Adventures in showbiz. Tim Matheson dishes on Hollywood
Jeff Rogstad talks to his friend Tim Matheson about his new book sharing stories from his life as an actor and director
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‘Fantastic Four: First Steps' scores Marvel's first $100 million box office opening of 2025
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 has finally found box office gold. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' the first film about the superheroes made under the guidance of Kevin Feige and the Walt Disney Co., earned $118 million in its first weekend in 4,125 North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. That makes it the fourth biggest opening of the year, behind 'A Minecraft Movie,' 'Lilo & Stitch' and 'Superman,' and the biggest Marvel opening since 'Deadpool & Wolverine' grossed $211 million out of the gate last summer. Internationally, 'Fantastic Four' made $100 million from 52 territories, adding up to a $218 million worldwide debut. The numbers were within the range the studio was expecting. The film arrived in the wake of another big superhero reboot, James Gunn's 'Superman,' which opened three weekends ago and has already crossed $500 million globally. That film, from the other main player in comic book films, DC Studios, took second place with $24.9 million domestically. 'First Steps' is the latest attempt at bringing the superhuman family to the big screen, following lackluster performances for other versions. The film, based on the original Marvel comics, is set during the 1960s in a retro-futuristic world led by the Fantastic Four, a family of astronauts-turned-superhuman from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission. The family is made up of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), who can stretch his body to incredible lengths; Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), who can render herself invisible; Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), who transforms into a fiery human torch; and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who possesses tremendous superhuman strength with his stone-like flesh. The movie takes place four years after the family gained powers, during which Reed's inventions have transformed technology, and Sue's diplomacy has led to global peace. Both audiences and critics responded positively to the film, which currently has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and promising exit poll responses from opening weekend ticket buyers. An estimated 46 per cent of audiences chose to see it on premium screens, including IMAX and other large formats. The once towering Marvel is working to rebuild audience enthusiasm for its films and characters. Its two previous offerings this year did not reach the cosmic box office heights of 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' which made over $1.3 billion, or those of the 'Avengers'-era. But critically, the films have been on an upswing since the poorly reviewed 'Captain America: Brave New World,' which ultimately grossed $415 million worldwide. 'Thunderbolts,' which jumpstarted the summer movie season, was better received critically but financially is capping out at just over $382 million globally. Like Deadpool and Wolverine, the Fantastic Four characters had been under the banner of 20th Century Fox for years. The studio produced two critically loathed, but decently profitable attempts in the mid-2000s with future Captain America Chris Evans as the Human Torch. In 2015, it tried again (unsuccessfully) with Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller. They got another chance after Disney's $71 billion acquisition of Fox's entertainment assets in 2019. 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,' $118 million. 2. 'Superman,' $24.9 million. 3. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' $13 million. 4. 'F1: The Movie,' $6.2 million. 5. 'Smurfs,' $5.4 million. 6. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' $5.1 million. 7. 'How to Train Your Dragon,' $2.8 million. 8. 'Eddington,' $1.7 million. 9. 'Saiyaara,' $1.3 million. 10. 'Oh, Hi!,' $1.1 million. Lindsey Bahr And Itzel Luna, The Associated Press
CTV News
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George Lucas finally comes to Comic-Con to give a preview of his new museum
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CBC
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Dead or 'unalive'? How social platforms — and algorithms — are shaping the way we talk
You might be familiar with the terms "seggs" and "unalive" if you've spent time on social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram. They're a part of what's called "algospeak," a kind of coded language used on social media to protect content from getting removed or flagged by algorithm-based moderation tools. For example, a commenter might write "seggs" or "unalive" to avoid using sex or kill — words that could be censored by moderation. Others might use the eggplant emoji in place of the word penis, or write "S.A." instead of "sexual assault." Similarly, the watermelon emoji has become a common way to show support for Palestinians and Gaza when discussing the Israel-Hamas war. Social networks have different guidelines outlining what's acceptable to post, leaving users to find creative workarounds. Adam Aleksic says people finding ways to get around publishing restrictions is nothing new. "What is new is the medium and the fact that this algorithmic infrastructure is in place governing how we're speaking to each other," he told The Sunday Magazine host Piya Chattopadhyay. Aleksic is a linguist and influencer known to millions as @etymologynerd. His new book, Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language, explores how algorithms and online creators shift the way people communicate. He compares the relationship between social media platforms and users to a game of Whac-A-Mole. "The algorithm is producing more language change in this kind of never-ending cycle of platforms censoring something and people finding new ways to talk about it," he said. In another example, Chinese internet users have taken to using the word for "harmony" as a way of describing government censorship online. It's meant as a reference to the Chinese government's goal of creating a harmonious society. When that and a similar-sounding replacement phrase, "river crab," were banned, people started saying "aquatic product," Aleksic said. The author also says that some content creators self-regulate their speech based on what they believe the algorithm will punish. Social media speech regulations Aleksic says content moderation systems and algorithms are programmed using large language models, but how those inputs are assessed remains a mystery. "The engineers themselves call it a black box because they don't understand what goes in," Aleksic said. "There's so many parameters that you can't actually say why it outputs something." Jamie Cohen, a digital culture expert and professor at CUNY Queens College in New York, says content moderation rules on social media platforms are intended to reduce harm and classify what's acceptable speech. Those safety guidelines are meant to protect users, he says, and removing them comes with consequences. Cohen points to X, formerly known as Twitter, which introduced less restrictive speech policies when Elon Musk bought the company in 2022, reflecting his self-proclaimed "free-speech absolutist" position. "Algospeak, or internet language in particular, it's about [reducing] harm," he said. "X is what a site looks like without algospeak, that's what it looks like when you remove the borders of forms of acceptable speech." Earlier this month, X's AI-powered chatbot Grok posted offensive remarks, including antisemitic comments, in response to user prompts. Musk said that Grok, following an update to its algorithm, was "too compliant to user prompts," and that the issue was being addressed. Culture and community Finding new ways to communicate is a human activity that neither robots or AI can do, Cohen says, adding that algospeak is a binary language where a word can have multiple meanings. "Communication requires knowledge, nuance and a complex understanding of other people's use of the language." Aleksic argues that language is a proxy for culture, which allows people to share common realities and foster empathy. He says algospeak influences the popularity of memes, trends and the formation of in-groups. "Children are using language as a way of building identity, of differentiating themselves from adults and forging a shared commonality," he said. Internet culture often overflows into the real world, Cohen says — and when users hear social media language used offline, it can help identify people with similar interests. Tumblr, a social network popular in the late 2000s and 2010s, played a big role in language formation, especially among women, he says. But Cohen pushes back against the idea that algospeak is a corruption of language. In fact, he celebrates it. "I find algospeak beautiful because it's not only developing community and support groups, but people will know that they share language."
