DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ US box office on track to have worst Memorial Day weekend since 1995
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The summer movie season typically starts with a bang during the month of May and, particularly, during Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day weekend (Friday through Monday) movie ticket sales are estimated at $128.3 million, according to Comscore data provided to CNN. In fact, the US box office is on track to have its lowest-grossing Memorial Day weekend since the $117.1 million seen in 1995, when “Casper” haunted the screens — and that’s not even adjusting for inflation. The tepid Memorial Day weekend continues what’s been a lukewarm start to the summer box office, a movie-going season that’s still reeling from the effects of last year’s Hollywood strikes. Industry experts agree that the 2024 box office has been sluggish so far , but remain hopeful that the box office can rebound by the end of the year and beyond.

Persons: it’s, ”, “ Casper ”, that’s, ” Paul Degarabedian, Comscore, “, Max, what’s, ” Dergarabedian, “ Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer ”, Shawn Robbins, there’s, Degarabarian, Deadpool, ” “ Oppenheimer, Barbie ”, Dory, bloomer, Daniel Loria, ” Loria, ” Disney, Loria, “ Deadpool, Fandango, Robbins, “ That’s, ’, ” Robbins Organizations: CNN, Guild, SAG, Labor, “, Warner Bros, Warner Bros ., Star, Walt Disney Studios, Disney, Box, showtime, Century Entertainment, Writers Guild of America, Pixar, Marvel, Industry Locations: United States, “

☆ The summer box office is playing catch-up after a rough start to the year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —The summer box office is off to a lukewarm start. Last summer, blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” combined added nearly a billion dollars to the domestic box office, according to Comscore data. “Barring some major overperformances, this summer looks like it’ll be down 20% to 25% in box office grosses between May and August from last year,” said analyst Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory. Industry experts agree that the 2024 box office has been sluggish so far , but remain hopeful that the box office can rebound by the end of the year and beyond. “Box office earnings have been down largely because of staggered gaps between widely appealing releases in the first half of the year,” said Robbins.

Persons: “ Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer ”, “, Max, ” Paul Dergarabedian, ”, Shawn Robbins, ” “ Oppenheimer, Barbie ”, Dory, bloomer, Daniel Loria, ” Loria, ” Disney, Loria, “ Deadpool, Fandango, Deadpool, Robbins, “ That’s, ’, ” Robbins Organizations: New, New York CNN, Guild, SAG, CNN, Labor, “, Warner Bros, Warner Bros ., Star, Walt Disney Studios, Disney, Box, showtime, Century Entertainment, Writers Guild of America, Pixar, Marvel, Industry Locations: New York, United States, “

☆ Here’s why we eat popcorn at the movies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But the perfect (and very profitable) pairing of today wasn’t always the case: For many years, movie theaters wanted nothing to do with the snack. People watch movies in a newly reopened AMC River East theater on Aug. 20, 2020, in Chicago. Popular movies often bring collectible cups and popcorn buckets, or, in industry-speak, Collectible Concession Vehicles (CCVs). The cinema business will continue to evolve, but one thing will remain constant, said Gil of Queen’s University. “Theaters will stop playing movies before they will actually stop selling popcorn.”

Persons: “, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, ” Paul Dergarabedian, Andrew F, ” Smith, Cracker Jack, ”, Smith, ’ ” Smith, hawkers, Peter Stackpole, John Aitkin, John Sr, Aitkin, Alicia Wallace, CNN It’s, Loren Williams, Alicia Reese, Ricard Gil, Jason Wambsgans, Gil, Wedbush’s Reese, Red Robin, ” Nels Storm, Garfield ”, Cory Ryan, Heather Morgan, Alamo’s, ” Andrew Sherburne, Christian Meoli, Camilla Meoli, ” Gil Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, CNN, AMC, Exposition, Bettmann, Riverview, “, Riverview Theater, Wedbush, Queen’s University, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service, Waffle, AMC Theatres ’, Walmart, Kroger, Alamo, University of Iowa’s, Cinemas Locations: Minneapolis, America, New England, South America, Philadelphia, Texas, South Minneapolis, Riverview, “ Kingdom, Canada, Chicago, Brooklyn , New York, Iowa City , Iowa, Seattle, Emerald, California

The Major Supreme Court Cases of 2024No Supreme Court term in recent memory has featured so many cases with the potential to transform American society. In 2015, the Supreme Court limited the sweep of the statute at issue in the case, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. In 2023, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked efforts to severely curb access to the pill, mifepristone, as an appeal moved forward. A series of Supreme Court decisions say that making race the predominant factor in drawing voting districts violates the Constitution. The difference matters because the Supreme Court has said that only racial gerrymandering may be challenged in federal court under the Constitution.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Anderson, Sotomayor Jackson Kagan, Roberts Kavanaugh Barrett Gorsuch Alito Thomas, Salmon, “, ”, Mr, Nixon, Richard M, privilege.But, Fitzgerald, Vance, John G, Roberts, Fischer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas, Samuel A, Alito Jr, Alito, ’, Moyle, Wade, Roe, Johnson, Robinson, Moody, Paxton, Robins, Media Murthy, Sullivan, Murthy, Biden, Harrington, Sackler, Alexander, Jan, Raimondo, ” Paul D, Clement, Dodd, Frank, Homer, Cargill Organizations: Harvard, Stanford, University of Texas, Trump, Liberal, Sotomayor Jackson Kagan Conservative, Colorado, Former, Trump v . United, United, Sarbanes, Oxley, U.S, Capitol, Drug Administration, Alliance, Hippocratic, Jackson, Health, Supreme, Labor, New York, Homeless, Miami Herald, Media, Biden, National Rifle Association, Rifle Association of America, New York State, Purdue Pharma, . South Carolina State Conference of, Federal, Loper Bright Enterprises, . Department of Commerce, Chevron, Natural Resources Defense, ”, SCOTUSPoll, Consumer Financial, Community Financial Services Association of America, Securities, Exchange Commission, Exchange, Occupational Safety, Commission, Lucia v . Securities, Federal Trade Commission, Internal Revenue Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Social Security Administration, National Labor Relations Board, Air Pollution Ohio, Environmental, Guns Garland, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, National Firearms, Gun Control Locations: Colorado, Trump v . United States, United States, Nixon, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Dobbs v, Idaho, Roe, Texas, States, New, New York, Grants, Oregon, . California, Martin v, Boise, Boise , Idaho, Missouri, Parkland, Fla, Murthy v . Missouri, . Missouri, ., South Carolina, Alabama, SCOTUSPoll, Lucia v, Western

☆ ‘Dune 2’ passes ‘Oppenheimer’ opening weekend at domestic box office with $82.5 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, brought in $82.4 million in its opening weekend. The film is a much-anticipated sequel to one of the most popular science fiction adaptions in recent years, and helped revive a sleepy box office. Similarly, “Oppenheimer” was one half of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon last summer, which took social media and the movie theater industry by storm. “This is just what the box office needed and much higher than any of us could predict,” said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures, which distributed the movie. And we grossed $178.5 million worldwide, which is quite a standup.”The sequel doubled the domestic opening of the first “Dune” installment, which opened with $41 million when it was simultaneously released in theaters and on the streaming service HBO Max in October 2021.

Persons: New York CNN —, “ Oppenheimer, ”, ‘ Oppenheimer, ’, Denis Villeneuve, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan, “ Denis Villeneuve, ‘ Oppenheimer ’, ” Paul Dergarabedian, “ Oppenheimer ”, Jeff Goldstein, HBO Max, CNN’s Eva Rothenberg Organizations: New, New York CNN, Warner Bros ., CNN, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros . Pictures, HBO Locations: New York

☆ Inflation is down sharply, but getting to exactly 2% will be tough
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, measured 2.6% annually in November. So, getting that number down to the Fed’s 2% target should happen in no time, right? That’s because much of the run-up in inflation came from pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions and unusual spikes in demand. The reason is that as inflation cools more, the remaining components that work to keep inflation above the Fed’s target are increasingly “sticky,” meaning they’re the least responsive to changes in market conditions. And it’s so far, so good.”That said, though it’s not the Fed’s go-to inflation gauge, Thursday’s CPI report showed that the road to 2% could come with more bumps.

Persons: ”, John Cochrane, Jerome Powell, Gregory Daco, That’s, Powell, Cochrane, “, ” Paul Donovan, ” Powell, I’d, it’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Hoover Institute, “, University of Chicago, CNN, UBS Global Wealth Management Locations: New York, EY

☆ Central bank interest rates: Is the global fight to tame inflation nearly over?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —Central bankers have had to climb a metaphoric mountain over the past two years in the battle to control runaway inflation. The announcement came just hours after Switzerland’s central bank kept rates unchanged and a day after the US Federal Reserve did the same, holding its key lending rate in the range of 5.25% to 5.5%. “Central banks think they have raised interest rates enough to bring inflation down to their 2% targets in a couple of years’ time,” Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, told CNN. Key interest rates are now at levels that, if “maintained for a sufficiently long duration, will make a substantial contribution” to reducing inflation to its 2% target, the central bank said. “By this time next year, we anticipate that 21 out of the world’s 30 major central banks will be cutting interest rates.”

Persons: ” Paul Dales, “, Jerome Powell, Sarah Silbiger, Brent, Andrew Bailey, ” Seema Shah, ”, J.P, Morgan, Jennifer McKeown Organizations: London CNN —, Bank of England, US Federal Reserve, Capital Economics, CNN, European Central Bank, ECB, Federal, Washington DC, Bloomberg, Getty, European Union, EU, European Commission, Asset Management, “ Locations: United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russia

Some of them, like “Dune: Part Two," have been postponed until next year due to the ongoing actors and writers strikes. Gillespie’s film features a freewheeling ensemble including Pete Davidson, Anthony Ramos, Seth Rogen, Shailene Woodley, America Ferrera and Nick Offerman. “Fair Play” (in theaters Sept. 29, on Netflix Oct. 13)Hedge funds also play a role in writer-director Chloe Domont’s drama about sexual politics and gender dynamics in the high-charged, male-dominated world of finance. Eight years after the last “Hunger Games” movie (“Mockingjay – Part 2”) a prequel is returning to the science fiction dystopia of Panem. Francis Lawrence’s film, set 64 years before the events of the first “Hunger Games” film, introduces a host of new characters in the lead-up to the 10th Hunger Games.

Persons: ”, Expendables, Gael García Bernal, Roger Ross Williams, Saúl Armendáriz, Williams, Bunny, Craig Gillespie’s, ” Paul Dano, Keith Gill, Pete Davidson, Anthony Ramos, Seth Rogen, Shailene, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Chloe Domont’s, Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, Aristotle, Dante, “ El Conde ”, Flora, Son ”, Henry Sugar ”, “ Carlos ”, “ Dicks, Justine Triet’s, Palme, Sandra Hüller, Martin Scorsese’s, David Grann's, Lily Gladstone, Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Robbie Robertson, Baz Luhrmann’s, Elvis Presley, Sofia Coppola, Priscilla Presley, “ Elvis, ” Jacob Elordi, “ Joan Baez, “ Taylor Swift, Nyad, “ Rustin ”, Colman Domingo, Bayard Rustin, George C, Martin Luther King Jr, Panem, Francis Lawrence’s, Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Viola Davis, ” Ridley Scott, Joaquin Phoenix, Napoleon Bonaparte, Vanessa Kirby, Joséphine Bonaparte, Sly ”, “ Orlando, Maestro ”, “ Leo ” Organizations: GameStop, America, Netflix, Sundance Film, Paramount, Apple, Cannes Film, Hüller, Hunger Locations: Shailene Woodley, Venice, Osage, Washington

☆ Welcome to Barbenheimer Weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | More About Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Start the day with the darker fare: Christopher Nolan’s moody “Oppenheimer,” about the physicist who ran the Los Alamos Laboratory during the development of the atomic bomb. The movie industry hopes so. Ticket sales for the year in the U.S. and Canada are down about 20 percent from the same period in 2019. Analysts predict that “Barbie” could take in $100 million domestically through Sunday; “Oppenheimer” around $50 million. “These are not the tried-and-true safe bets that are the hallmark of the summer movie season,” he said.

Persons: Christopher Nolan’s, Oppenheimer, ”, Milk, Greta Gerwig’s “, fantasia, ” “ Barbie, ” “ Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer, “, ‘ Oppenheimer, Barbie ’, Will Barbenheimer, Barbie ”, Paul Dergarabedian Organizations: Los Alamos Laboratory, Alamo, Times Locations: Chicago, U.S, Canada

☆ The planet saw its hottest day ever this week. The record will be broken again and again
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —This week saw the hottest global temperature ever recorded, according to data from the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction. On Monday, the average global temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit), the highest since records began. On Tuesday, it climbed even further, to reach 17.18 degrees Celsius. The average temperature for the month was 15.8 degrees Celsius (60.4 Fahrenheit), breaking the previous record by 0.9 degree Celsius. The new global average temperature record is another wake-up call, Otto told CNN.

Persons: Robert Rohde, It’s, ”, Friederike Otto, ” Paul Davies, Otto Organizations: CNN, US National Centers for Environmental, El, Grantham Institute, Climate, Met Office Locations: Berkeley, Texas, Mexico, India, Bihar, China

☆ UK inflation surprises for all the wrong reasons
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Britain’s stubbornly high inflation is a major drag on its economy because it increases the cost of everyday goods and services, dampening consumption. At the same time, interest rate hikes to combat inflation make loans and mortgages more expensive, which further weighs on spending by businesses and consumers. “The indirect impact of energy prices on business costs means lower gas and electricity prices should eventually feed into lower core inflation. But strong wage growth is likely to keep services inflation high throughout this year,” he added. But it cautioned that high inflation is still a considerable risk to the UK economy.

Persons: Grant Fitzner, Britain’s, ” Paul Dales, Martin Beck, ” Organizations: London CNN —, National Statistics, Bank of England, International Monetary Fund, Bank, Capital Economics, IMF, Bank of England’s Locations: United Kingdom

☆ Thanksgiving used to be a movie feast. This year? Slim pickings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN Business —Thanksgiving weekend has historically offered a cornucopia of films, letting moviegoers get out of the house and kick back after eating copious amounts of turkey, mashed potatoes and pie. The North American box office has few new films this weekend that are likely to draw tons of moviegoers. Another Disney film, Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is now in its second week and is set to win the holiday weekend with around $40 million domestically. For example, films like “Creed,” “Moana,” and “Knives Out” opened on Thanksgiving weekends and did well. As for Thanksgiving, Dergarabedian hopes that as the theater industry normalizes, the holiday will make a comeback.

☆ 'Black Panther: 'Wakanda Forever' aims to recreate blockbuster magic. Disney and theaters are counting on it
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

If early projections and ticket sales are any indication, it appears “Wakanda Forever” will be just that. Why “Wakanda Forever” matters to theaters"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is set to be one of the biggest films of the year. “Every blockbuster counts more than ever for movie theaters right now.”Why does it matter how “Wakanda Forever” does this weekend? Why “Wakanda Forever” matters to Disney"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" could break records this weekend. The performance of “Wakanda Forever” likely won’t move the needle on Disney’s stock, given that investors remain heavily focused on the company’s streaming endeavors.

☆ Why horror films kill at the box office all year round
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —One of Paramount’s biggest blockbusters this year is a surprise hit that hasn’t slowed down at the box office since opening at No. The film, which stars Sosie Bacon as a psychiatrist being tormented by visions of horrifying smirks, opened to $22.6 million at the domestic box office late September. Many horror films this year have done the same, showing that — aside from superhero movies — horror is Hollywood’s most dependable genre at the box office. Audiences have been sporadic and the overall North America box office is down about 34% from the pre-Covid levels of 2019. “The box office results have been scary impressive.”

☆ Liz Truss was defeated by the bond market. Investors aren’t satisfied yet
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN Business —After a bruising three-week battle with bond markets, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss admitted defeat on Friday. The price of 30-year UK government debt, which has been whipsawed in recent weeks, fell after the press conference. The Bank of England was forced to announce three separate interventions to avoid a full-scale meltdown in the UK government bond market. That’s putting investors on edge, especially since more details on the revised Truss plan aren’t formally expected until Oct. 31. Global dynamics could also make it more difficult for UK markets to find their footing even as the government backtracks.

☆ UK brings budget forward in another attempt to reassure markets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Kwarteng announced the Oct. 31 date in a letter to the Treasury on Monday, pulling his midterm budget forward by more than three weeks in an attempt to reassure rattled markets and rebellious party colleagues. He also confirmed that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the independent fiscal watchdog, will publish its assessment of the budget on the same day. Investors have been awaiting clarity on a revised date for the budget, which was initially set for November 23. It was widely expected to be brought forward after Kwarteng’s “mini” budget on Sept. 23 crashed the pound and sent shockwaves through financial markets with its promise of £45 billion ($49.8 billion) of unfunded tax cuts. The pound has recovered all of its losses but UK government bond yields remain higher than they were before the crash.

Search resuls for: "” Paul D"

16 mentions found