Latest news with #Waves
News.com.au
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Didn't see it coming': Gen Z trend changes Aussie man's business overnight
Less than a month ago, most Aussies didn't even know what a Labubu was, and now they're taking over and transforming one man's business overnight. George Kozma, 38, owns the successful sneaker store Waves alongside his wife Olivia, and he is currently working non-stop to keep up with the demand of Labubus. A Labubu is a fluffy toy monster accessory often used as a key ring. There are different types and special editions, and they have become collectable. Everyone from Gen Z influencers like Sopha Dopha to PR maven Roxy Jacenko have been rocking the furry accessory. Mr Kozma, a former security guard, isn't a stranger to jumping on trends. He opened his sneaker store Waves just before the peak of the sneaker hype and, by 2022, the store had netted over $10 million in sales in a single year. He has always had a keen eye for trends, but even he didn't anticipate the demand for Labubus. They are a controversial accessory. Some influencers have embraced them, some people are claiming they are the height of fashion, and others are offended by their gaudy nature and find them cringe-worthy, but there's certainly demand. Ms Jacenko is a massive fan because she loves the buzz and excitement around securing a limited edition product. 'I have always been partial to plushies and figurines as a kid, I collected everything from Astro Boy to Troll Dolls,' she told 'The obsession with Blythe Dolls started – this was just the 2025 version I guess – and the harder it is to get, the more I want it!'. Young people in particular are prepared to literally line-up outside stores just in hopes of securing one. Mr Kozma was ahead of the trend. He has been selling the accessory since December 2024, but the demand has exploded in the last month. He was fast to catch-up and immediately called suppliers, asking to secure as many of the products as he could. 'It really exploded. The US market picked up on it, you even had basketball players rocking up to game days with them,' he told Mr Kozma could not anticipate the demand. In the last month alone, he has sold over 1000 boxes of Labubus. One box contains six Labubus, so over 6000 Labubus were sold, and if he had more stock, he'd have sold more. 'We didn't see it coming,' he said. 'It was just overnight. What is going on here? Everyone was doing unboxings, Aussie influencers, US influencers,' he said. Online, the trend has gone nuts. There are over a million posts about the flurry of accessories on TikTok, and videos of influencers unboxing them are attracting millions and millions of eyeballs. Mr Kozma said the demand is so big that he hasn't even needed to gift them to influencers; instead, they're buying them because they're just like everyone else and desperate to jump on the trend. He claimed that if you've seen an Aussie influencer rocking Labubus, there's a high chance they've purchased the toys from him. There's also no need to try to market Labubus to consumers; the demand is there, and people are desperate. The businessman said that the trend has come just at the right time for his sneaker store and has been a huge win. 'Because of the resale sneaker market, things aren't the strongest at the moment, so this has turned our whole business around, and they call me the Labubu dealer,' he said. Mr Kozma said some consumers are willing to pay over $600 for special edition Labubus and he had a woman recently spend $3000 on one Labubu order. It is retail madness, but it has put a spring in Mr Kozma's step, who is enjoying the excitement and demand. 'I already had a successful business but this takes it to another level. It is crazy at the moment,' he said. 'I did think it would pick up, but it was just 'bang', and then everything went bananas.' Mr Kozma said it has added millions in value to his business, and he is already seeing the shift in revenue. 'In the last three weeks, I've sold like half a million dollars in Labubus,' he said.
IOL News
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
'Hurry Up Tomorrow': The Weeknd's film debut or just a misfire? Online reactions say it all
The film, which also stars Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega, presents a stylised portrait of celebrity breakdown and fan obsession. Image: X/@AnAntLife Some musicians should know when to stay in their lane. And no, that's not shade. The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye), one of pop's moody chart-toppers, has just made his official film debut in a movie called "Hurry Up Tomorrow," and let's just say… it's not giving what it was meant to give. This isn't some blink-and-you-miss-it cameo either. The Weeknd is the leading man in a psychological thriller directed by Trey Edward Shults, the same director behind "Waves" and "It Comes at Night". So expectations were understandably high. But somewhere between the slow pans, cryptic dialogue, and fragmented storytelling, audiences have been left scratching their heads. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In the film, The Weeknd plays a fictionalised version of himself (which you'd assume would be easier to nail?), a global superstar grappling with fame fatigue, obsessive fans, and a spiralling sense of self. It's like watching someone read their diary out loud with all the drama of a theatre kid on open mic night. Barry Keoghan steps in as Lee, a kind of chaotic cheerleader-meets-therapist figure, while Jenna Ortega plays Anima, a fan whose admiration crosses every imaginable line. But even with those two trying to prop the thing up, the central problem remains: The Weeknd's acting abilities. Social media has been lit up with commentary, from Reddit threads picking apart the movie's erratic structure to X (formerly Twitter) users calling his performance emotionally bankrupt. To be fair, "Hurry Up Tomorrow" is a moody, artsy companion piece to The Weeknd's latest album - more visual album than a traditional feature film, which might explain the stilted pacing and lack of conventional narrative. One X user said, "Easily one of the worst movies of the decade, a movie that can't even be saved by a powerhouse of a performance by Jenna Ortega." "'Hurry Up Tomorrow': Soulless, exhausting, forced. Essentially a feature-length commercial for the album. All style, no substance. Not even Jenna Ortega dancing to Blinding Lights could save this self-insistent slop," said another. Hurry Up Tomorrow: Soulless, exhausting, forced. Essentially a feature length commercial for the album. All style, no substance. Not even Jenna Ortega dancing to Blinding Lights could save this self-insistent slop. — cob (@sillierdeadite) May 15, 2025 But not all things said were negative, die hard fans had his back, as one wrote: "I just watched hurry up tomorrow and it was for sure something I've never seen before. "There's a different understanding for everyone. Any hate towards the film is straight up stupid because Abel done his job well, expressing everything he wanted to, I loved it so much" I just watched hurry up tomorrow and it was for sure something i've never seen before. Theres a different understanding for everyone. Any hate towards the film is straight up stupid because Abel done his job well done expressing everything he wanted to, I loved it so much 🎥💞 — vivii ﾒ𝟶 saw abel live 2x (@vivii_luvAbel) May 16, 2025 "Hurry up tomorrow was a good movie, yall (you people) just never pay attention to back stories," commented another. Hurry up tomorrow was a good movie, yall just never pay attention to back stories — idk ❤️🩹 (@70sbirdonwire) May 19, 2025 YouTuber @penguinz0, known for his no-nonsense movie reviews, breaks it down nicely in his "Worst Movie of the Year Just Came Out" video clip. Spoiler alert
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Eurovision stars dealt major blow just hours before grand final kicks off
It's a two horse race for continental glory at tonight's Eurovision final, with previous frontrunners Sweden being snapped at by a pop opera singer from Austria Several Eurovision Song Contest stars have been dealt a huge blow just hours before the live final in Basel, Switzerland. Sweden has been the clear favourite since the end of February, with dance-pop trio KAJ hotly tipped to make it the Scandinavian nation's eighth win. Their song, 'Bara Bada Bastu', is the country's first entry to be sung in Swedish since 1998 and has already topped their native charts. But after a surge in bets placed on Austrian pop-opera soprano Johannes 'JJ' Pietsch, Austria has come in from 3/1 to 11/4, and Sweden's odds have drifted to 10/11. Austria limped in at 24th place last year, but fans seem to have been enchanted by the 24-year-old's entry, 'Wasted Love', praising its "beautiful vocals" and "captivating performance". Third favourites are France, with their pop-ballad chanteuse Louanne seeing her odds slashed from 10/1 to 9/1. Sadly, it doesn't look like the UK's entry - girl group trio Remember Monday - will recreate the success seen by Katrina and the Waves in 1997, who won the contest with their song 'Love Shine A Light'. Ladbrokes' Carl Gildart said: "It's looked like Sweden's contest to lose for a long time, but this odds shift is making people think again. Those who phone in to vote for Austria will be hoping their support isn't wasted love." At the moment Remember Monday's odds are hovering around 66/1, even worse than Israel's controversial entry which still has as 25/1 chance of winning. The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 final will feature Norway, Albania, Sweden, Iceland, the Netherlands, Poland, San Marino, Estonia, Portugal, and Ukraine, who all competed in the first semi-final. They will be up against Lithuania, Israel, Armenia, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Latvia, Malta and Greece, who all made it through from the second semi-final. The so-called 'Big Five' countries of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom - who qualify for the final automatically - will also compete in the grand final, alongside host nation Switzerland.
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
The Weeknd makes his silver screen debut with Hurry Up Tomorrow, fans say its ‘one of the worst movies of the decade'
Abel Tesfaye, better known to the world as The Weeknd, has spent over a decade serenading listeners with hypnotic vocals and emotionally raw lyrics. But in 2025, he's stepped off the stage and onto the screen in Hurry Up Tomorrow, a psychological thriller that doubles as both a feature film and a companion to his newest album. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Trey Edward Shults, this moody, fragmented tale marks The Weeknd's official silver screen debut as the leading actor. The only problem? Hardly anyone is watching. Hurry Up Tomorrow follows a fictionalised version of The Weeknd, portrayed by Tesfaye himself, as he spirals into an internal descent of fame-induced exhaustion, surreal fan encounters, and personal disintegration. Barry Keoghan plays Lee, a confidante and hype man, while Jenna Ortega takes on the role of Anima, a dangerously devoted fan whose obsession may or may not be real. Shot with dreamlike visuals, synth-heavy soundscapes, and shadowy aesthetics, the film is less a traditional narrative and more a sensory experience. It's a dark, slow burn — dripping in style but seemingly light on substance. And that's where audiences and critics have taken issue. The online backlash has been swift and merciless. Social media platforms like X and Reddit are teeming with dismayed reactions, many criticising the film's lack of structure and Tesfaye's performance. '#HurryUpTomorrow - Easily one of the worst movies of the decade,' one user wrote. 'A movie that can't even be saved by a powerhouse of a performance by Jenna Ortega.' Another review echoed that sentiment: 'It felt like little more than a vanity project. It's all aesthetic—moody lighting, sultry music, lingering close-ups—but there's no real narrative to latch onto. Abel wants to be seen as this tortured artist, but it just feels self-indulgent and boring.' Even longtime fans of The Weeknd expressed disappointment saying, 'I'm a big fan of Abel, but this was god awful. It's not a movie—it's a visualizer with 15 minutes of actual story stretched into nearly two hours.' There are also growing concerns about Trey Edward Shults' career direction. Despite helming Waves, a cult favorite from 2019, Shults now finds himself under scrutiny for what some perceive as a massive misstep. 'Honestly, I fear for Trey Edward Shults' future,' one Reddit user noted. 'The Weeknd's ego won here. It's a mess.' From the outset, Hurry Up Tomorrow felt like a gamble — a blurring of lines between cinema and album, art and ego. What might have worked as an extended music video or conceptual short film struggles to hold up under the expectations of a full-length theatrical release. Tesfaye's performance, while earnest, lacks the emotional nuance needed to anchor such a complex role. Instead of revealing hidden depths, his acting often feels flat, especially when placed beside Ortega's intensity and Keoghan's charisma. The film's failure also exposes a larger trend: musicians trying to cross into film with mixed results. While some, like Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake, have successfully pivoted, others, especially when self-producing or co-writing their roles, risk becoming too insular, losing the audience in the process. With a ridiculously low rating on Rotten Tomatoes and only negative feedback from fans, Hurry Up Tomorrow seems poised to go down not as The Weeknd's cinematic breakthrough, but as a cautionary tale. It's a project born out of ambition and self-expression, but one that forgets the most essential part of filmmaking: the audience.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Film reviews trash the Weeknd's ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow' as ‘self-indulgent' and a ‘feature-length ego-stroke'
What do you get when you put red-hot stars like the Weeknd, Barry Keoghan, Jenna Ortega, and Riley Keough in a movie together? Apparently, a "self-indulgent" mess and a "feature-length ego-stroke," say the critics — ouch. The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) cowrote and produced the new film Hurry Up Tomorrow, which serves as a companion piece to his sixth studio album, released in January. Trey Edward Shults (Waves) directed and cowrote the Lionsgate picture, which is being described as a "musical psychological thriller." Reza Fahim (The Idol) is the third cowriter. More from GoldDerby 'Running Point': Kate Hudson and Jeanie Buss swap stories on being 'a woman in a man's world' Why we may be underestimating Hulu's 'Good American Family' at the Emmys 'It was just so seemingly unbelievable': 'Earnhardt' director reflects on Dale Earnhardt's NASCAR fame, quest for greatness, and tragic death Hurry Up Tomorrow has a tepid 15 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 30 score at Metacritic, making it one of the worst-reviewed movies of 2025 so far. For comparison's sake, the reigning Razzie "winner" for Worst Picture, Madame Web, earned an 11 percent last year on the all-important Tomatometer, and instantly became the butt of countless jokes. The film's plot follows the Weeknd as a fictionalized version of himself, who becomes resentful and depressed after his girlfriend breaks up with him. After the musician encounters a mysterious stranger, he embarks on a psychedelic journey that causes him to question everything he knows about life. Here's the trailer: The Weeknd is no stranger to poor reviews, as his 2023 television drama The Idol received a 19 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It starred Lily-Rose Depp as a pop idol who has a complex relationship with the Weeknd's unsavory cult leader character. But The Idol had the last laugh at the Emmys, winning the trophy for Best Choreography. While the Weeknd has yet to respond to the reviews for Hurry Up Tomorrow, he said the following in 2023 about critics who trashed his tunes: "I'm not responsible for how someone feels about my music." The artist is a four-time Grammy winner for the songs "Hurricane" and "Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey)," and the albums Starboy and Beauty Behind The Madness. Here is a snapshot of what the critics are saying about Hurry Up Tomorrow: Jordan Hoffman (Entertainment Weekly): "The nearly plot-free movie is self-indulgent, overly serious, and, worst of all, just plain dull." Nick Schager (The Daily Beast): "A feature-length ego-stroke of monumental hubris that instantly assumes pole position in the race for year's worst movie." Adam Graham (Detroit News): "It is dragged down by a lack of emotional connection and the high-wire act of bridging reality and fiction in a way that feels truthful, as if the filmmakers' best intentions were blinded by the lights." Maria Sherman (Associated Press): "An exciting vanity project with surrealist imagination but stiff writing, no stakes, limited emotional weight and an unclear narrative." Charles Bramesco (IndieWire): "If the unbearable weight of massive talent is really so crazy-making, that unwieldy creativity should be set free, however messy. Or, if I can just say what I mean: making audiences feel nostalgic about Kanye West? In this cultural economy?" G. Allen Johnson (San Francisco Chronicle): "It's not a perfect film, but it is one that questions, probes and challenges." Todd Gilchrist (Variety): "Hurry Up Tomorrow bears all the signs of pop star hubris masquerading as artistic candor, despite game performances by Jenna Ortega and Barry Keogan to prop up the budding thespian." Brandon Yu (New York Times): "Primarily amounts to an overextended music video that shrinks and cheapens the universe that the Weeknd's songs gesture toward." Hurry Up Tomorrow opened in U.S. theaters on May 16. It has a running time of one hour, 45 minutes, and is rated R for language throughout, drug use, some bloody violence, and brief nudity. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Who needs an Oscar to reach EGOT? 18 best Oscar-winning actress mother performances ranked Dennis Hopper movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best Click here to read the full article.
