU-2 is the most advanced air defense system Iran has acquired from Russia. "In practice, this could go either way, depending on the amount of Israeli missiles that would be hypothetically launched and from where." AdvertisementKhoueiry anticipates that early detection by Iranian air defenses could give these Iranian-made systems "more chances" against Israeli missiles.

Persons: —, Israel, Arash Azizi, Azizi, Freddy Khoueiry, RANE, Khoueiry, Jalaa Marey, Clemson University's Azizi, It's, it's Organizations: Service, Israeli, Economist, Business, Clemson University, Iran's, Rampage, Clemson, Moscow, Russian Locations: Iran, Russian, Isfahan, Tehran, Russia, Israel, Britain, East, North Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israeli, Lebanon, it's, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Patti Astor, Doyenne of New York’s Avant-Garde Scene, Dies at 74
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Penelope Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Did she know any artists? “Yeah,” she said, “I know a few.”The place was just eight by 25 feet, and the idea was to make a gallery by artists, for artists. The first show there was an exhibition of pencil drawings by Steven Kramer, Ms. Astor’s husband at the time; all 20 of the pieces sold, at $50 each, which seemed like a promising beginning. Mr. Scharf, who had already turned all of the appliances at Ms. Astor’s home into his signature outer-space critters, was offered the next show. He was also given the opportunity to name the place for its duration.

Persons: Patti Astor, Lee Quinones, Lady Pink, Freddy, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, Jean, Michel Basquiat, Richard Roth, Astor, Bill Stelling, “, Steven Kramer, Astor’s, Scharf Organizations: Fun, Mudd Locations: Manhattan, Hermosa Beach, Calif, TriBeCa

☆ These 10 retail brands are the fastest growing in the U.S., Yelp says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Chains owned by publicly traded restaurant companies accounted for half of the top 10 fastest-growing retail brands in the U.S. last year, according to a new Yelp report. Of the 50 fastest-growing chains in Yelp's report, 35 were restaurant brands. Jack in the Box, First Watch and Dutch Bros were among the public restaurant chains included in the report, but they didn't crack the top 10. Popeyes' higher sales have encouraged franchisees to open more locations and led new operators to join the brand, Restaurant Brands executives have previously said. In 2023, Popeyes surpassed KFC as the second-most popular chicken chain in the U.S. by sales, trailing only Chick-fil-A.

Persons: Jack, Levi Strauss, Cava CAVA, Cava, Zachary Lucy, Scott Olson, Darden, Yum, Stephanie Dhue, Tim Hortons, Burger King, Randy Risling, Popeyes, Michael Siluk, Freddy's, Kyle Rivas, It's, Justin Sullivan Organizations: Dutch Bros, Publicly, Nordstrom, Costco, New York Stock Exchange, Pacific Coast League, Omaha Storm, Memphis Redbirds, AP, LongHorn, Getty, Darden, steakhouse, Parent, Yum Brands, Taco Bell, KFC, East, CNBC, Wawa, Toronto Star, Brands, Restaurant Brands, UCG, Thompson, Capital Partners, Rally House, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Subs Locations: U.S, Cava, Werner, Omaha , Nebraska, Nebraska, Skokie , Illinois, California, West, Wawa, Bethany Beach , Delaware, Philadelphia, It's, Louisiana, Lansing , Kansas, Kansas City , Missouri, Midwest, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Olive, Lincolnwood , Illinois, Jersey, Petaluma , California

☆ Profit from video games that were turned into movies doubled in 2023. Hollywood wants more.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hollywood is increasingly adapting video games into movies and TV shows. Video game studios are cautious, fearing adaptations could compromise their intellectual properties. But Hollywood has a backup plan: Video games. Ampere found that Hollywood shifted its focus away from comic books in movies and television shows last year in favor of video game adaptations like "The Last of Us." Video game adaptations typically get a bad rap as schlocky retellings, especially from younger gamers.

Persons: —, Ampere, Mario, Barbie, Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore, Helene Juguet, Lance Reddick —, Black —, Strauss Zelnik, Zelnik Organizations: Hollywood, Service, Wall Street, Ampere, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Mario Bros, Guardians, Marvel, Ubisoft Film, Television, Newsweek, Forbes, Miami, Electronic Gaming Association Locations: London, Austin

As pale morning light flickered across the Seine, Capt. Freddy Badar steered his hulking river barge, Le Bosphore, past picturesque Normandy villages and snow-fringed woodlands, setting a course for Paris. Onboard were containers packed with furniture, electronics and clothing loaded the night before from a cargo ship that had docked in Le Havre, the seaport in northern France. Using Le Bosphore and its crew of four prevented tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere. “The river is part of a wider solution for cleaner transport and the environment,” Captain Badar said, his eyes scanning other vessels carrying wares up and down the Seine.

Persons: Freddy Badar, Le Bosphore, Captain Badar Locations: Normandy, Paris, Le Havre, France, European

☆ Drones have ushered in a brutal new phase of Syria's civil war
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewDrones are increasingly shaping warfare in the Syrian civil war that entered its 14th year in March. Kasim Rammah/Getty ImagesHowever, unlike drones, Syrian Air Force aircraft require significant support from Russia. Advertisement"The Russians might not want to spend any more jet fuel and Soviet-designed bombs on Assad just to help him blow up hospitals and marketplaces in Idlib," Lund said. Advertisement"It seems well within the means of Tahrir al-Sham, the dominant jihadi militia in Idlib, to manufacture and use kamikaze drones," Lund said. Even though many of these opposition drones are often described as crude, low-tech, and DIY, Lund also does not rule out the possibility that Syrian opposition groups have received state backing for some attacks.

Persons: —, Bashar al, Assad, Freddy Khoueiry, RANE, Khoueiry, Aron Lund, Lund, Kasim Rammah, Moscow's, they're, RANE's Organizations: Service, Business, Century International, Syrian Air Force, embroilment, Scientific Studies, Research Center, Ministry of Defense, Hezbollah, Russia Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Damascus, Hayat Tahrir, Idlib, Homs, East, North Africa, Syria, Aleppo, Soviet, Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Hmeimim, Latakia, Tahrir, Turkey

☆ Venture capital firm's plan to buy nonprofit hospital system has Ohio community on edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +17 min

In late 2022, Harrison joined venture firm General Catalyst, which has backed tech highfliers like Stripe, Snap and Airbnb . This is the first holistic transformation of a health system to a thoughtful combination of digital and in-person care." "It just makes people a little nervous, and it doesn't feel quite aligned with this concept of health care being a human right." To revolutionize how we care for patients, we in health care are doing the same." "This is not like a turnaround, this is not a distressed system," Harrison said.

Persons: Marc Harrison, who's, Astrid Stawiarz, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, He's, screeds, Harrison, Catalyst, HATCo, Fitch, Ceci Connolly, Connolly, She's, Freddy Krueger, John Bass, Bass, he's, Chris Bischoff, Bischoff, it's, Harrison isn't, Michael Greeley, Greeley, Beaumont, Cliff Deveny, hadn't, Deveny, Ben Sutton, Sutton, Shammas Malik, James Hardy, Hardy, Mayor Malik, Malik, we've, Capital's Greeley, Catalyst's Organizations: Healthy, CNBC, Intermountain Healthcare, Catalyst, Summa Health, Health Assurance Transformation Corporation, Summa Health Medina, Urban Institute, Fitch Ratings, Alliance of Community Health, General Catalyst, HCA Healthcare, University of California Davis Health, Intermountain, Flare Capital Partners, Beaumont Health, Health, Akron, Ideastream Public Media, HATCo Locations: New York City, Silicon Valley, Utah, Ohio, Harrison, PitchBook, U.S, Canada, Israel, Michigan, Beaumont, Akron, Summit County, Akron's

☆ Madonna removes Luther Vandross from AIDS tribute on her tour
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Madonna has honored a request from the estate of the late R&B singer Luther Vandross. After Vandross was included in the montage during a performance in California this month, the estate reportedly reached out to Madonna’s tour team to ask for a correction. “Luther Vandross passed away in 2005 due to complications from a stroke suffered two years earlier,” a representative for his estate said in a statement to Page Six. “While we appreciate Madonna’s recognition of those lives lost to AIDS, Luther was NEVER diagnosed with AIDS or the HIV Virus.”CNN has reached out to representatives for Madonna and the Vandross estate for additional comment. A documentary titled “Luther: Never Too Much” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Persons: Madonna, Luther Vandross, Vandross, ”, Freddy Mercury, Keith Haring, “ Luther Vandross, Luther Organizations: CNN, Madonna, Entertainment, Sundance Film Locations: California

☆ Chris Gauthier, ‘Once Upon a Time’ and ‘Eureka’ Actor, Dies at 48
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Jesus Jiménez | More About Jesus Jiménez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Chris Gauthier, a prolific actor known for his roles in the television shows “Once Upon a Time” and “Eureka,” died on Friday. Tristar Appearances/Event Horizon Talent, which represented Mr. Gauthier, said in a statement that he died “after a brief illness.” His representatives did not say where he died. Mr. Gauthier had roles in more than 20 movies, including “Freddy vs. Jason” in 2003 and “Watchmen” in 2009. He also appeared in dozens of television shows, including “Smallville,” “Charmed” and “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” according to IMDb. Mr. Gauthier appeared in 14 episodes of “Once Upon A Time” as William Smee, who is based on the “Peter Pan” character Mr. Smee, Captain Hook’s first mate.

Persons: Chris Gauthier, ”, Gauthier, “, Mr, Freddy, Jason ”, William Smee, Peter Pan ”, Smee, Captain Hook’s Locations: Eureka, “, Storybrooke , Maine

☆ Billy Joel says he’s ‘thought about putting together a band’: ‘Me, Don Henley and Sting, and maybe John Mayer’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —To file under the fantasy music collaborations category, Billy Joel has been toying with the idea of joining forces with some contemporary music greats. “I thought about putting together a band,” Joel retorted. “Me, Don Henley and Sting, and maybe John Mayer on guitar.”That roster would surely be a worthy update to the Wilburys, which was a supergroup team-up between the late Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and George Harrison, along with Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan. Joel also said he talks to Paul McCartney “a lot,” but added that he doesn’t “have the nerve” to ask the former Beatle to band up. Joel humored Stern while he continued to fantasize about who would be in the supergroup, and said, “Ringo would be good.

Persons: Billy Joel, –, Howard Stern, Joel, “, ” Joel, Don Henley, John Mayer, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Stern, hasn’t, we’ll, ”, Paul McCartney, Joel humored Stern, “ Ringo, Ringo, doesn’t, Freddy Wexler –, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Pink — Arthur Bacon, Wayne Hector Organizations: CNN, Sting Locations: ”

☆ Rocio San Miguel: White House ‘concerned’ as Venezuela detains activist over alleged ‘White Bracelet’ plot to kill Maduro
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday that the US government is “deeply concerned” by the arrest of activist and security analyst Rocio San Miguel in Caracas, Venezuela. On Tuesday, Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced on X that San Miguel had been charged overnight with treason, conspiracy, terrorism and criminal association as part of an investigation into the “White Bracelet” plot. “White Bracelet” is the name of an alleged plot to kill President Nicolas Maduro that the Venezuelan government denounced in January, and for which it has presented no evidence. San Miguel’s ex-husband Alejandro Gonzales was also charged with revealing military secrets, while four other citizens were released, Saab said. They are complicit in (terrorism) and interventionist actions against Venezuela,” Gil wrote on X.

Persons: CNN —, John Kirby, “, Rocio San, …, ” Kirby, Juan Luis Gonzalez, Tarek William Saab, Miguel, Nicolas Maduro, Miguel’s, Alejandro Gonzales, Yvan Gil, Maduro, Vladimir Padrino, Freddy Bernal, ”, ” Gil Organizations: CNN, Maiquetia, Venezuela’s, Saab, UN, Commission, Human Rights, Interamerican, Amnesty International Locations: Rocio San Miguel, Caracas, Venezuela, Miguel, Venezuelan, Spanish, United States, Tachira

☆ To stream or not to stream: Hollywood studios could send more films to the big screen as Wall Street pushes for profits
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Since it came out on Jan. 12, the $36 million film has tallied $83 million globally, according to data from Comscore. Low-budget films are typically those that cost under $20 million — films from the horror genre often fall in this category, as well as some independent features. The annual box office those years reached $11.9 billion and $11.4 billion, respectively. Domestic wide releases by year 2017 — 107 wide releases2018 — 112 wide releases2019 — 112 wide releases2020 — 32 wide releases2021 — 67 wide releases2022 — 71 wide releases2023 — 95 wide releases * Wide releases are any films that debut in more than 2,000 locations. Source: ComscoreIn 2023, 95 films had wide releases, 15% fewer titles than pre-pandemic times, and the box office barely surpassed $9 billion.

Persons: Bebe Wood, Renee Rapp, Avantika, Eric Handler, Roth, Paul Dergarabedian, Demeter, — Organizations: Plastics, Paramount Paramount, Paramount, Wall Street, Street, Netflix, Disney, Universal, Warner Bros Locations: Comscore

☆ Billy Joel is releasing his first single in 17 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Billy Joel has delighted his fans with news that he is about to release his first new single in 17 years. “It’s TIME TO TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON,” he wrote on X, referencing the name of the song to be released on February 1. The clip describes “Turn the Lights Back On” as “the first new single in decades,” though that may be a slight stretch. Joel’s most recent single, “All My Life,” was released in 2007, which was his first new music since his album “River of Dreams” was released in 1993. On Wednesday, he will play a one-night concert in Tokyo before returning to Madison Square Garden on February 9.

Persons: Billy Joel, ”, Joel, “, Freddy Wexler, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Arthur Bacon, Wayne Hector, Rolling Stone, Sting, Stevie Nicks Organizations: CNN, Madison, Garden Locations: New York City, Tokyo

☆ YouTube megastar MatPat of The Game Theorists is retiring, saying he wants more time with his son
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Game Theorists launched in 2011 with Patrick and his wife Stephanie Patrick. Patrick and Stephanie built up their legacy by playing video games and theorizing about the "lore" behind the story arcs. The couple's son, Ollie, is getting older, and Patrick said he wanted to spend more time with him. There are going to be nine more episodes on The Game Theorists, Patrick said, and he would be continuing to play games on GTLive for "the foreseeable future." Advertisement"As always, my friends remember, it's just a theory — a game theory," he said.

Persons: —, MatPat, Matthew Patrick, Patrick, Stephanie Patrick, Stephanie, Ness, Ollie, Tom Scott's, didn't, Amy, Lee, Patrick said Organizations: Service, YouTube, Business, Theory Media, Media

☆ Hunger Games prequel, 'Napoleon' lead as Thanksgiving box office shows signs of life
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

LionsgateThis year's Thanksgiving box office was both feast and famine for the theatrical industry. Meanwhile, Disney's latest animated feature "Wish," which celebrates the company's 100th anniversary, fell startlingly short of box office expectations, tallying just $31.7 million over its first five days in theaters. "It wouldn't be a holiday box office season without some occasional upsets and this weekend is delivering on that front," said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. Overall, the Thanksgiving box office secured around $172 million, an improvement over the previous three years of pandemic-pressured ticket sales. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the five-day Thanksgiving spread — consisting of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through Sunday — had resulted in more than $250 million in ticket sales each year.

Persons: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Coriolanus Snow, Lucy Gray Baird, Napoleon, Disney's, Shawn Robbins, Robbins, — Organizations: SONY, Lionsgate, Sony, Apple, MGM, Warner Bros Locations: Lionsgate's

Neither of the weekend’s top new releases — “Wish” and Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” — could keep up with Lionsgate's “Hunger Games” prequel. With an estimated budget of $200 million, “Napoleon” may still have a long road to reach profitability for Apple, which partnered with Sony to distribute “Napoleon” theatrically. “Wish," at least, is faring better than Disney’s Thanksgiving release last year: 2022's “Strange World" bombed with a five-day $18.9 million opening. Alexander Payne's film starring Paul Giamatti as a boarding school instructor made $3.8 million over the five-day weekend. Ticket sales overall reached $172 million in U.S. and Canada theaters over the five-day holiday weekend, according to Comscore.

Persons: ”, Ridley Scott’s “ Napoleon ” —, Lionsgate's, Panem, Napoleon ”, Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon, Martin Scorsese’s, “ Napoleon ”, “ Ralph, Coco ”, Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Critics weren't, ’, Paul Dergarabedian, We're, “, Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Bradley Cooper's, Maestro ”, Alexander Payne's, Paul Giamatti, Comscore, “ Napoleon, “ Taylor Swift Organizations: Walt Disney Co, Rotten, Apple Studios, Apple, Sony, Disney, Marvel, DreamWorks, Universal Pictures, Amazon, MGM, Netflix, it's, “ Locations: Waterloo, Oxford, Canada

☆ Some Chick-fil-A customers can now skip the drive-thru and have their chicken sandwiches delivered by drone
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chick-fil-A began testing drone delivery in Texas and North Carolina last year. Retailers and restaurants testing drone service include Walmart, Amazon, and Jersey Mike's. Chick-fil-A restaurants in Granbury, Texas, and Durham, North Carolina, have been testing drone deliveries since September 2022. AdvertisementIn Florida, customers within the restaurant's drone drop zone can order delivery by drone through the Chick-fil-A app. Drone delivery is still experimental in the US but is catching on among top retailers and restaurant chains.

Persons: —, Chick, Cane's, Papa Organizations: Florida . Retailers, Walmart, Amazon, Service, Papa Johns , Jersey Mike's Subs, Cream, Little Caesars, Starbucks Locations: Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Jersey, Brandon, Granbury , Texas, Durham , North Carolina, Virginia Beach , Virginia, Tel Aviv, Papa Johns , Jersey, Little, Southern California, California, California , Texas

“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” topped the North American box office in its first weekend in theaters with $44 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” is an interesting case study for a franchise that’s been dormant for 8 years and is testing the waters for a new era. Its $44 million from 3,776 locations, including 1,610 premium screens, marks a low for films carrying “The Hunger Games” in the title. With an added $54.5 million from 87 international markets, the film has already earned $98.5 million out of the gates. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” $44 million.

Persons: ”, Jennifer Lawrence, Katniss Everdeen, Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Adam Fogelson, Suzanne Collins, Collins, Coriolanus Snow, Paul Dergarabedian, “, Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Eli Roth, Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Michael Fassbender, Taika Waititi, Paul Giamatti, “ Priscilla, Sofia Coppola, Disney's, ” Ridley, Napoleon ”, ” Dergarabedian, Comscore, “ Taylor Swift Organizations: American, Lionsgate, Rotten, SAG, Universal, DreamWorks Animation, Marvel, TriStar Pictures, Spyglass Media, Walt Disney Co, Searchlight Pictures, Toronto Film Locations: Germany, Plymouth , Massachusetts

☆ Chuck E. Cheese is retiring its robots and it's probably not because of a horror movie
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chuck E. Cheese has officially retired Munch's Make Believe Band. The change was made as part of an update to all Chuck E. Cheese locations. AdvertisementIt's lights out for the unlively characters of Chuck E. Cheese's nostalgic animatronic band, and it probably has nothing to do with "Five Nights at Freddy's." So did Chuck E. Cheese remove the animatronics to avoid scaring the kids? Representatives for Chuck E. Cheese did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Persons: Chuck E, —, WTHR, Chuck, Freddy Fazbear's Organizations: Service, Representatives Locations: Northridge, Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley

The superhero factory hit a new low with the weekend launch of “The Marvels,” which opened with just $47 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. It was also the rare Marvel movie led by three women — Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani. After numerous strike-related delays, the only Marvel movie currently on the studio’s 2024 calendar is “Deadpool 3,” opening July 26. While quite low for a $200 million movie, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is primarily an awards-season statement by Apple of its growing moviemaking ambitions. "The Marvels,” $47 million.

Persons: Brie Larson, Captain Marvel, ”, aren’t, Marvel ”, David A, Gross, Sony’s, Morbius, Nia DaCosta, — Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Bob Iger, ” Gross, “ Barbie, Larson, Taylor Swift’s, Swift, Sofia Coppola's “ Priscilla, Cailee Spaeny, Priscilla Presley, Jacob Elordi, Martin Scorsese's, Alexander Payne's, Paul Giamatti, Comscore, “ Taylor Swift, “ Priscilla, Jake Coyle Organizations: Marvel, Research Entertainment, Walt Disney Co, Disney, Rotten, Warner Bros, “, Universal Pictures, AMC Theatres, Apple Studios, Paramount Pictures, Apple, Sony's Locations: Bethlehem

☆ ‘The Marvels’ struggles at box office on opening weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

1 at the box office in its opening weekend but grossed just $47 million in domestic sales, according to studio estimates on Sunday. In fact, “The Marvels” is only the third Marvel movie to make less than $60 million during its opening weekend, and the first since “Ant-Man” opened with $57 million in 2015. The lackluster opening weekend numbers for “The Marvels” are also symptomatic of overarching studio challenges in recent years, say experts. Marvel’s November offering last year, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which was also a sequel to an Infinity-Saga-era film, made nearly four times the domestic opening weekend earnings as “The Marvels” with more than $181.3 million. However, the video-game-based movie is also available online for Peacock subscribers, and streaming may siphon off some moviegoers.

Persons: CNN —, ”, “, BoxOffice, Shawn Robbins, ” Paul Dergarabedian, Logan, ” Dergarabedian, Ms, Marvel, Robbins, ” Robbins Organizations: CNN, Marvel, “ Marvel, BoxOffice Pro, Disney, Peacock Locations: Comscore

☆ Hollywood actors' strike is set to end Thursday after SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative agreement with major studios
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Alison Brower | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

SAG-AFTRA has reached a tentative agreement to end its strike against the Hollywood studios. The strike lasted 118 days, and, along with the Hollywood writers' strike, halted most film and TV production. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, announced Wednesday evening that it had secured a tentative deal with Hollywood studios to end a strike of nearly four months, a spokesperson for the guild confirmed to Insider. The guild's national board will review the tentative deal on Friday, November 10, after which the union said "further details" would be released. While 2023 has seen some box office highs, most notably the summer's Barbenheimer phenomenon, movie theaters, and Hollywood studios are still struggling to recover from the pandemic drop in theatergoing.

Persons: AFTRA, —, Netflix —, Bob Iger, Donna Langley, Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav, Debra Messing, Pedro Pascal — Organizations: Hollywood, Service, SAG, Alliance, Television Producers, Writers Guild of America, Warner Bros, Disney, Netflix, Discovery, WGA, Apple, Paramount, Sony, Writers Locations: California, Hollywood, —

The North American box office had one of its slowest weekends of the year, due in large part to “Dune: Part Two’s” absence from the lineup. 1 movie and it would have been a bigger overall weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" took second place, with fourth weekend earnings at an estimated $13.5 million for the AMC release. "The overall box office is rather quiet, but there are so many interesting films out there," Dergarabedian said. “Independent film can really shine right now.”The effects of the ongoing strike at the box office are not easily quantifiable.

Persons: ”, “ Taylor Swift, Sofia Coppola’s “ Priscilla ”, “ Oppenheimer ”, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Swifties, Martin Scorsese's, Alexander Payne's “, “, Paul Dergarabedian, Priscilla, ’, It's, That's, “ Priscilla, Priscilla Presley’s, Elvis, Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Paul Giamatti, Eugenio Derbez, ” Dergarabedian, “ He’s, Ryan, David Duchovny, exes, Jackson's, Dergarabedian, haven’t, “ Priscilla ”, Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Lashana Lynch, Comscore Organizations: American, Warner Bros, SAG, Comscore, Universal Pictures, AMC, Apple, Paramount, Los Angeles, Marvel, “ Locations: New York, Los, England, Mexican

☆ Bolivia severs ties with Israel, others recall envoys over Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Daniel Ramos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Palestinians conduct search and rescue operations at the site of Israeli strikes on a residential building, in the central Gaza Strip October 31, 2023. The three South American nations lambasted Israel's attacks on Gaza and condemned the deaths of Palestinian citizens. "What we have now is the insanity of Israel's prime minister, who wants to wipe out the Gaza Strip," said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday. Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Israel in 2009 under the government of leftist President Evo Morales, also in protest against Israel's actions in Gaza. Gaza health authorities say that 8,525 people, including 3,542 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7.

Persons: Ahmed Zakot, LA, Freddy Mamani, Israel, Gustavo Petro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Evo Morales, Jeanine Anez, Arce, U.N, Daniel Ramos, Gabriel Araujo, Lucinda Elliott, Oliver Griffin, Peter Frontini, Brendan O'Boyle, Kylie Madry, Rosalba O'Brien, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, LA PAZ, Israel, Bolivian, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Bolivia, Israel, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Palestinian, Iran

☆ 'Five Nights at Freddy's' rides PG-13 rating, video game fame to Halloween box office crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Mike Calia | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

If anything was going to topple Taylor Swift at the box office, it had to be a killer animatronic bear, right? Swift's "Eras Tour" concert film came second for the weekend, with an estimated $14.7 million, putting its domestic total at $149.3 million. "Five Nights" is also based on a popular horror-survival video game series that gave it a built-in younger audience. That helped it overcome generally awful reviews that left the film with a 26% "rotten" rating on movie-review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Data firm EntTelligence said the movie accounted for 65% of foot traffic to theaters during the weekend.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Chuck E, EntTelligence, Audiences, Emma Tammi's Organizations: Universal, Rotten

Search resuls for: "Freddy"

25 mentions found