A Prophesied Disaster (Likely) Won't Strike Japan This Weekend
That's the question consuming a disaster-prone country ahead of a widely spread prediction of disaster that one comic book suggests will occur this Saturday.
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Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pokemon's Cynthia voice actress passed away at 53
18 Aug - Voice actress Tomo Sakurai was recently revealed to have passed away. The news was announced by her agency Feathered via X, stating that Tomo was urgently hospitalised due to worsening symptoms of multi-organ cancer early this month. "Despite receiving medical care, her symptoms did not improve, and with great regret, we announce that she passed away on 13 August. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for all the kind messages and support she received during her lifetime," they expressed. The company added, "She fought bravely alongside us with the hope of a full recovery, but this outcome leaves us with deep sorrow and regret. To all who supported her, we offer our sincere apologies." As for the funeral, Feathered stated that the ceremony will be held in a private session. At the same time, the company also revealed that fans who have bought tickets to the "TOMO Summer 2025 Live!" will be issued a refund. Debuting in 1987 as part of Lemon Angel, Tomo later became a seiyuu, and has lent her voice to characters like Cynthia in "Pokemon", Mylene Jenius in "Macross 7, and Misao Makimachi in "Rurouni Kenshin". She was 53. (Photo Source: Tomo IG, Comicbook)
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘F1' On Course For $600M Global Amid Continued Strong Holds; ‘Superman' Also Soon To Milestone; Big WW Weekend For India's ‘Coolie' & Japan's ‘Demon Slayer'
…: It's been largely a holdover weekend for the studios at the global and international box office, with results for some that will soon translate to big milestones. It was also a notable frame for local titles from India and Japan. Studio-wise, last weekend's champ, New Line/Warner Bros' Weapons, was tops with another $18.4M in its offshore arsenal from 73 markets. The overseas cume is now $59.7M for $148.8M global. More from Deadline 'Shin Godzilla', Back In Tokyo Bay And U.S. Cinemas - Specialty Box Office 'Weapons' Loads $25M Second Weekend, 'Nobody 2' Stuck At $9M+ Opening - Sunday AM Box Office Update 'Weapons' Star Amy Madigan Talks Aunt Gladys Origin Story, If She'll Return For Prequel: "You Guys Figure It Out" In milestones, Universal/Amblin's Jurassic World Rebirth well surpassed $800M global, and both DC/Warner's Superman and Apple/WB's F1 are on their way to topping $600M worldwide, apiece. Before we get into the details on the above, let's look at what's happening with some local titles that either had terrific debuts or are continuing on in expansion. India's got two movies in the mix: Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie, and Hrithik Roshan and NTR Jr.-starrer War 2. Each opened with a bang. Estimates we are hearing put Coolie at $45.4M global, including about $27M from India. For War 2, comScore has $31.5M worldwide. As we always note, India is extremely ornery to track, and we will update accordingly. Either way, great starts for each. In other local news, this time in expanded overseas play via Crunchyroll/Sony, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle set new records with a $17.5M No. 1 opening in the eight Southeast Asian markets that debuted this weekend. The latest installment in the blockbuster anime franchise surpassed the entire regional lifetime for Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train as well as Frozen II for the highest all-time animated opening for this group of markets at current exchange rates. The launch was over twice as big as Inside Out 2, Super Mario Bros., Moana 2 and Ne Zha 2. In individual records, Indonesia, with $3.6M,logged the biggest anime opening ever and the highest opening weekend locally since Deadpool & Wolverine. Hong Kong, at $3.5M, had the largest anime opening ever and the top start since 2019. Thailand bowed to $3.2M, the best anime and animation opening of all time. Other anime records were set in Malaysia ($3.3M) and Vietnam ($2.5M). Infinity Castle has, of course, already broken records since its July release in Japan and still has several markets to release including the U.S., Mexico, Australia, UK, Spain, France and Germany. The global cume is estimated at $192.8M through Sunday. Turning back to the studio top-liners, New Line/WB's Weapons pulled in another $18.4M from 73 overseas markets for a 33% drop from opening weekend. The international running cume is $59.7M and the global cume to date is $148.8M through Sunday. Among strong individual holds were Chile (+2%), Sweden (-6%), Germany (-11%), Holland (-17%), Saudi Arabia (-22%), Philippines (-23%), Brazil (-25%), France (-28%), Italy (-29%), Mexico (-29%), Argentina (-30%) and Australia (-31%). In like-for-like markets and using today's exchange rates, the film is tracking ahead of Sinners (+47%), Smile (+42%), M3GAN (+41%) and 28 Years Later (+27%). The Imax cume is $13.8M global. Universal/DreamWorks Animation's The Bad Guys 2 continued its staggered offshore release this session, adding $13.7M from 67 markets (-34% in the holdovers). That brings the international running total to $60.2M, which is above the original at the same point. Globally, Bad Guys 2 crossed the century mark for $117.4M to date. New openers included China, where the gang bowed on Saturday amid stiff local competition (including an animated title), and stole away with $6.7M for the two-day debut — the biggest studio animation opening in the market this year. The start is above Elemental, and well above Trolls and The Bad Guys (which all opened on a Friday). The Maoyan score is 9.5 with the ticketing site predicting a $40M+ full run. Drops were very good in majors like France (-13%), Korea (-25%) and Spain (-29%) while increases were seen in Argentina (+10%) and Netherlands (+7%), among others. Still to release are Italy, Germany and Australia. The Top 5 to date are: UK ($11.8M), France ($6.7M), Spain ($5M), Mexico ($4.7M) and Korea ($2.4M). The Jurassic juggernaut continues for Universal with Jurassic World Rebirth adding another $9.9M in 83 offshore markets this 7th session. That's a 39% dip from last frame and takes the international cume to $496.5M. Global is now well across the eight-century mark, with $828.6M worldwide through Sunday. This weekend, JWR surpassed the overseas box office cumes of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Jumanji: The Next Level. Japan was a standout in its second frame despite local competition, already reaching $20.8M. All markets have been released, and the Top 5 to date are: China ($79M), UK ($46.4M), Mexico ($36M), Germany ($31.6M) and France ($27.7M). Marvel/Disney's The Fantastic Four: First Steps has reached a global cume through its fourth Sunday of $468.7M, still skewing domestic with a little over 47% from the international box office where the running cume is $221.7M. This overseas frame was $9.3M with all markets released. F4:FS is the highest-grossing superhero genre title of the year across Latin America and was again No. 1 in Brazil this weekend. The overall overseas drop was 48% and included good holds in such majors as France (-26%), Spain (-28%), Italy (-39%), Japan (-42%), Brazil (-43%), Mexico (-47%), Australia (-49%), UK (-49%) and Germany (-50%). The Top 5 offshore markets to date are: UK ($27.9M), Mexico ($26.2M), France ($14.3M), Brazil ($12.8M) and Australia ($10.6M). Meanwhile, last weekend's new Disney pic, Freakier Friday, grossed $9.3M in 47 material overseas markets, taking the offshore cume to $31.5M and global to $86.3M. The reteam of Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis dipped by just 37% internationally, and has been performing strongly in Latin America. This weekend it held the No. 1 spot in that region as a whole with great holds in some markets including Brazil (-22%) and Mexico (-32%). Currently playing in about 85% of the overseas footprint, Freakier Friday opens next weekend in Taiwan and has such majors as Korea (August 27) and Japan (September 5) on deck. The Top 5 to date are: Mexico ($5.7M), UK ($5.5M), Australia ($2.6M), Argentina ($1.8M) and Colombia ($1.4M). Capping off the trifecta of movies grossing $9.3M internationally this weekend, Apple Original Films' F1, via Warner Bros clocked only a 23% drop from last weekend – seriously impressive in the 8th frame. The international total is currently $407.2M and the global running cume is $590M through Sunday. In Korea, where audiences are driving hard, F1 is now the No. 1 movie of 2025, ahead of all local titles. In addition, this is the biggest film ever for Brad Pitt in the market and the 4th biggest WB film ever. WB/DC's Superman is also headed to $600M global, now at $594.5M through Sunday. MORE… Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More Everything We Know About Prime Video's 'Legally Blonde' Prequel Series 'Elle'
Associated Press
16 hours ago
- Associated Press
Studycat expands accent‑rich voice training for young learners in children Spanish language Android app
Fun Spanish for Android now offers enhanced accent-rich voices and interactive speaking challenges to help kids playfully improve Spanish pronunciation. 'Our updates bring more authentic voices and fun speaking moments, helping kids build pronunciation skills naturally while staying engaged and confident in Spanish.'— Owner HK, HONG KONG, August 17, 2025 / / -- Studycat, the award‑winning creator of language learning apps for children, today announced enhancements focused on voice and pronunciation in its children's Spanish language Android app, Fun Spanish. The updates emphasize accent-rich voice exposure and speaking challenges designed for early learners, building on Studycat's multi-voice content, full-immersion lesson design, and ad-free, kid-safe environment. Parents and educators continue to prioritize pronunciation and confidence in speaking. On Android, Fun Spanish combines short, playful activities with interactive speaking prompts and a diverse range of character voices—different tones, expressions, and accents—to help children detect sound contrasts and practice clear articulation. The approach is informed by cognitive research that links frequent, low‑pressure speaking opportunities with better retention, more accurate pronunciation, and increased motivation. Current users receive improvements as part of regular releases via Google Play. New users can start with free starter topics and optionally unlock all content with a 7‑day free trial and subscription at 'Families want two things at once: playful immersion and visible progress,' said Mark Pemberton, CEO and co‑founder at Studycat. 'By enriching our voice models and speaking challenges with a wider array of natural accents, we're helping young learners hear—and try—authentic Spanish in context. The goal is simple: children speak more, notice more, and feel proud of how quickly they sound better.' Fun Spanish for Android delivers a complete early‑learner pathway across listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Children explore vocabulary through game‑based activities, then practice production using interactive prompts that reward clarity without adding pressure. Studycat's curriculum is designed for ages 2–8 and features learner profiles for up to four family members, progress tracking, and a consistent, ad‑free experience that keeps attention on learning. What's new for voice and pronunciation - Accent‑rich voice exposure: Expanded use of varied character voices so children hear natural pronunciation styles while learning core Spanish words and phrases. - Interactive speaking moments: More bite-sized opportunities to repeat words and simple phrases within gameplay, reinforcing articulation without overlong drills. - Low‑pressure feedback cues: Child‑friendly visual and audio responses that encourage another try while keeping momentum and motivation high. - Family-friendly controls: Parent-visible progress and profile-based activity history to understand which sounds and topics kids have practiced most. Fun Spanish's Google Play listing reflects sustained momentum, with 100K+ installs and a strong average rating. Studycat's voice and pronunciation investments on Android are part of a company‑wide focus on safe, effective speaking practice for children. The company's platform features have emphasized full‑language immersion from the start. About Studycat Studycat creates award‑winning language learning apps for children that turn practice into play. Founded in 2000 by educators and game designers, Studycat's apps span English, Spanish, French, German, and Chinese, and are trusted by families and schools in more than 100 countries. Press Relations Studycat +852 2868 1234 email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
