Have you seen Sacha Baron Cohen's ‘jaw-dropping' makeover? Every man over 50 needs a Marvel gig
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Canada News.Net
10 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
American Eagle's ‘great jeans' campaign faces criticism over wordplay
NEW YORK CITY, New York: American Eagle Outfitters, a popular U.S. clothing brand, wanted to grab attention with its new fall advertising campaign featuring 27-year-old actress Sydney Sweeney. The campaign, built around bold and cheeky language, was designed to spark conversations, according to the company's chief marketing officer. It has done just that — but not always in the way the company might have hoped. The campaign is titled " Sydney Sweeney has great jeans." Some ads used wordplay, swapping "jeans" with "genes," a reference to Sweeney's blonde hair and blue eyes. This caused a backlash. Critics said the word choice seemed to echo ideas linked to eugenics, a discredited theory that claimed humanity could be "improved" through selective breeding for specific physical traits. Marcus Collins, a marketing professor at the University of Michigan, said the campaign might not have faced such criticism if it had featured models of different races making the same pun. "This could be seen as ignorance, laziness, or intentional," he said. "None of those options are good." Other voices defended the campaign and dismissed the backlash as an overreaction. Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that critics were only giving Sweeney more publicity, saying the controversy had "only resulted in a beautiful white blonde girl with blue eyes getting 1000x the exposure for her 'good genes.'" American Eagle has not responded publicly to the criticism. The controversy comes at a challenging time for the retailer. Like many fashion brands, American Eagle is struggling with weaker consumer spending and higher costs due to tariffs. Sales for the February-to-April quarter fell five percent compared to last year. However, when Sweeney's partnership was announced, the company's stock rose more than four percent in one day. By midweek this week, shares had fallen again, trading nearly two percent lower. Experts say the company's strategy is not unusual. Alan Adamson, co-founder of marketing firm Metaforce, explained that clothing brands often try to stand out with bold campaigns. He compared the Sweeney ads to Calvin Klein's famous 1980 commercials featuring 15-year-old Brooke Shields, which sparked controversy over suggestive wording. "It's the same playbook: a beautiful model saying provocative things, shot in an eye-catching way," Adamson said. American Eagle's chief marketing officer Craig Brommers described Sweeney as "the biggest get in the history of American Eagle" in an interview with industry site Retail Brew. He said the company wanted to promote her partnership in a big, bold way. The campaign includes videos of Sweeney in relaxed-fit jeans, digital billboards in places like Times Square, social media appearances on Snapchat and Instagram, and even an AI-powered feature that lets shoppers virtually try on jeans. The company is also releasing a special limited-edition "Sydney" jean, with part of the sales going to a nonprofit that provides crisis counseling for domestic violence victims. In its press release, American Eagle described Sweeney's appeal as a mix of "girl-next-door charm" and "main character energy," adding that her playful personality made her the perfect fit for the campaign.
Canada News.Net
16 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Tom Holland kicks off 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' shooting; a look at Day 1
Los Angeles [US], August 4 (ANI): Tom Holland's 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' is officially swinging back to the screens. The actor recently took to Instagram to confirm that shooting for the film has begun. Tom Holland shared pictures of himself dressed in the brand new Spidey suit in the BTS moments. He could be seen discussing a sequence with the team while standing on top of what appears to be military-like machinery with a stunt wire attached to his body. 'Spider-Man Brand New Day 1,' the actor wrote in the caption. Fans couldn't hold back their excitement as many took to the comment section and cheered for the latest development. Some even expressed curiosity about Holland's new costume. The makers recently dropped the first-look glimpse of the superhero suit, with a visible raised black webbing against a bright red-and-blue cover. Shortly after, Tom Holland gave fans a clearer look at his Spider-Man costume. 'We ready?' he said in the teaser video as he seems to be on the sets of the film, sporting a more classic Spider-Man ensemble that resembled those of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. 'Brand New Day' marks the fourth instalment in the MCU's Spider-Man franchise, featuring Tom Holland in the titular role. His journey as Peter Parker began with 2017's 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' and then moved forward with 'Far From Home' and 'No Way Home'. The last film saw Peter Parker's secret identity being revealed to the world when the young hero had to make Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange erase his memories. Fast forward to 'Brand New Day', the film will be based on the same storyline. Plot details have been kept under wraps. Coming to the cast, Holland will be joined by Zendaya and Jacob Batalon alongside the latest addition of Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner aka the Hulk and Jon Bernthal as the Punisher, reported Variety. The 'Stranger Things' star Sadie Sink has also joined the cast. 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' will release on July 31, 2026. (ANI)
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' holds its lead atop the box office
This image released by Disney shows Pedro Pascal in a scene from "The Fantastic Four: First Steps." (Marvel/Disney via AP) LOS ANGELES — Marvel's first family stumbled in theaters in its second weekend, but still held on to the top spot at the box office. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' earned $40 million from 4,125 North American theaters, a 66% drop from a healthy $117.6 million debut. The film was accompanied by comedies 'The Bad Guys 2' and 'The Naked Gun' in the top three box office rankings. The superhero movie dipped significantly more than Marvel's previous film, 'Thunderbolts,' which took a 55 per cent dive in its second weekend. 'First Steps' is the last major blockbuster of the summer. It added nearly $40 million internationally in its second weekend, bringing the film's global total to $369 million. The movie's box office drop off was surprising given its strong reviews, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore. Though the movie's debut weekend may have given box office results a strong push toward the $4 billion summer benchmark, August is off to a slow start, he said. 'It's a tough lift, but we might be able to get there. It really means that all the films are gonna have to stand on their own,' Dergarabedian said. 'It's gonna be about getting great reviews, having that staying power, that longevity in the marketplace.' Newcomer comedy 'The Bad Guys 2' earned second place at the box office this weekend, with $22 million from 3,852 North American theaters. That was on par with projections and also in line with the first movie in the series, which brought in $23 million in 2022. Paramount's slapstick comedy, 'The Naked Gun,' also in its debut weekend, snagged the third box office spot, earning $17 million from 3,344 locations. Jim Orr, president of domestic distribution for Universal Pictures, said the solid debut for 'The Bad Guys 2,' coupled with strong audience reaction scores, 'should point to a very long, very successful run through not only the rest of the summer, but really, I think into the fall.' James Gunn's 'Superman,' which opened four weekends ago and already crossed $550 million globally, earned $13.8 million domestically this weekend, taking the fourth spot. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' followed with $8.7 million. The horror movie 'Together' had a strong debut weekend, coming in at sixth place and earning $6.8 million domestically, proof that August is a month for edgier and off-beat films, Dergarabedian said. 'That's what this month is about. It's not just about box office,' Dergarabedian said. 'It's also about providing really interesting, rewarding movie-going experiences for audiences.' Dergarabedian said he expects highly-anticipated movies hitting theaters in the next few weeks — including 'Freakier Friday,' and Zach Cregger's horror movie 'Weapons' — to give August a needed boost. The box office is currently up 9.5 per cent from last year. Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' $40 million. 2. 'The Bad Guys 2,' $22.2 million. 3. 'The Naked Gun,' $17 million. 4. 'Superman,' $13.8 million. 5. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' $8.7 million. 6. 'Together,' $6.8 million. 7. 'F1: The Movie,' $4.1 million. 8. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' $2.7 million. 9. 'Smurfs,' $1.8 million. 10. 'How to Train Your Dragon,' $1.4 million. Itzel Luna, The Associated Press
