Entertainment

Avatar 2 grosses over $2 bn.!

Published

1 year ago

January 24, 2023

editor

After being in theaters for just over a month, Avatar: The Way of Water – the long-awaited sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 hit – has officially grossed over $2.024 billion.

It took over Spider-Man: No Way Home’s spot as the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time last week; to move up to the No. 5 spot, currently held by Avengers: Infinity War, it needs to make over $2.05 billion.

Now it has become the first ever pandemic-era movie to hit the $2 billion mark and Cameron’s third movie to gross that much in box office receipts. He’s the only director in history to have three movies gross over $2 billion.

After 13 years in the making, all eyes were on the Avatar sequel to see if it would make its budget back and turn a profit for Disney. (Disney spent a reported $460 million to create and promote the movie, according to Variety.) Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the box office has experienced major struggles, causing widespread concern and even bankruptcies in the theater industry. Then last year’s Top Gun: Maverick seemed to re-energize moviegoers, proving that the theater industry was far from dead. The Tom Cruise-led film grossed over $1.489 billion in 2022 and seemed to be the uncontested, almost sole reason for movie-going’s resurgence—that was, until Avatar: The Way of Water swept in to make $1.5 billion at the end of 2022 and take its spot as the highest grossing movie of last year.

Now, as the movie reaches yet another milestone, the question becomes: How much money can it make before it loses steam? Here’s a breakdown of how and where the movie made its money, where it falls in the all-time box office, and how it speaks, yet again, to Cameron’s ability to make a riveting sequel that gets people back in theaters.

(time.com)

Entertainment

Indian artistes arrive for UNP May Day musical

Published

3 days ago

May 1, 2024

nipuni

Several singers from India arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday (April 30) to perform at the musical extravaganza organized synchronously with the National May Day rally of the UNP.
The concert is to be held from 7.00pm at the P.D. Sirisena Grounds in Maligawaththa. Entrance will be free.

Vijay Balakrishnan, Ramya Nagercovil, Daniel Jayaram and Reshma Sundaram are among several other Indian musicians, such as Dharmar Satya Prakash and Nurani Varsha, also scheduled to visit the country today for the concert.

Music will be by the Line One band led by Shane Zing.

Entertainment

Actor Jagath Manuwarna accidently shot!

Published

5 days ago

April 29, 2024

nipuni

Actor Jagath Manuwarna has been accidently shot last night (April 28) during a shoot at a film set, reports say.

According to sources, he had suffered only a minor injury, but was immediately transported to Colombo for treatment.

He had been shooting an action scene of Chaminda Jayasuriya’s upcoming movie ‘Father’.

Entertainment

TikTok faces US ban as bill set to be signed by Biden

Published

1 week ago

April 24, 2024

editor

The US Senate has approved a controversial landmark bill that could see TikTok banned in America.

It gives TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, nine months to sell its stake or the app will be blocked in the United States.

The bill will now be handed over to US President Joe Biden, who has said he will sign it into law as soon as it reaches his desk.

ByteDance has told the BBC that it did not have an immediate response to the move. Previously the firm said it would oppose any attempt to force it to sell TikTok.

If the US is successful in forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok any deal would still need approval from Chinese officials but Beijing has vowed to oppose any such move. Analysts say the process could take years.

The measure was passed as part of a package of four bills which also included military aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other US partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

It had widespread support from lawmakers, with 79 Senators voting for it and 18 against.

“For years we’ve allowed the Chinese Communist party to control one of the most popular apps in America that was dangerously short-sighted,” said Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee.

“A new law is going to require its Chinese owner to sell the app. This is a good move for America,” he added.

Fears that data about millions of Americans could land in China’s hands have driven Congressional efforts to split TikTok from the Beijing-based company.

Last week, the social media company said the bill would “trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate seven million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy, annually.”

TikTok has said ByteDance “is not an agent of China or any other country”. And ByteDance insists it is not a Chinese firm, pointing to the global investment firms that own 60% of it.

Its chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, said last month the company will continue to do all it can including exercising its “legal rights” to protect the platform.

Mr Shou was grilled by Congress twice in less than a year, and downplayed the app’s connection – and his personal links – to Chinese authorities.

The social media platform made efforts to rally support against the potential ban, including a major lobbying campaign.

It also encouraged TikTok users and creators to express their opposition to the bill.

University of Richmond law professor, Carl Tobias told the BBC that a prolonged legal battle is likely to follow and that “could take about two years”.

He also said if a buyer for ByteDance’s stake is not found within the nine-month period, it could delay any action against TikTok in the US further.

(BBC News)