Digital Surge Propels Global Ad Market To Nearly 6% Rebound From 2022 Levels, GroupM Estimates; Nearly Half Of TV Ad Dollars Have Shifted To Streaming

Warner Bros/DC’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom began offshore rollout on Wednesday, and with numbers through Friday included has grossed $40.9M in 73 international box office markets. This portends a full overseas opening in the $70M range. With domestic’s three- and four-day, the global start will top $100M.

Ever since Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce began their whirlwind romance, they have inspired everything from Halloween couples costumes to now… baby names?!

Naman Ramachandran In a landmark judgement that could change the face of global soccer forever, Europe’s top court ruled on Thursday that sport’s leading bodies, the UEFA and FIFA, has “acted contrary to competition law” in their efforts to block the launch of a European Super League. The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed to the Commercial Court in Madrid by the European Superleague Company against FIFA and UEFA.

Karl Lagerfeld Docuseries In Works At Canal+

Timothée Chalamet‘s Wonka has topped the global box office.The musical prequel directed by Paul King pulled in a whopping $92.6million (£73.1million) over the weekend, topping the box office in 60 of its 77 international markets, according to Screen Daily. Its worldwide total currently stands at $150million (£118.4million).In the US, it made its debut pulling in $39million (£30.8million) over the weekend to top the box office and enjoyed strong openings in France at $5.1million (£4million) and Australia $4million (£3.2million).The UK/Ireland leads the international pack with $23.2million (£18.3million) after 10 days, ahead of Mexico with $11.2million (£8.3million).

New figures published by the UK Government show that at the end of March, the number of people making voluntary National Insurance (NI) contributions to top-up missing or incomplete years on their State Pension surged by 85 per cent over the 2022/23 financial year.

Refresh for latest…: After opening early in 37 international box office markets last weekend, Warner Bros/Village Roadshow/Heyday Films’ Wonka expanded its release this session to the rest of the world (save Korea which goes in late January). The results are sweet.

With Christmas Day just around the corner, ‘tis the season to make some magical memories with loved ones. Luckily for us, there’s a whole host of festive fun to be had out there across the length and breadth of the country.

Aldi is slashing the price of dozens more of its popular products.

Naman Ramachandran Indo-British sports drama “A Game of Two Halves,” which tackles themes of identity crisis and racial dissonance, is set for a global bow in 2024. Directed by British Asian filmmaker Khayam Khan (“Bus Ride”), the film is set across the U.K. and India.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australian streamer Stan has acquired rights to both seasons, totaling 20 episodes, of the Malaysian adaptation of Scandinavian crime series “The Bridge.” The agreement, brokered by Lyle Bettson-Barker, SVP Australia and New Zealand from Banijay Rights, represents the first time that Stan has acquired a Malaysian drama series. The Asian version of “The Bridge” was initially commissioned by Viu and HBO Asia in 2018, after Double Vision, part of the Vision New Media group, introduced Viu to the format. It broadcast to across 23 territories in the combined footprints of Viu and HBO Asia and was also shown on Viu in South Africa.The title has garnered more than 20 regional awards and nominations across its two seasons, making it the most awarded drama in Malaysian history. Season one faithfully follows the original show, and sees a dead body found on the border between Malaysia and Singapore, necessitating an investigator from each country to work together to solve the crime.

Naman Ramachandran The Singapore Film Commission (SFC) celebrated its 25th anniversary during the 34th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) with a lavish party attended by the great and the good of the industry. Though the local box office for Singaporean films has yet to regain its pre-pandemic heights, they are doing well internationally with 2023 alone seeing selections at all the top festivals, including Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Busan and San Sebastian.

A family in the UK has managed to cut nearly £600 off their energy bills by using cardboard and polystyrene to properly insulate their home.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Every few years, the Academy tweaks the rules for its animated feature category, with the net result that the nominees tend to skew ever more mainstream. That makes it tough for most of this year’s hopefuls: A record-setting number of animated features submitted (nearly three dozen, though the Academy is still finalizing its list).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Webtoons, the vertical-scrolling iteration of digital comics that emerged some twenty years ago in Korea, along with the smartphone, are now a global medium. But they are only at the beginning of their global journey, says Charlie Park, CEO of Kakao Entertainment-owned Tapas. Park was speaking Tuesday at the Asia Television Forum in Singapore in a session moderated by industry consultant Jimmy Kim. Park explained that the webtoon segment was for several years a niche fan-driven activity with few opportunities for monetization.

A mystery pneumonia strain rampaging through China is now threatening the UK - with experts suggesting we could see another “Covid-like” pandemic.

Refresh for latest…: New global entry Queen Bey’s concert movie/documentary Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé put a ring on a $27.4M global debut this weekend. Included in that is $6.4M from 2,621 overseas cinemas.

Naman Ramachandran India is on the verge of producing a global breakthrough streaming hit, leading industry players said over the past week across two panel discussions. The mood in the country has been celebratory, even self-congratulatory, albeit with some justification, after the Oscar wins for S.S.

Paramount Global shares closed up nearly 10% Friday, leading entertainment stocks higher after the Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount Global and Apple are discussing bundling their respective streaming platforms at a discount.

Tubi Hires Endeavor Exec For International Expansion