DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ 'The Idea of You' soundtrack producer says he wasn't thinking about One Direction while writing music for August Moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

This was just 'great pop songs,' or what we thought were great pop songs." Advertisement"You'll see throughout the movie that he's writing 'Dance Before We Walk' and toying with the idea," Kotecha explains. I'm actually not just a manufactured boy band guy, I'm actually a musician and I want to be taken seriously.'" "For the boy band songs," Kotecha explained, "you don't sacrifice the melody for the lyric." "Nostalgia may be kicking in, but I also feel like it's time for another boy band," Kotecha said.

Persons: Hayes Campbell, Kotecha, —, Nicholas Galitzine, Anne Hathaway, Solène, Campbell, Savan, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Michael Showalter, Cathy Schulman, Robinne Lee, I've, Hayes, Carl Falk, Moon, Simon Cowell, Alisha Wetherill, I'm, Harry Styles, Jackson, what's, sister's, NSYNC Organizations: BI, Service, SXSW, Vogue, Amazon Prime Locations: Coachella, Pixar's

After sweeping the nation last year and breaking box office concert film records in the fall, Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" is finally coming to streaming. "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version)" will stream exclusively on Disney+ starting March 14. Where to watch Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour in the USSince this version of "The Eras Tour" movie is exclusive to Disney+, you'll need a subscription to watch it in the US. Shop at HuluHow to watch Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour in the UKDisney+ is also the home to "The Eras Tour" in the UK, where plans start at £4.99 per month. The Eras Tour trailerDisney+ dropped a trailer for "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version)" earlier this month, offering glimpses of the many performances viewers can expect to see throughout the film.

Persons: Taylor, we've, Taylor Swift, Hulu's Organizations: Business, Disney, Disney Plus, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, Hulu, ESPN, US Locations: Cardigan, Hulu, Canada, Australia, South Africa, France, Italy

If you're not in the UK, we'll show you how to watch all seasons of Doctor Who live for free using a VPN. How to watch all seasons of Doctor Who in the UKAll seasons of Doctor Who are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. BBCHow to watch modern seasons of Doctor Who in the USUS viewers have a much more limited selection of Doctor Who episodes than the UK library. How to watch all Doctor Who seasons for free from anywhereIf you're not in the UK and want to watch all seasons of Doctor Who for free, you can use a VPN (virtual private network). Check out the action-packed teaser trailer below:How to watch Doctor Who spin-offsMultiple Doctor Who spin-off series are available to stream on BBC iPlayer, including The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood.

Persons: Who, Ncuti Gatwa, Gatwa, David Tennant, Catherine Tate, we've, Doctor Who, Doctor, HBO Max, it's, ExpressVPN, Sarah Jane Adventures Organizations: Business, BBC, Doctor, Disney, Thirteenth, HBO, Warner Bros, Disney Plus, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Geographic, Century Fox Locations: Canada, Australia

☆ Analysis-For Malaysian Filmmakers, Censorship Stifles Optimism After Overseas Glory
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

"This is a very good time ... where people around the world are really looking into Malaysian filmmakers. "Mentega Terbang" follows a teenage Muslim girl exploring different religions while dealing with grief. Online platforms are not covered by film censorship rules in Malaysia. Khairi and others involved in "Mentega Terbang" even received death threats at the time, media reports show. CENSORSHIPUnder Malaysian law, films intended for public viewing must be approved by the Film Censorship Board.

Persons: Oscar, Michelle Yeoh, Khairi Anwar, Malaysia's, Khairi, Badrul Hisham Ismail, Pagi Ke, Anwar Ibrahim's, Anwar, Zabidi Mohamed, Amir Muhammad, Brenda Danker, Danial Azhar, Rozanna Latiff, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Azhar KUALA LUMPUR, Reuters, Cannes, Cannes Film, Malay, Academy, Malaysian, Film, YouTube Locations: Azhar KUALA, Malaysia, Malaysian, Viu, Terengganu, Malay

☆ Disney shares pop 7% in premarket trade after earnings beat and Epic Games, Eras Tour news
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Disney said the partnership will see it work together with Epic to create new games using its intellectual property, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and Avatar. Taylor Swift performs onstage during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at Allianz Parque on November 24, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Disney lost customers on streaming platform Disney+, but revenue was higher due to a hike in subscription costs. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Walt Disney Company share price. The Epic Games partnership could prove fruitful but is likely to be a "slow burn," he said in a note.

Persons: Bob Iger, Disney, Taylor, Taylor Swift, Buda Mendes, Ben Barringer, Quilter Cheviot, Nelson Peltz Organizations: Disney, Epic Games, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, ESPN, Allianz Parque, Getty, Walt Disney Company, Parks, CNBC Locations: Sao Paulo, Brazil, Buda

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Seventeen-year-old Naima Khairiya Ismah started being bombarded by social media posts from candidates for Indonesia's presidential election on before she'd even given voting any thought. Candidates are reaching out through the apps young voters use, the K-pop music many love, and even video gaming events. “As young people, we can't meet the candidates in person,” said first-time voter Ismah, chatting after class outside her Jakarta high school. But their campaigns have been stressing issues that matter to young people: job opportunities, climate change and institutional corruption. Last month, Raka showed up at the popular Mobile Legend Championship e-sport tournament in Jakarta to appeal to young gamers.

Persons: Khairiya Ismah, Joko Widodo, they've, ”, Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, Anies Baswedan, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Subianto, They're, who's, Raka, Subianto's, Chong Sung Kim, Kim, ” Kim, It's, Karlina Octaviany, Baswedan, Ahn, Octaviany, “, Muhammad Fakrezi Syamil, he’s, ” Ismah Organizations: Indikator Politik, Pixar, Subianto's Gerindra Party, Twitter, Golkar, Indonesian, “, Associated Press Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jakarta, Surakarta, Indikator, Indikator Politik Indonesia, South, Israel, Korean, Indonesian, South Korea, South Jakarta

☆ Disney to take $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, work with Fortnite maker on new content
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Disney is investing $1.5 billion for a stake in Epic Games, CEO Bob Iger said Wednesday, in its biggest bet yet on the gaming space. "Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney's beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe," said Iger in a statement. Disney did not say what the valuation of Epic, a private company, would be after the Disney funding. "Now we're collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities." Aside from Fortnite, Epic Games is well-known for challenging Apple and Google in court to force them to lower their app store fees.

Persons: Bob Iger, Disney, Iger, Fortnite, Tim Sweeney, Sweeney, Kif Leswing Organizations: Disney, Epic Games, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Star, Lego, Harmonix, Apple, Google, CNBC PRO Locations: Fortnite

☆ John Goodman wants a do-over in his favorite Coen Brothers movie
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Jason Guerrasio | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

When you think of John Goodman, you likely picture him as Walter Sobchak, the gun-toting bowling enthusiast from "The Big Lebowski." For the latest installment in BI's "Role Play" series, Goodman discusses his favorite Coen brothers movie, why "Bringing Out the Dead" was a hard movie to make, and the time he called 411 looking for Al Pacino. On his favorite Coen Brothers movie and faking it in his first movie roleYou made your movie debut in 1983 in "Eddie Macon's Run," which stars Kirk Douglas. [Laughs]On working with Al Pacino and the casting rumor about him he's never heard(L-R) John Goodman and Al Pacino in "The Sea of Love." [Laughs]On the movie that felt like he 'wasted a great opportunity'(L-R) John Goodman and Nicolas Cage in "Bringing Out the Dead."

Persons: John Goodman, Walter Sobchak, Dan Conner, Roseanne, Sulley, Rosanne, Goodman, Eli Gemstone, He'll, I've, I'm, Dan, Rosanne Barr, Barr, Coen, Al Pacino, Eddie Macon's, Kirk Douglas, Douglas, Kirk, Barton Fink, It's, Rushmore, Jeff, he's, Uncle Buck, John, Candy, Alfredo Pacino, Pacino, You've, Nicolas Cage, Martin Scorsese's, Dan Aykroyd, Scorsese, He's, he'd, Babe Ruth, Turturro, Eugene O'Neill Organizations: Inc, ABC, Al, Denzel Locations: televangelists, Angeles, Charleston, Laredo , Texas, Denzel Washington, Manhattan

☆ Disney is releasing a 'Moana' sequel in theaters this Thanksgiving
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that the untitled Disney Animation film slated for Thanksgiving is a sequel to the beloved 2016 film "Moana." Disney's animation studios — Walt Disney Animation and Pixar — have struggled at the box office in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision trained parents to seek out new Disney titles on streaming, not theaters, even when Disney opted to return its films to the big screen. As a result, no Disney animated feature from Pixar or Walt Disney Animation has generated more than $480 million at the global box office since 2019. A sequel to "Moana" will arrive about six months after the theatrical release of "Inside Out 2," a sequel to the hit 2015 animated film about what really goes on inside a person's head.

Persons: Bob Iger, Iger, Pixar — Organizations: Disney, Walt Disney Animation, Pixar, CNBC PRO Locations: Polynesia

☆ Wall Street is watching for a $10 billion domestic box office in 2026. Disney could get it there
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

While 2024 and 2025 boast franchise-rich movie slates, Wall Street doesn't expect ticket sales to top $10 billion domestically until 2026. The domestic box office has not hit that benchmark since 2019 before the Covid pandemic. When the box office does again surpass that threshold, Disney could be the driving force. After all, the first Avatar generated nearly $800 million at the domestic box office after its release in 2009. Therefore, where industry experts see gaps between major tent poles, there could be smaller-budgeted films that add incremental value to the overall box office.

Persons: it'll, Eric Handler, Roth, snared, Handler, Shawn Robbins, Robbins, Bob Iger, It's, Jonathan Majors, Taylor, it's Organizations: ANGELES, Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Disney Animation, Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros, Hollywood, Angel, AMC, Comcast, CNBC Locations: U.S, Canada, NBCUniversal

☆ Carl Weathers, Apollo Creed from ‘Rocky’ and ‘Mandalorian’ star, dies at 76
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Diana Dasrath | Antonio Planas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Carl Weathers attends the Los Angeles Premiere Of Disney+ "The Mandalorian" Season 3 at El Capitan Theatre on February 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. LOS ANGELES - Carl Weathers, the actor best known as Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" movies and more recently for his role in the hit "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian," died Thursday in his sleep, according to his family. "We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers," according to the family statement. Weathers got his big-screen break in 1976, when he landed the role of Creed in "Rocky," according to his bio on IMDb. "A true great man.

Persons: Carl Weathers, Carl, Weathers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Adam Sandler's, Gilmore, Greef, Adam Sandler, Sandler, Smart, Love Organizations: Los, El Capitan Theatre, LOS ANGELES, Disney, Pixar, San Diego State University, Oakland Raiders Locations: Los Angeles , California

☆ We Asked A.I. to Create the Joker. It Generated a Copyrighted Image.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Stuart A. Thompson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

It Generated a Copyrighted Image. image generator, to create an image of Joaquin Phoenix from “The Joker.” In seconds, the system made an image nearly identical to a frame from the 2019 film. Reid Southen Create an image of Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie, 2019, screenshot from a movie, movie scene Midjourney’s response Generated by A.I. Mr. Southen Create an image of Dune movie screencap, 2021, Dune movie trailer Midjourney’s response Generated by A.I. Mr. Southen Create an image of “The Last of Us 2,” Ellie with guitar in front of tree Midjourney’s response Generated by A.I.

Persons: Reid Southen, Midjourney, Joaquin Phoenix, ”, Southen’s, “ Joaquin Phoenix, Sega’s, Woody, watchdogs, Sarah Silverman, John Grisham, OpenAI, Southen, Keith Kupferschmid, Kupferschmid, Ellie, Gary Marcus, “ Marcus, ChatGPT, SpongeBob, chatbot, Kathryn Conrad, Marcus, Microsoft Bing, Mario, Conrad Organizations: Warner Bros, Marvel, The New York Times, Times, Microsoft, Copyright Alliance, New York University, Viacom, University of Kansas, Nintendo Locations: Michigan, A.I, Italian

Winter storms and cinema closures in North America didn’t dampen the opening weekend for “ Mean Girls. Not accounting for inflation, that’s more than the $24.4 million the first movie made in its opening weekend. This iteration of “Mean Girls” stars Angourie Rice, Auli’i Cravalho and Reneé Rap, who played Regina on stage. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesAmazon and MGM’s “The Beekeeper" debuted in second place with an estimated $16.8 million from 3,303 theaters. The Walt Disney Co. sent its 2020 Pixar film “Soul” to movie theaters this weekend as well, where it made $429,000 from 1350 locations in North America.

Persons: Tiny Fey, Martin Luther King Jr, Jason Statham, Jay, Clarence, “ Barbie, ”, hadn’t, Regina George, Angourie Rice, Auli’i, Regina, Fey, Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr, bode, “ Wonka, Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Jeymes Samuel, “ Luca Organizations: Paramount, Golden Globes, “, Rotten, Miramax, Sony, Universal, Walt Disney Co, Pixar, Disney Locations: North America, British

☆ Five-foot Toy Story 3 bear draws the crowds at Costco’s first store in ‘China’s Silicon Valley’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Costco unveiled its new 44,500-square-meter store in the city often dubbed China’s “Silicon Valley” on Friday, drawing large crowds in search of bargains and imported products. People line up outside the Costco store in Shenzhen, China, during its launch on January 12, 2024. Social media was awash with images of people taking home the giant version of the bear, measuring five feet tall. Lots-o-Huggin' Bear was among the more popular products on offer at the Costco store in Shenzhen during its launch on January 12, 2024. In China, Costco faces intense competition from online shopping platforms, such as Taobao and Pinduoduo, in a market where consumers are accustomed to online retail.

Persons: Costco’s, ” Kim Lin, Lin, ”, Olin Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Costco, CNN, Social, Sam’s, Walmart Locations: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China, Shanghai

So, if you're looking for the latest on where to watch Echo online, we've got you covered wherever you are. Our job's a simple one today, as you can find all episodes of Echo on Disney Plus around the world right now. If you don't see Echo on Disney Plus, ensure your default content rating for the default age restriction selection is moved up in the parental control settings. Where to watch Echo in the USYou have two options to watch Echo online in the US. How to watch Echo in the UKDisney Plus in the UK will also have all the Echo episodes.

Persons: we've, you'll, Maya Lopez, Matt Murdock, You'll, you'd Organizations: Echo, Disney Plus, Disney, Marvel, Hawkeye, Netflix, Law, Hulu, Pixar, Star Wars, Geographic, Century Fox, Star, ESPN, US Locations: Philadelphia, Canada, South Africa, Israel, France, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Italy

☆ Disney has 30 major movies coming out in 2024 — here they all are
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-01 | by ( Kirsten Acuna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Walt Disney Studios will release a handful of new movies theatrically in 2024 and more on Disney+ and Hulu. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . For the first time since 2014, Disney will release just one Marvel movie. The following list contains Walt Disney Studios' and Searchlight's theatrical film slates as of December 5, 2023, as well as major movies heading straight to Disney+ and Hulu. It also includes three Pixar movies Disney is releasing for the first time in theaters.

Persons: Ryan Reynolds, — Organizations: Walt Disney Studios, Disney, Service, Marvel, Pixar Locations: Hulu

☆ From ‘Barbenheimer’ to Taylor Swift, here are the most important films of 2023 and why they worked
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-27 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Hannah Beier | The Washington Post | Getty ImagesCall 2023 an explosive comeback at the box office. Together, those three films contributed more than $1.5 billion to the domestic box office, according to data from Comscore. But in the meantime, here's a look at some of the most important theatrical releases of 2023 — and why they worked. Meanwhile, Disney has seen its animated content lag at the box office in the wake of the pandemic. "His Only Son," a biblical drama released in early 2023, cost $250,000 to make and generated $12.4 million at the box office.

Persons: Barbie, Oppenheimer, Hannah Beier, Mario, Comscore, Greta Gerwig, Christopher Nolan's, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Chris Pratt, Charlie, Luigi, Disney, Kung, Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson's, Buda Mendes, tas23, Swift, Beyoncé, Tim Ballard, Jim Caviezel, Covid, Blumhouse, Cabrini, Saint Francesca Cabrini, Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Organizations: Washington Post, Getty, Warner Bros, Mario Bros, Universal, Disney, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation, Swift, AMC, National Football League, Angel Studios, Century Fox, Roman Catholic, Reich Locations: Somerdale , New Jersey, There's, New York, Universal, Hollywood, Colombia

☆ I made a GPT, a custom version of OpenAI's ChatGPT, and it only took me 15 minutes. Here's how.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In early November, OpenAI unveiled GPTs, customizable versions of its AI chatbot ChatGPT. AdvertisementYou can now create your own version of OpenAI's ChatGPT — and it can take as little as 15 minutes. Screenshot from ChatGPT/Business Insider3) Once you enter the prompt, GPT Builder will spend a couple seconds generating the GPT. I asked GPT Builder to focus on low-carb recipes that span a range of ethnic cuisines. AdvertisementI asked GPT Builder questions like "Suggest a recipe that contains 40 grams of protein and can be made in 20 minutes given the ingredients listed below."

Persons: OpenAI, Insider's Aaron Mok, —, GPTs, GPT Organizations: Service, ChatGPT, Pixar

☆ Disney's 'Wish' director dropped out of med school and got rejected by the studio multiple times: 'It took me a few tries to get here'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Before she was directing Disney's 100-year anniversary tribute, Fawn Veerasunthorn had been rejected by the studio several times over. While Veerasunthorn was in college, Disney closed the Florida animation studio where her mentor had worked. In 2011, about a decade after she started chasing Disney in earnest, she finally landed a job with the iconic film studio. Veerasunthorn began working on "Wish" in 2020 and co-directed the feature alongside Chris Buck, who's been with the company since 1978. She always considered drawing her hobby and studied computer science in high school before planning to go the medical route professionally.

Persons: Fawn Veerasunthorn, Veerasunthorn, Paitoon Ratanasirintrawoot, Ratanasirintrawoot, Dr, Seuss, Raya, Chris Buck, who's, Arthur C, Brooks Organizations: The New York Times, Columbus College of Art & Design, Times, Disney, Pixar, Universal, Universal Studios, CNBC, Summit, Hollywood Locations: Thailand, Bangkok, U.S, Ohio, Florida, California

☆ I've stayed at the cheapest hotels Disney World and Universal Orlando have to offer. Only one blew me away.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Amanda Krause | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I stayed at the cheapest hotels onsite at Disney World and Universal Orlando earlier this year. That's what I thought until one trip to a Universal Orlando value hotel. While Disney World is home to princesses, Star Wars characters, Marvel superheroes, and Pixar cartoons, Universal Orlando boasts Harry Potter, Minions, and Transformers. Abigail Nilsson/Getty ImagesWhere Universal may have Disney beat: value hotel roomsI've stayed at Disney World's value resorts on multiple occasions throughout my life. I love staying at Disney World's value resorts overall, but based on this experience, I think Universal Orlando offers better rooms.

Persons: —, I've, you'll, Marvel, Harry Potter, Abigail Nilsson, Amanda Krause, I'm Organizations: Disney World, Universal Orlando, Universal, Service, Disney, Sports, Hollywood Studios, Magic, Universal Studios, Wars, Pixar, Star Resorts Locations: Orlando , Florida, Universal Orlando, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT

This year’s DealBook Summit will include conversations with global leaders and powerful figures from Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Jamie Dimon has been the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase since 2006 and its chairman since 2007, making him one of Wall Street’s longest-serving banking leaders. Bob Iger returned as Disney’s chief executive last year, after stepping down from the role in 2020. David Zaslav orchestrated Discovery’s takeover of WarnerMedia and became the chief executive of the new company, Warner Bros. The transaction helped transform his modest cable television company into an empire that includes the Warner Bros. movie and TV studios, HBO and CNN.

Persons: Andrew Ross Sorkin, Kamala Harris, Ms, Harris, Biden’s, Tsai Ing, Tsai, Elon Musk, Musk, Jamie Dimon, Jensen Huang, chipmaker, Bob Iger, Long, Iger, Lina Khan, Khan, ”, David Zaslav, Jay Monahan, LIV Golf, Monahan, Kevin McCarthy, Mr, McCarthy, Shonda Rhimes, Rhimes Organizations: Wall, Israel, Elon, SpaceX, JPMorgan Chase, First, Nvidia, Fox, Marvel, Pixar, Hollywood, ESPN, Federal Trade Commission, Columbia Law, WarnerMedia, Warner Bros, HBO, CNN, Republican, Republican Party, Shondaland, Netflix Locations: Silicon Valley, Hollywood, United States, California, San Francisco, Gaza, Taiwan, China, First Republic, Saudi

☆ Disney CEO Bob Iger tells employees he wants to start building again during town hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger told employees Tuesday during an internal town hall that he is looking forward to "building again" after spending 2023 mending parts of the business that "needed attention." After speaking alone for about 15 minutes, Iger was joined by Disney head of parks and resorts Josh D'Amaro, ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro, and Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman. Disney said this month it projects to save $7.5 billion this year, largely through job elimination and content spending rollbacks. "What Bob and I have talked about is we don't just want to flip the switch," Pitaro said. "We don't want to just move our networks over and make them available over the top without significant product enhancements."

Persons: Bob Iger, Iger, David Muir, Josh D'Amaro, Jimmy Pitaro, Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, Disney's, Disney, Pitaro, Bob Organizations: Disney, ABC News, New York's, ESPN, Disney Entertainment, Pixar, Marvel Locations: New, New York's Amsterdam

☆ Disney's 'Wish' disappoints during Thanksgiving, extending an animation box office rut
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Its latest animated feature "Wish," billed as a celebration of 100 years of storytelling, fumbled at the box office during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It tallied just $31.6 million over the five-day period, far below box office analysts' expectations of between $45 million and $55 million. It's historically rare for Disney to lag at the Thanksgiving box office. The company has for more than a decade released top-grossing animated films during the Wednesday-to-Sunday frame and even set records for highest-grossing openings for films released on Thanksgiving. The underperformance of "Wish" extends an unfortunate pattern for the company, which operates two animation studios — Walt Disney Animation and Pixar.

Persons: Napoleon, Ridley Scott, it's, Paul Dergarabedian Organizations: Apple, Disney, Walt Disney Animation, Pixar

NEW YORK (AP) — In an age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence rose and Elon Musk turned Twitter into X, the Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is “authentic.”Authentic cuisine. “We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity,” he said ahead of Monday's announcement of this year's word. Merriam-Webster added the word to its online dictionary in September and it's been among the top lookups since, Sokolowski said. DOPPELGANGER: Sokolowski calls this “a word lover's word.” Merriam-Webster defines it as a “double,” an “alter ego” or a “ghostly counterpart.” It derives from German folklore. Interest in the word surrounded Naomi Klein's latest book, “Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World,” released this year.

Persons: deepfakes, Elon Musk, Webster, Peter Sokolowski, “, ”, Sokolowski, OpenAI, Taylor Swift, Prince Harry, Musk, ” Sokolowski, ” There's, there's, EGOT, Viola Davis, Merriam, it's, Israel ”, Lookups, ” Merriam, Naomi Klein's, Naomi Wolf, King Charles III, Ryan Reynolds, Mike Johnson, recirculated, Donald Trump Organizations: Merriam, Associated Press, Twitter, Pixar, Titan, Covenant School, U.S, Rep, D.C Locations: Dubai, Israel, Gaza, Nashville , Tennessee, Louisiana, New York , Florida, Georgia, Washington

☆ Major brands are not only pausing ads on Elon Musk’s X. They’re stepping away from the platform altogether
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The blackout on X extends beyond these companies’ corporate accounts, in some cases. Prior to Musk’s backing of an antisemitic post, Colbert’s show, however, was primarily active on X, regularly posting videos and other content. It is, of course, possible that these companies will reverse course down the road and resume posting and even advertising on the platform. And if more companies and other notable figures abandon Musk’s platform for other social networks, it will extinguish the allure it once had, providing yet another reason for average users to ditch the troubled platform. “Every day, more brands are waking up to the reality that Twitter is dead and X is a cesspool,” Platformer’s Casey Newton said.

Persons: WBD, Stephen Colbert ”, Stephen Colbert, it’s, Tucker Carlson, ” Platformer’s Casey Newton, ” Organizations: CNN, Elon, Disney, Paramount, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, Universal, Warner Bros ., Fox News, Twitter

Search resuls for: "Pixar"

25 mentions found