All studios, all the time
Wow did we have a heat wave this week and with a lot of humidity which makes it so much worse. The humidity is definitely not normal for us and not sure what is causing it. What was interesting one day we had a little drizzle of rain and it did cool off a bit which was really nice but then right back up into the high 90's again the very next day. Running that AC more frequently since my office is on the 2nd floor the house and it gets warmer faster as heat rises plus running computers will generate some heat on top of that. Why is solar so expensive and have to deal with my HOA if I want to get solar... I would love to convert to solar if I could! I have the roof space and the direct sun for it but I do have golf balls that hit the roof all the time because people think they are pros and can't golf.
Weekly Update:
I helped out a couple of events this past week and both were pretty steamy weather wise. First was the 11th Annual Variety Poker Tournament at Paramount Studios. It was a good event and not fully packed as in the past but I think the strike kind of lends itself to that a bit but still raised money for a good cause despite what other things were going on. Then later I went to Disney Studios to help with a couple of screenings of Haunted Mansion and also got to see it as well. It's a fun movie and had a good amount of comedy. I don't see this being an overall big film but a nice Summer distraction at best.
At the movies:
Holding strong at #1 for a 2nd week is Barbie earning another 93 million and now just over 350 mil domestic. A very low drop from week 1 to this week and continues to have good word-of-mouth. Should reach 400 in no time and on to 500 from there. Also holding strong at #2 is Oppenheimer with 46.2 mil more and now just shy of 200 mil domestic. No problem getting to that number sometime this week and it's only hindering factor is the long run time. Great word-of-mouth and will carry this for the rest of Summer. New at #3 is Haunted Mansion with 24.2 mil and mixed reviews on this one. But everyone does agree it is much better than its predecessor. Slight drop to #4 is Sound of Freedom with 12.4 mil as this continues to make good headway. Now close to 150 mil, should get there tomorrow. Rounding off the top 5 is Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One with 10.7 mil as it may end it's run just shy of 200 mil.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
In at #6 is Talk to Me earning 10 mil which is a good number from the indie studio A24. This film won't do much more but still a solid number. At #10 in a more limited run (less than 500 screens) is Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani with 1.5 mil and this one is already on the way out.
Quote of the week:
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - George Orwell
Facts & Tips:
From 2010 to 2017, every tweet was archived by the Library of Congress.
"How the tables have turned. I know it's hard to admit, but how spectacular a move is this? Am I right?" - Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Living in a Barbie world
Weekly Update:
People are so confusing and I don't want to waste time trying to figure them out but how often do you see something so crazy, you just wonder what is going on?! Last week my Del Taco app account got hacked and someone ordered about $100 worth of food... immediately changed the password and removed my credit card from all my food apps. But here is the dumb part, they had the food delivered (at 4AM) and so I have their addresses! I went to my local police station and gave them all the info including the address of the ones who hacked the account. That was dumb on many levels. But, other stupidity doesn't end there! I watched a car enter the wrong way on a one-way lane and cars were coming the opposite direction honking at this lady. She just yelled out her window flipping people off when she was one car going the wrong direction while a line of about 3 cars were going in the right direction and because of the width of the lane, it's not like they can pull to the side. Dumb.
At the movies:
She's a Barbie girl and we are all living in her world... no surprise at the box office as Barbie takes #1 with a hefty Summer 155 million to open. Good word-of-mouth on this film and should carry to 200 by end of this week. In at #2 is Oppenheimer with a solid 80.5 mil and should hit 100 by end of week. This film has a very big run time so has limited number of shows available to it but also solid feedback. Bump down to #3 is Sound of Freedom with 20.1 mil extra as this film passes the 100 mil mark. Continues to out perform its expectations at the box office. Big drop to #4 is Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One with 19.5 mil as it also crosses the 100 mil mark. Unfortunately it looks like it won't be going to much further. Rounding off the top 5 is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with another 6.7 mil and likely the last time we see it.
Quote of the week:
"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." - Oscar Wilde
Facts & Tips:
A housefly hums in the key of F.
"Mom said your job made you paranoid." - Maggie Grace as Kim in Taken.
and now it's HOT HOT HOT
Weekly Update:
The WGA just got an extra boost of support last week when SAG-AFTRA officially joined them on the picket line. They were already supporting them but mostly individually and in spirit but they have officially begun their strike over from what I think is not only wages and pay but computer generated actors who are playing them. Computers are really taking over the world when you look at grocery store check-outs and how they are now doing self-check out. So many lost their jobs there and companies are saving a lot of money with them but... prices continuing to increase. So its a bit of a double-edge sword in this case with saving money on labor and enjoying the price increase in goods. I do appreciate computers and the use of them but this is a bit too far.
At the movies:
New at #1 this week is Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One earing 56.2 mil for the weekend (80 mill for the 5-day). Not a great number and below expectations with fair word-of-mouth. The biggest driver for this film is it's star and bringing more awareness of him doing his own stunts than anything else. Slight bump up to #2 is Sound of Freedom with 27 mil extra and an increase at the box office. This fairs very well for this new studio but will they strike gold again with their next film... Bump down to #3 is Insidious: The Red Door with 13 mil extra as it quickly dropped down unlike its predecessors who had stronger sustainably. Also getting bumped down to #4 is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with 12 mil more and doesn't look like this adventure will go much further and will cume less than 200 mil domestic. Rounding off the top 5 is Elemental earning another 8.7 mil and likely the last we will see of this one.
Quote of the week:
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark." - Rabindranath Tagore
Facts & Tips:
The average dog can understand over 150 words.
"Why a fashion boutique? That seems so... ordinary!" - Megalyn Echikunwoke as Dr. Tara Price in the TV series CSI: Miami.
some pop, no fizz
Weekly Update:
Not much happened this week that stood out for me. Pretty boring in fact but I did try to get some sleep where I could but couldn't. Meaning I could get rest but wasn't able to sleep for some reason, I can't turn off my brain I guess. It's always on and won't turn off or at least pause. A friend suggested melatonin so I found some at Target in the form of gummies. I picked them because, well let's be real they were the cheapest. It was about 60 gummies for 9.89 versus tablets in the quantity of 20 to 40 starting at 14.99 and up. Why are these so expensive? I also wanted the most inexpensive because I have never taken these before and what if 1) I don't like it and/or 2) it doesn't work. Then I won't feel as bad paying so much and then not using them because of one or both of those reasons. So, hopefully they do help and then I know where to get more and which ones to get!
At the movies:
Scaring it's way to #1 this weekend is Insidious: The Red Door earing a nice 32.7 million for its debut. This franchise has been solid at the box office and word-of-mouth is good. Could potentially get to 100 mil when it is all said and done. Drop down to #2 is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with 26.5 mil extra and now over 100 mil domestically. Not a bad drop from week 1 but buzz on this film has died out fast. New at 3 is Sound of Freedom with 18.2 mil and this is also from new Angel Studios. Not a bad opening for a new comer. And drop to #4 is Elemental with 9.6 mil and finally hitting 100 mil, overall poor performance for a Disney/PIxar film. Rounding off the top 5 is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with 8 mil as it will wrap up mid 300+ mil.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as Joy Ride comes in at #6 with only 5.9 mil to show for it. A lot of publicity on this film too, just didn't pay off.
Quote of the week:
"People only see what they are prepared to see." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Facts & Tips:
In Venus, it snows metal.
"Buenos nachos, Mr. Schue." - Mark Salling as Noah 'Puck' Puckerman in the TV series Glee.
Fizz, pop, boom
It's the annual "keep your pets inside and close everything" time of year! I know I've said this before and I will keep saying it, do not like this holiday anymore since I see what it does to our poor animals. NO idea what is going on and the world outside is just crazy and scary... and then there are fireworks. It's already crazy out there but when you add fireworks it's like throwing gasoline onto a fire you are trying to control. So for this 4th all I am going to do is hunker down inside, close all the doors and windows, turn on the house fan (or AC if it's warm) and find something loud on TV. I do find it odd how fireworks and explosions on TV do not affect my doggo but fireworks outside do. I wonder if it's because through the TV they are probably filtered and certain frequencies do not exist as in live. But... I hate fireworks.
Weekly Update:
So according to the news on either last Friday or Saturday we hit 80 but the last time we got that high was in April... It was hotter than 80 but maybe they mean as an average temperature in what we call the Southland (or SoCali for short). It did feel hot, no real breezes plus I know my body got used to all the cold to cool temps we have had for months which I liked! I really wish it would stay that way because cooler temps means lower utility costs for me! AC is WAY more expensive than heat (here at least). Cloud cover means less water is needed for grass, plants, etc. ... so, as we now move more into Summer temps, it was nice while it lasted. I will go back to opening all the windows till it gets warm and then close it up to hopefully save on energy if I can.
At the movies:
Making it's way to #1 this week is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny earning 60 million for its debut. Normally this would be a solid opening but with it now Summer time and a huge franchise like this, I am sure estimates were projected to be double this. I think Disney now has a curse upon it for theatrical releases and they need to figure out how to reverse this formula. But word-of-mouth is fair to poor on this film, the disappointment from the previous film could be contributing as well. Slight drop down to #2 is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with 11.5 mil as it continues to crawl along. Continuing to drop to #3 is Elemental with 11.3 mil extra as it continues to struggle to reach 100 mil and should get there in the next 2 weeks. Holding at #4 is No Hard Feelings with 7.5 mil more and should drop out soon. Rounding off the top 5 and holding is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts with 7 mil and basically out of gas.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week at #6, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken earning 5.2 mil which gives it a per screen average of only 1,529, extremely low for a wide release.
Quote of the week:
"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues." - Abraham Lincoln
Facts & Tips:
Hawaiian pizza was actually created in Canada.
"I'm sorry. We're moving in next door. Or at least we're trying to. Our phone's not hooked up yet." - Greg Vaughan as Dan Gordon in the TV series Charmed.
