DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ US job openings grew in December
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

However, despite the uptick, the labor market remains in the throes of a cooldown amid the Federal Reserve’s aggressive actions to curb inflation. The United States had an estimated 9.026 million job openings in December, according to seasonally adjusted data released as part of the BLS’ monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report. Economists had expected December job openings to drop for a fourth consecutive month and land at 8.714 million. Outside of the initial stages of the pandemic, that was the lowest hires rate since 2014. At one point in early 2022, job openings soared north of 12 million.

Persons: “, ” Jennifer Lee, that’s, Jerome Powell Organizations: New, New York CNN, of Labor Statistics, United, Labor, BMO Capital Markets, Fed, BLS, Federal Reserve Locations: New York, United States

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

☆ ‘Wish’ review: Disney tries to thaw out its ‘Frozen’ magic with Ariana DeBose
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —More than 70 years after Disney had a cricket sing about wishing upon a star, “Wish” picks up that theme, in an animated movie that desperately wants to thaw out some of the studio’s “Frozen” magic. Hailing from members of that movie’s creative team, “Wish” doesn’t quite reach the stars, but it does shine intermittently while introducing another plucky teenage female heroine, gamely voiced by Ariana DeBose. The movie does however celebrate the power of wishes, and in the process, decades of Disney history. By that measure, “Wish” mostly delivers – a credible addition to Disney’s long filmography, even if it’s not exactly a dream come true. “Wish” will offer early-access screenings on November 18 and open wide in US theaters on November 22.

Persons: ”, gamely, Ariana DeBose, Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, Bruno, Asha, –, King Magnifico, Chris Pine, Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn, “ Raya, Jennifer Lee, Allison Moore, “, Alan Tudyk’s, Valentino, it’s, Indiana Jones Organizations: CNN, Disney, “ Locations: Rosas, “, Magnifico

REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Acquire Licensing RightsLOS ANGELES, Nov 20 (Reuters) - "Wish," the new animated musical movie marking Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) 100th anniversary, reaches back to its modest beginnings to inspire future generations. Walt Disney Studios was founded in 1923 in Hollywood, California, by brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney, making it the world's oldest running animation studio. Disney movies are usually based on classic fairy or folk tales, mixing romance, humor, sadness, high-stakes action and self-discovery. "Not just to wish, but usually sing to their heart's desire, and so I think it's important to this movie obviously. I think it will be important to many Disney movies in the future too."

Persons: Ariana DeBose, Asha, Chris Pine, Roy, Mario Anzuoni, Walt Disney, Walt, Jennifer Lee, Lee, King Magnifico, Roy O, Danielle Broadway, Rollo Ross, Mary Milliken, Richard Chang Organizations: Disney Animation, REUTERS, Walt Disney Co's, Walt Disney Animation, Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, U.S, Kingdom of Rosas, Hollywood , California

☆ 'Barbie' is about to pass 'Super Mario Bros.' and become the world's biggest movie of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Barbie" is poised to overtake Super Mario globally after becoming the biggest US movie this year. "Barbie" is Warner Bros.' most successful US release and is about to become its biggest film ever. The Greta Gerwig-directed film about Mattel's plastic doll surpassed "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" domestically with a $575.4 million gross, according to data seen by The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline . Warner Bros./Universal"Barbie" is now Warner Bros'. Nolan's latest three-hour epic has performed very well at the box office, taking almost $725 million, per Box Office Mojo.

Persons: Greta Gerwig, Mario, Barbie, pip Mario, execs, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Gerwig, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's, Harry Potter, Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, Noah Baumbach, Matt Winkelmeyer, Robbie, Gosling Organizations: Super Mario, Warner Bros, Mario Bros, Hollywood, Mojo, Variety, Staff, Getty, Australian

☆ 'Barbie' to top $1 billion at the global box office Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Discovery and Mattel will top $1 billion in global ticket sales, before the end of the weekend, according to estimates from the studio. Gerwig joins Anna Boden, co-director of Disney's "Captain Marvel," as the only two women to helm a live-action billion-dollar film. Universal's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" has topped $1.3 billion since its April debut. Each film tallied less than $200 million in domestic box office receipts. "The box office powerhouse isn't done yet as the coming weeks offer little in the way of direct competition, giving 'Barbie' plenty of runway to continue building on this success," Robbins said.

Persons: Barbie, Shawn Robbins, Greta Gerwig, Gerwig, Anna Boden, Marvel, Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, Mario, Paul Dergarabedian, Indiana Jones, Robbins Organizations: Warner Bros . Discovery, Mattel, Disney, Warner Bros, Mario Bros, Comscore, Furious, Comcast, CNBC Locations: Comscore, NBCUniversal

☆ 'Barbie' is less than $100 million away from a billion-dollar box office heading into third weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"Barbie" is less than $100 million away from topping $1 billion at the global box office. "Joining the billion-dollar box office club is a watershed moment for 'Barbie' and Greta Gerwig as the latter will become the first solo female director to achieve that feat," said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. Anna Boden, co-director of Disney's "Captain Marvel," was the first female director to be attached to a billion-dollar live-action film. When "Barbie" tops this mark, it will become the first billion-dollar film to do so for the newly minted Warner Bros. Box office analysts don't expect "Barbie" ticket sales to stall after this weekend, either.

Persons: Barbie, Greta Gerwig, Shawn Robbins, Anna Boden, Marvel, Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, Robbins, It's, Paul Dergarabedian Organizations: Warner Bros . Discovery, Mattel, BoxOffice.com, Disney, Warner Bros, Comscore, Screen, – American Federation of Television, Radio Artists Locations: Comscore, Hollywood

☆ US consumer confidence hits nine-month low; housing market bottoming out
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Consumers have shown resilience despite high inflation and a rise in interest rates, keeping the economy afloat, thanks to a strong labor market. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index fell to 101.3, the lowest reading since July 2022, from 104.0 in March. The survey's so-called labor market differential, derived from data on respondents' views on whether jobs are plentiful or hard to get, rose to 37.3 from 36.5 in March, consistent with a tight labor market. "Take consumer purchase plans with a grain of salt," said Tim Quinlan, a senior economist at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina. That skepticism also extended to home purchase plans.

☆ US services sector growth slows; price pressures abating
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Despite the pullback in growth in the services sector, Anthony Nieves, chair of the ISM Services Business Survey Committee noted that "the majority of respondents report a positive outlook on business conditions." The services sector is being supported by consumers switching spending from goods, which are typically bought on credit. ISM services PMITRADE DEFICIT WIDENSWhile accommodation and food services businesses reported that "traffic is recovering and nearly flat," they added "we are optimistic about the coming months." With demand cooling, services sector inflation continued to subside, though it remains elevated. Services sector employment growth also moderated.

☆ A popular brand of hoverboard was just recalled, nearly a year after two sisters died in a fire authorities linked to the toy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The 42-volt model of Jetson Rogue Hoverboard was recalled this week. Following the fire in April, the Hellertown Borough Fire Marshal determined the Jetson Rogue Hoverboard started the blaze, local station WPVI reported. In a notice posted on its website on Thursday, the CPSC urged customers to immediately stop using the 42-volt version of Jetson Rogue Hoverboard. The recalled Jetson Rogue hoverboards were sold at Target stores nationwide and on the Jetson Rogue website, according to the CPSC. The Kaufman family purchased the hoverboard at Walmart, Lehigh Valley Live reported.

☆ Dual citizens abroad say it's worth ballot obstacles to make sure their votes count
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

When I moved overseas, it wasn’t as easy.”Thousands of dual citizens like Lee are eligible to vote in the coming election, and experts say in a close race, they could be a critical bloc. In 2020, Georgia saw 27,252 votes cast from abroad, which exceeded the 11,779-vote margin of victory that flipped the state blue. But while dual citizens have a constitutional right to cast their ballot, a messy system and a lack of infrastructure often keeps them from doing so, advocates said. Thirteen states — including Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania — prohibit absentee voting for citizens who have never resided in the country. “I think that you can still make a difference with your votes.”Some dual citizens might not call the U.S. home, but Lines said America’s policies have an effect everywhere.

☆ European countries are shelling out huge sums to deal with the energy crunch. Economists fear it could spark a new financial crisis.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A new debt crisis could be looming as European countries throw huge sums of money at the energy crisis. Already, the energy crisis is estimated to have cost Europe around 700 billion euros. Combined with a high debt load, that spells trouble, Boskin says, because debt itself is also inflationary. Additional spending and debt from the energy crisis could result in more stress being exerted on the financial system. "I think a debt crisis could very likely ensue given the vast amounts that [are] being spent as a percentage of GDP.

Search resuls for: "Jennifer Lee"

12 mentions found