Superman can't save Hollywood from superhero fatigue
In a high-profile relaunch with such oversized stakes, it's tempting to latch on to a 'Superman saves the day' narrative. Perhaps, in the light of these record-breaking returns, not only Warner Bros Discovery and DC but the comic book movie itself has been brought back from the precipice of death. Hollywood executives would be wise to temper their excitement about the subgenre, though, because the truth is a bit more complicated.
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Asia News Network
8 hours ago
- Asia News Network
Lesson from a summer of green tea lattes: Take a pause, have a matcha
July 28, 2025 SINGAPORE – Like many others, I got hooked on the summer drink of the season that is strawberry matcha latte. It's a wonderful mix of sweet and sour from the fruit, with slight bitterness from the matcha. It's a genius combination, whoever came up with it. All it took was a cup which I bought from a cosy neighbourhood cafe, before it became a habit of mine to actively hunt for the best ones on weekends. Popular beverage chains like Starbucks and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf were rolling out their own versions of the drink, too. Almost every other bubble tea joint – including one near my flat – was also jumping on the bandwagon, making it available everywhere. The places I frequented, which sell the iced drink for between $10 and $12.90 a cup, have in my book nailed the most ideal ratio of strawberry puree to matcha to milk. Social media definitely played a part in driving the obsession. It wasn't long before I started seeing Instagram stories and reels of friends attempting to create their own matcha lattes at home. Plus, my Instagram Explore page was inundated with matcha-related content, from matcha-pouring videos to how-to posts on matcha fusion recipes. There are even accounts fully dedicated to the experimentation of coupling matcha with other flavours or ingredients like mango, blueberry, coffee and coconut water. US-based TikTok user @kaitlinzheng is one of them – her most-viewed video on 'four things you need to make matcha at home' racked up 2.7 million views on the platform. About 202 million posts on TikTok and 9.1 million posts on Instagram are tagged to #matcha – yes, that's how photogenic the bright, creamy green is. I started going down the rabbit hole of watching people make their own drink, from brewing their own Earl Grey syrup as a sweetener to using an electric whisk to blend matcha with hot water. I am sure it was a classic case of Fomo – the fear of missing out – and wanting to join in on the trend. But the end result was that I became genuinely curious about how doable it was, and was sold on the marketed benefits of matcha, such as the high amount of antioxidants and increased focus I would get from drinking it. After hours of scrolling, I spent about $50 to purchase my first 100g of matcha powder, a measuring spoon, sieve and electric whisk. Coincidentally, my mother had started making her own strawberry jam to go with plain bread or crackers. At this point, all signs pointed to a 'yes' for making my own matcha latte. Having a fresh tub of homemade jam in the fridge felt like half the battle was already won. After I started making the drink at home, I not only felt a sense of accomplishment, but also stopped craving and buying matcha lattes when I went out with friends or family. Matcha making and drinking have a long tradition. Matcha lattes, despite their massive popularity worldwide now, occupy only a blip in the timeframe of matcha's prominence. The Japanese tea ceremony goes back to the 1560s, and some of Japan's leaders would take part in one along with other tea masters. Before matcha lattes were a thing, my friend Amelia had already been making her own matcha drink occasionally in 2016 after buying her first tin during a trip to Shizuoka in Japan – before picking up the habit again in 2024 and doing it regularly. Visiting the land of matcha Unlike Amelia, I never really understood the appeal of hand whisking (an electric whisk seems much more convenient for a time-strapped reporter), until a recent holiday to Japan in June. I signed myself up for a matcha-making class, and found myself learning how to use traditional tools such as a chawan (tea bowl) and a chasen (bamboo whisk) in a Japanese tea ceremony. A staff member said that when she was in school, she went through three years of training to learn the history, practice and significance of preparing and serving the tea. In my one-hour class, a local trainer demonstrated best practices in matcha making, which include keeping silent while preparing the matcha, straightening one's posture, and making sure the artwork reflected on the tea bowl faces the guest so they can drink it while admiring the design. Almost instantly, I felt a pang of guilt for being unaware of the meaning and culture behind this. I also made a spontaneous half-day trip to Uji in Kyoto to visit a historical green tea museum, where visitors can sign up to grind tea leaves into matcha powder by using a tea millstone. Due to a surge in demand, there was a small sign at the museum's merchandise store which said visitors were limited to buying one 30g tin of matcha powder each. I learnt about the cultivation of tea leaves there, and the direct impact climate and terrain have on the harvest. The tea fields for tencha, a type of tea leaf that is ground into matcha, are covered with reed blinds to protect them from direct sunlight. It also takes about four to five years to grow the trees before the matcha can be harvested. And of course, many people are involved in the tea business – there's tremendous pressure on maintaining the tradition of tea production in the Uji region, which has been passed down from generations of farmers and tea merchants. US-based consulting firm Grand View Research noted that the global matcha market size is expected to reach US$7.43 billion (S$9.55 billion) by 2030, up from US$4.3 billion in 2023. My colleague Sherlyn Sim previously reported that popular Japanese matcha brands like Marukyu Koyamaen and Ippodo Tea have imposed a cap on the number of products customers can buy in Japan, which has led to some businesses in Singapore feeling the impact and raising their prices on products by 10 per cent to 15 per cent since mid-October 2024. I can't help but wonder: Is there a better way for us to enjoy the drink without pushing the global matcha supply – and prices – to its limits? Furthermore, a recent Reuters report highlighted that the Kyoto region, which is responsible for about a quarter of Japan's production of matcha, has been hit by severe heatwaves, which led to weak yields in the recent April to May harvest I still love my matcha and have started whisking at home – with a bamboo whisk, of course – but each time I do so, I remind myself not to let our pursuit of the trend or ikigai (which means purpose) somewhat erode the tradition and true meaning behind it. It's way more than drinking tea and fitting in with the crowd. It's also about learning how to take a pause amid the daily hustle and noise, and to be mindful about our limited resources as well as the needs of others.
Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Straits Times
With $279m global opening, The Fantastic Four: First Steps breaks a box-office curse
(From left) Cast members Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Vanessa Kirby at the premiere of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in Sydney, Australia, on July 15. LOS ANGELES – Marvel Studios over the weekend took a step towards regaining its reputation as Hollywood's most reliable hitmaker. The Fantastic Four: First Steps was expected to collect about US$118 million (S$151 million) at theatres in North America from Thursday through Sunday, according to Comscore, which compiles ticketing information. Based on advance ticket sales and surveys that track moviegoer interest, Hollywood had expected First Steps to arrive to about US$115 million in domestic ticket sales. The movie, which cost at least US$300 million to make and market worldwide, was on pace to generate an additional US$100 million overseas, for a global opening total of roughly US$218 million. Reviews were generally strong. It was Marvel's first original breakout hit in six years. The film is not a sequel – t he characters were adapted from Fantastic Four comics, first published in 1961. Marvel had previously tried to strike gold with movies such as Eternals, which fizzled in 2021, and Thunderbolts*, which was released in May and has taken in US$382 million, the lowest total in Marvel's 17-year, 37-film history when adjusted for inflation. Marvel's sequels have also been hit and miss, contributing to fears of 'superhero fatigue' in Hollywood. In some ways, its runaway success in the 2010s made it arrogant. The studio's storytelling became tortuously complicated, weaving together plots from numerous TV shows and movies, and prompting some casual moviegoers to decide that Marvel cared only about comic nerds. Disney, which owns Marvel, pushed hard on a First Steps marketing message in the weeks leading up to the film's release: You do not need a doctorate in Marvelology to understand this one. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole backfilled; road to be repaved after LTA tests Singapore MRT platform screen doors at 15 underground stations to undergo renewal Singapore 'Medium risk' of severe haze as higher agricultural prices drive deforestation: S'pore researchers Singapore Authorities say access to Changi intertidal areas unaffected by reclamation, in response to petition Singapore Police statements by doctor in fake vaccine case involving Iris Koh allowed in court: Judge Singapore Jail for former pre-school teacher who tripped toddler repeatedly, causing child to bleed from nose Singapore No change to SIA flights between S'pore and Cambodia, S'pore and Thailand, amid border dispute Singapore Not feasible for S'pore to avoid net‑zero; all options to cut energy emissions on table: Tan See Leng 'It is a no-homework-required movie,' Mr Kevin Feige, Marvel's president and chief creative officer, said at a publicity event. 'It literally is not connected to anything we've made before.' The Fantastic Four – composed of Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Mister Fantastic and the Thing – have proved difficult to adapt for the movies, making the response to First Steps more notable. A low-budget version in 1994 was so slapdash that its release was cancelled. A 2005 effort was loathed by critics and fans, but it performed well enough in theatres to get a slightly less reviled sequel, Rise Of The Silver Surfer (2007). The property was rebooted in 2015, but that version also fizzled at the box office and is derisively remembered as the Fantastic Four movie in which the Thing wore no pants. First Steps, directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision, 2021), stars Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Julia Garner co-stars as the enslaved Silver Surfer. Critics praised the movie for its strong ensemble, retro-futuristic setting and satisfying villain (Galactus), among other aspects. 'The movie is a step up in concept, storytelling and appeal,' said Mr David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box-office numbers. 'We haven't had this kind of performance from the genre for a long time.' First Steps arrived two weeks after Superman, which was a hit for DC Studios and Warner Bros. It slipped to second place at US$24.9 million, putting its global take over the US$500 million mark. Mr Gross noted that studios are releasing only four superhero movies in 2025 – they have all come out – down from eight in 2023. 'This is the new normal,' he said, explaining the pullback as Hollywood realising that supply had exceeded demand. As of now, the next superhero movie is 11 months away: Supergirl, in June 2026. NYTIMES
AsiaOne
20 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Bend It Like Beckham sequel in the works, Entertainment News
A Bend It Like Beckham sequel is in the works. The 2002 sports-drama movie — which starred Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra — is widely credited with inspiring a generation of women to play football, and director Gurinder Chadha thinks now is the perfect moment to launch a sequel. The 65-year-old filmmaker told the BBC: "We've been part of changing the game for women, so it felt like this was a good time for me to go back and investigate the characters." The England women's football team have enjoyed significant success in recent years and are currently preparing to take on Spain in the final of Euro 2025. Gurinder observed that attitudes towards women's football have changed since the first movie, but she admits that more progress is still needed. She said: "A lot has changed since the original movie, but I think that people still don't think that women should play football. "There are people who still don't take it seriously, although the Lionesses are riding high. "I've left it a while, but I thought, look at the Euros, look at the Lionesses." Gurinder hopes the sequel will spread a positive message and "challenge" stereotypes. The director explained: "What I did was say you can do what you want, and you can have it all, and I think that's a really great message to put out again. I think there's still stuff to say, and stuff to challenge." Bend It Like Beckham proved to be a big moment in Keira Knightley's career, but the actress previously revealed that her friends scoffed at the idea of making the movie. During an appearance on The Tonight Show, Keira told host Jimmy Fallon: "I literally remember telling people I was doing it and it's called Bend It Like Beckham, and them going, 'Oh that's really embarrassing'. And they were all like, 'Don't worry. Nobody will see it. It's fine.'" The actress noted that "women's football was not as big" in 2002 as it is now, and so her friends assumed that the movie would flop at the box office. She said: "Women's football was not as big back then, and so the idea of the whole thing was sort of ridiculous." Despite this, the film proved its doubters wrong, earning more than US$70 million (S$89.6 million) at the box office and even inspiring a musical adaptation of the movie. And Keira — who also starred in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise — is still constantly reminded of her role in the movie by fans. She said: "It's amazing because it's still the film even today, you know, if someone comes up to talk to me about my work, it's that one. It's so loved. It's amazing." [[nid:720616]]
