‘Americana' rides the Sydney Sweeney controversy in search of a point
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
On This Day, Aug. 15: U.S. ship opens Panama Canal
1 of 3 | The SS Ancon became the first ship to transit the newly built Panama Canal on August 15, 1914. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Archives Aug. 15 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1914, a U.S. ship sailed from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, officially opening the Panama Canal. In 1935, humorist Will Rogers and pilot Wiley Post were killed when their plane crashed in Alaska. In 1947, India gains independence from Britain after 200 years of rule. The Indian Independence Act also partitioned British India into modern-day India and Pakistan. In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, often described as a landmark counterculture event, opened on Max Yasgur's farm near Bethel, N.Y., drawing an estimated 400,000 people for three days of music. In 1985, South African President P.W. Botha, rejecting Western pleas to abolish apartheid, declared, "I am not prepared to lead white South Africans and other minority groups on a road to abdication and suicide." UPI File Photo In 1994, the notorious international terrorist known as "Carlos the Jackal" was captured in Sudan. The next day he was extradited to France, where he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In 2003, Libya admitted responsibility for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, that claimed 270 lives and agreed to pay reparations totaling $2.7 billion. In 2004, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez survived a referendum to oust him. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI In 2007, an 8-magnitude earthquake struck 90 miles southeast of Lima, Peru, killing an estimated 500 people and injuring hundreds more. In 2013, Egyptian authorities said the death toll had surpassed 600 in violence that began with a crackdown on protesting supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi. In 2015, the North Korean government moved to its own time zone -- back 30 minutes -- going back to what it once was before the Japanese took control of the country more than a century ago. In 2021, Taliban militants took control of Afghanistan after storming Kabul and the presidential palace and causing President Ashraf Ghani to flee. The fall came as U.S. troops fully withdrew from the country after 20 years of war. In 2024, the Gaza Health Ministry announced nearly 40,000 Palestinians -- both militant and civilian -- had died since the start of the war with Israel in October 2023. File Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/UPI
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
AMC Theatres, once a refuge from ads, embraces commercials
AMC Theatres, facing years of stagnating attendance, took a bet in July when it added commercials to its preview roll, eager to boost its bottom line. Early numbers show that the deal is working and is expected to bring in 'tens of millions of dollars a year,' CEO Adam Aron said on a second-quarter earnings call Monday. He didn't specify how much of the stronger performance came specifically from ads. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. He added that AMC will probably chop off a trailer or reduce the length of the standard public service messages so that the ads don't extend the pre-roll, he added. 'We also know that some of our other consumers think the trailer packages [are] going too long, and we're trying to find a happy medium,' Aron said. One of the largest U.S. movie theater chains, AMC stood as the most notable exception among cinema chains in refusing to include commercials in the preview roll, fearing doing so would deter moviegoers. Its rivals, including Regal Cinemas, struck deals with National CineMedia to show commercials six years ago. But that changed in early July, when AMC reversed course. Moviegoers are now informed in the AMC app that their film begins 25 to 30 minutes after the listed start time. That doesn't mean everyone is watching the commercials since they hit the screens, though. At an AMC in Northern Virginia, Omar Ali and his brother Arif saw the preview roll, running up to a half hour, as a reason to show up late. After dropping $32 for two tickets to 'Jurassic World Rebirth' at an AMC in Arlington, they intentionally arrived after the listed start time and lingered in the lobby to avoid the preshow roll. 'It's just tedious,' said Omar Ali, 25, as he stood near vendors selling $10.79 popcorn. 'When you go to a movie theater, you pay a premium, but when you go there, you are bombarded with ads.' Preshow ads at movie theaters hovered around 20 minutes 18 years ago, when AMC went public, according to its annual report. What has changed is a movie industry struggling with ticket sales and the growth of the 'attention economy,' in which the information competing for eyeballs exceeds people's capacity to absorb it, said Tom Davenport, a professor of information technology and management at Babson College. 'Industry is kidding itself if it thinks people are watching these ads,' Davenport said, adding that moviegoers will probably show up late, scroll on their phones or talk. 'It is a last resort for people without anything else to do.' Monthly AMC attendee Sam Goldfarb of Brooklyn said he increasingly feels that his attention is being mined for every dollar possible at the theaters. 'It has come to the point where it feels like that episode of 'Black Mirror': When you are lying in your room, there will be ads,' said Goldfarb, 34, referencing the dystopian Netflix science-fiction show that satirizes the impact of technology. For advertisers, the draw of theaters is that their movies 'are not competing with as many distractions,' said Mili Mormann, an associate professor of marketing at Southern Methodist University. But the strategy works only when the ads are entertaining, she said. 'If it is fun content, people can find stuff that will help them,' Mormann said. Gabriel Rossman, a professor at UCLA who has researched the film industry, said it makes sense to show commercials in the previews because it's a way for AMC to raise revenue without increasing ticket and concession prices. Moviegoers are more sensitive to those hikes, he said. As the quality of home televisions has gotten better, the magic of a theater's visuals is no longer enough of a draw, he added. One of the few remaining benefits of attending theaters is the communal experience, Rossman said. 'Part of what makes a comedy funny is being with other people laughing,' he said. 'You are seeing other people's reactions.' In 2024, ads constituted less than 3 percent of AMC's revenue compared with just over 55 percent for admissions, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Pat Sholl, an equity researcher covering AMC for Barrington Research Associates, said attendance will continue to be a bigger driver of AMC's revenue than ads. AMC and National CineMedia did not respond to multiple requests for comment. After going to see the Celine Song-directed movie 'Materialists' at a Regal in Seattle in June, Gavin Reub, 37, said that watching the preshow commercials felt like 'a chore.' 'I hate it. I buy a movie ticket to go see a movie, not to see ads. I get ads on my streaming services,' said Reub, an artistic director at a nonprofit. 'It feels like we lost some of the magic.' Related Content Her dogs kept dying, and she got cancer. Then they tested her water. D.C.'s homeless begin to see the effects of Trump's crackdown D.C. residents react to Trump's takeover of the city's police force
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brie Larson Leads Star-Studded Comedy Movie Close Personal Friends
Academy Award winner Brie Larson has signed on for one of the leading roles in the upcoming comedy movie titled Close Personal Friends, which hails from Amazon MGM Studios. The acclaimed star is no stranger to the genre, after previously appearing in movies such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, and Trainwreck. This marks Larson's first major movie in a while, after reprising her role as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in 2023's The Marvels. She recently appeared as a guest star in the acclaimed Hulu dramedy The Bear Season 4. At the moment, Larson is currently attached to star opposite fellow Oscar winner Olivia Colman in FX's mystery drama series Cry Wolf. Who are joining Brie Larson in the Close Personal Friends cast? According to THR, the Marvel vet will be joined by Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), Jack Quaid (The Boys), and Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), who have also been tapped to lead the cast of Close Personal Friends. Further details about their characters are still being kept under wraps. However, the movie will reportedly revolved around 'one couple that meets and befriends a celebrity couple while on a trip to Santa Barbara. Personal lines get crossed, among other things, and awkward hilarity ensues.' Close Personal Friends will be directed and executive producedby Big Time Adolescence filmmaker Jason Orley from a screenplay written by Isaac Aptaker, based on a story by Orley and Aptaker. The latter will also be producing alongside Elizabeth Berger through their production banner Walk-Up Company. Maximum Effort's Ashley Fox and Johnny Pariseau are also set to serve as producers. Production on the upcoming movie is expected to begin this September in London. (Source: THR) The post Brie Larson Leads Star-Studded Comedy Movie Close Personal Friends appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Solve the daily Crossword
