Ever since Nintendo announced the SNES Classic Edition, fans have been frantically looking for a chance to reserve one. It's easy to understand why: The SNES Classic Edition is a miniaturized version of the original console that works with modern TVs, yet it costs just $80 and comes with 21 games packed in.

Better yet: One of those games is the never-before-released "Star Fox 2"!

When the console launches in September, demand is expected to be very high. Thus, potential buyers have been anxiously anticipating the ability to pre-order the system. It looks like they'll have the chance in late August, when Nintendo says various retailers will open up preorders.

Here's where you can get the console when it's up for pre-order, any day now.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo's new $80 mini Super Nintendo will be available for a limited time

You can pre-order the Super NES Classic Edition at any of the following retailers in the next few weeks — Nintendo hasn't said exactly when just yet.

Nintendo's still playing coy with exactly when you can pre-order the Super NES Classic Edition. The company issued the following statement earlier this month:

"We appreciate the incredible anticipation that exists for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Super NES Classic Edition system, and can confirm that it will be made available for pre-order by various retailers late this month. A significant amount of additional systems will be shipped to stores for launch day, and throughout the balance of the calendar year."

Of note: The Super NES Classic Edition is a limited edition product, and is only planned for production through the end of 2017. If you're interested in getting one for the $80 asking price (rather than double or more through re-sellers), your best bet is pre-ordering one later this month. Rest assured that the Super NES Classic Edition is going to be a high-demand holiday gift, so you'll want to get in on pre-orders to guarantee one in time for the holidays.

1. Amazon

The official Super NES Classic Edition page on Amazon is right here.

2. Best Buy

The official Super NES Classic Edition page at Best Buy is right here.

Warning: spoilers for season seven of "Game of Thrones," up to episode five, "Eastwatch." Read at your own risk.

The dead are coming for Westeros, and while there are many ways to kill living people, there's a limited number of ways to kill the dead.

Thankfully, Valyrian steel is one way to kill the White Walkers. Dragonglass is another.

This is proven when Jon Snow reduces a White Walker to bits in the battle at Hardhome in season five. 

Valyrian steel is a metal that was forged in the days of the Valyrian Freehold. Valyrian steel remains sharp forever. It's also recognizable by its intense sharpness and light weight. 

Since the Doom of Valyria, most Valyrian steel weapons are heirlooms in the great Houses of Westeros. Over the past seven seasons, several characters have stolen, stumbled upon, or been gifted Valyrian steel blades. Valyrian steel is also hard to forge since it's not like other metals, hence the rarity of the weapons made out of it. Only a few smiths in Westeros can do it out of existing weapons. But the method of forging completely new blades was lost after the Doom of Valyria, and allegedly involved dragons and magic.  

Here is everyone on "Game of Thrones" who has a Valyrian steel weapon and can kill the White Walkers:

SEE ALSO: Who was the smartest, dumbest, luckiest, and most emotional this week on 'Game of Thrones'

Jon Snow: Longclaw

Longclaw is the ancestral sword of House Mormont. Lord Commander Jeor Mormont originally leaves it to his son, Jorah, before he leaves for the Night's Watch. But Jorah leaves it behind in shame when he leaves Westeros. Then Jeor gives it to Jon Snow, basically as a thank you present for saving him from a wight. 

Brienne of Tarth: Oathkeeper

Jaime Lannister gives Brienne Oathkeeper when he sends her out to complete her mission of bringing the Stark girls home to Winterfell. Oathkeeper is made out of Ned Stark's sword, Ice. At the beginning of season four, Tywin has it melted down into two blades. 

Jaime Lannister: Widow's Wail

After Joffrey's death, Jaime takes Widow's Wail. This sword is also made out of Ned Stark's sword, Ice, which was very big. 

This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

What is eSports? History & Rise of Video Game Tournaments

Years ago, eSports was a community of video gamers who would gather at conventions to play Counter Strike, Call of Duty, or League of Legends.

These multiplayer video game competitions would determine League of Legends champions, the greatest shooters in Call of Duty, the cream of the crop of Street Fighter players, the elite Dota 2 competitors, and more.

But today, as the history of eSports continue to unfold, media giants such as ESPN and Turner are broadcasting eSports tournaments and competitions. And in 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts. And YouTube also wanted to jump on the live streaming gaming community with the creation of YouTube Gaming.

eSports Market Growth Booming

To put in perspective how big eSports is becoming, a Google search for "lol" does not produce "laughing out loud" as the top result. Instead, it points to League of Legends, one of the most popular competitive games in existence. The game has spawned a worldwide community called the League of Legends Championship Series, more commonly known as LCS or LOL eSports.

What started as friends gathering in each other's homes to host LAN parties and play into the night has become an official network of pro gaming tournaments and leagues with legitimate teams, some of which are even sponsored and have international reach. Organizations such as Denial, AHQ, and MLG have multiple eSports leagues.

And to really understand the scope of all this, consider that the prize pool for the latest Dota 2 tournament was more than $20 million.

Websites even exist for eSports live scores to let people track the competitions in real time if they are unable to watch. There are even fantasy eSports leagues similar to fantasy football, along with the large and growing scene of eSports betting and gambling.

So it's understandable why traditional media companies would want to capitalize on this growing trend just before it floods into the mainstream. Approximately 300 million people worldwide tune in to eSports today, and that number is growing rapidly. By 2020, that number will be closer to 500 million.

eSports Industry Analysis - The Future of the Competitive Gaming Market

Financial institutions are starting to take notice. Goldman Sachs valued eSports at $500 million in 2016 and expects the market will grow at 22% annually compounded over the next three years into a more than $1 billion opportunity.

And industry statistics are already backing this valuation and demonstrating the potential for massive earnings. To illustrate the market value, market growth, and potential earnings for eSports, consider Swedish media company Modern Times Group's $87 million acquisition of Turtle Entertainment, the holding company for ESL. YouTube has made its biggest eSports investment to date by signing a multiyear broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream the latter's Esports Championship Series. And the NBA will launch its own eSports league in 2018.

Of course, as with any growing phenomenon, the question becomes: How do advertisers capitalize? This is especially tricky for eSports because of its audience demographics, which is young, passionate, male-dominated, and digital-first. They live online and on social media, are avid ad-blockers, and don't watch traditional TV or respond to conventional advertising.

So what will the future of eSports look like? How high can it climb? Could it reach the mainstream popularity of baseball or football? How will advertisers be able to reach an audience that does its best to shield itself from advertising?

Robert Elder, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled an unparalleled report on the eSports ecosystem that dissects the growing market for competitive gaming. This comprehensive, industry-defining report contains more than 30 charts and figures that forecast audience growth, average revenue per user, and revenue growth.

Companies and organizations mentioned in the report include: NFL, NBA, English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Ligue de Football, Twitch, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Valve, Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, ESL, Turtle Entertainment, Dreamhack, Modern Times Group, Turner Broadcasting, TBS Network, Vivendi, Canal Plus, Dailymotion, Disney, BAMTech, Intel, Coca Cola, Red Bull, HTC, Mikonet

Here are some eSports industry facts and statistics from the report:

• eSports is a still nascent industry filled with commercial opportunity.
• There are a variety of revenue streams that companies can tap into.
• The market is presently undervalued and has significant room to grow.
• The dynamism of this market distinguishes it from traditional sports.
• The audience is high-value and global, and its numbers are rising.
• Brands can prosper in eSports by following the appropriate game plan.
• Game publishers approach their Esport ecosystems in different ways.  
• Successful esport games are comprised of the same basic ingredients.
• Digital streaming platforms are spearheading the popularity of eSports.
• Legacy media are investing into eSports, and seeing encouraging results.
• Traditional sports franchises have a clear opportunity to seize in eSports.
• Virtual and augmented reality firms also stand to benefit from eSports.  

In full, the report illuminates the business of eSports from four angles:

• The gaming nucleus of eSports, including an overview of popular esport genres and games; the influence of game publishers, and the spectrum of strategies they adopt toward their respective esport scenes; the role of eSports event producers and the tournaments they operate.
• The eSports audience profile, its size, global reach, and demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes; the underlying factors driving its growth; why they are an attractive target for brands and broadcasters; and the significant audience and commercial crossover with traditional sports.
• eSports media broadcasters, including digital avant-garde like Twitch and YouTube, newer digital entrants like Facebook and traditional media outlets like Turner’s TBS Network, ESPN, and Canal Plus; their strategies and successes in this space; and the virtual reality opportunity.
• eSports market economics, with a market sizing, growth forecasts, and regional analyses; an evaluation of the eSports spectacle and its revenue generators, some of which are idiosyncratic to this industry; strategic planning for brand marketers, with case studies; and an exploration of the infinite dynamism and immense potential of the eSports economy.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

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NOW WATCH: 7 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 2 of 'Game of Thrones'

In Stephen Colbert's opening monologue on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Monday, the host went after Trump for being slow to condemn the white supremacist "Unite the Right" protesters in Charlottesville this past weekend.

Saturday, white supremacist protesters marched in Charlottesville, Virginia for the "Unite the Right" rally that resulted in three deaths. One of those was Heather Heyer, who was killed when a "Unite the Right" protester drove his car into a group of counter-protestors.

In Colbert's monologue, he addressed the white supremacist rally and criticized Trump for taking two days to condemn Neo-Nazism and white supremacy. 

"You know what's not hard to say? Nazis are bad," Colbert said.  

Colbert slammed the president for saying he condemned "many sides" of the protest initially. Colbert asked how Trump could condemn anyone if he doesn't say who he's condemning. 

Colbert went on to say that Trump is usually so quick to react to the things that he hates, and began listing off a number of things that Trump had been very vocal about disliking in the past, from Hillary Clinton to the movie "Django Unchained."

Colbert's episode, which also featured the first interview with former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci since his firing, made "The Late Show" the highest-rated Monday telecast since Colbert took over, according to Variety.

You can watch Colbert's opening monologue here:

SEE ALSO: 'Does he order his spine on Amazon Prime?': Stephen Colbert torches Trump during Anthony Scaramucci interview

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 8 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 4 of 'Game of Thrones'

We all need sleep.

But that doesn't mean we all require the same amount of shut eye every night.

Everyone is different when it comes to how much sleep they need, reports INSIDER's Sarah Schmalbruch. Generally speaking, 7.5 hours a night is a pretty average number.

However, many famous individuals tend to skimp on the rest, staying up late and waking up at ungodly hours in order to get a head start on the rest of us. It's a trend that some business execs like Thrive Global founder Arianna Huffington are pushing back against by encouraging people to take sleep seriously.

Here's a list of how much sleep 15 successful people usually get, from the famously sleep-avoidant US President Donald Trump to Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, who always gets in more than eight hours:

SEE ALSO: 5 successful people who always get a full night of sleep

DON'T MISS: 11 successful people who get by on hardly any sleep

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NOW WATCH: Here's why white noise helps us sleep

In an effort to root out spam and abusive comments from its app, Instagram has been using DeepText — a deep-learning, word categorization system pioneered by its parent company Facebook — to separate good text from harmful text, and eliminate the latter.

And according to a recent Wired profile, Instagram has been testing DeepText's ability to fight "mean comments" by feeding the system a variety of clean and explicit material including, notably, Kanye West lyrics.

Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom began using DeepText to successfully fight spam posts after the release of the "near-human," text-understanding AI last June.

In June of this year, Systrom turned to the more complex task of eliminating mean comments from the app through DeepText — a formidable undertaking that requires the AI system to assess the context of potentially abusive, and often enigmatic, posts.

So far, according to the report, user response to the tool has been "reasonably positive," if unnoticed. But it does have some notable issues. 

For instance, DeepText has had difficulty with words and slang that have different meanings across cultures. And it also has trouble distinguishing Kanye West lyrics from abusive insults when Instagram employees feed it such content, as the report details of West's controversial song "Famous":

"Every line in this sequence got banned when it was put through: 'For my southside n----- that know me best / I feel like me and Taylor still might have sex / Why, I made that b---h famous.'"

Read the full Wired profile here (spotted via Complex). 

SEE ALSO: The most popular music artist in every state, according to Pandora

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NOW WATCH: 8 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 4 of 'Game of Thrones'

Daniel Craig has finally broken his silence and talked publicly about if he will return to play James Bond once again.

"I'd hate to burst the bubble, but no decision has been made at the moment," Craig told Morning Magic 106.7 in Boston on Tuesday. "There's a lot of noise out there and nothing official has been confirmed and I'm not, like, holding out for more money or doing anything like that. It's just all very personal decisions to be made at the moment. I know they're desperate to get going and I would in theory love to do it, but there is no decision just yet."

So there you have it. Despite numerousreports that Craig will be returning as 007 for the 25th Bond movie, which was announced in July will be released on November 8, 2019, it sounds like Craig is still working things out.

Craig will be seen next in Steven Soderbergh's heist movie, "Logan Lucky," which opens in theaters Friday.

Craig has been playing James Bond since 2006's "Casino Royale." His last movie as Bond, 2015's "Spectre," grossed over $880 million worldwide. However, leading up to the release of the movie Craig seemed to tire of the role, now famously stating that he'd rather "slit my wrists" than play Bond again.

SEE ALSO: Daniel Craig didn't break character on his weird voice while shooting "Logan Lucky"

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NOW WATCH: Pokémon Go's first real-world event was a complete disaster — here's what happened

Bringing a record-setting, eight-year streak to a close, Drake is absent from the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the first time since 2009, Billboard reports.

The Toronto rapper first appeared on the chart with his debut single, "Best I Ever Had," in May 2009.

He then spent a record 431 straight weeks with one or more songs on the singles chart, before his most recent entries, "Passionfruit" and "Signs," both dropped from the list this week.

In May, as Billboard notes, Drake became the first artist to stay on the chart for eight straight years. 

His highest peaking single, "One Dance," is also his only song to reach No. 1 on the chart.

The current standing for artists with the most consecutive weeks on the chart is as follows, via Billboard:

431, Drake
326, Lil Wayne
216, Rihanna
207, Nicki Minaj
161, Chris Brown
159, JAY-Z
152, Nelly
141, Kenny Chesney
139, Destiny's Child
139, Katy Perry
139, Taylor Swift

Listen to Drake's latest single, "Signs," below:

SEE ALSO: The most popular artist in every state, according to Pandora

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NOW WATCH: 7 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 2 of 'Game of Thrones'

Stephen Colbert took time in his opening monologue on "The Late Show" to address President Donald Trump's heated press conference Tuesday, in which Trump walked back his earlier condemnation of the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, and blamed counter-protesters who opposed white nationalist groups there.

"Even though many criticized how long it took, the president knew the right thing was to make a statement on Monday, be clear about who was to blame, and then move on to the people's business," Colbert said.

"I'm just kidding. He held a press conference today in, I believe, the 7th circle of hell," he quipped.

Impersonating Trump, Colbert said, "OK, I wait for the facts, OK? Just ask the millions of illegal voters who refused to look for Obama's birth certificate during my record-breaking inauguration."

"But it kept coming back to Charlottesville, and once again, Donald Trump wasn't fully sure whether the Nazis should get all the blame," Colbert said, before playing a clip of Trump's earlier remarks.

"I think there's blame on both sides," Trump said in the selected clip. "And I have no doubt about it, and you don't have any doubt about it either."

"The only thing I'm doubting right now, is whether you're still going to be president by Friday," Colbert said as the audience cheered. "Because, what the hell are you talking about?"

Watch the clip below:

SEE ALSO: Anthony Scaramucci rips 'leaker' Steve Bannon: 'If it were up to me, he would be gone'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Chris Christie ruined his relationship with Trump because the president is a germaphobe

There's something about a good heist movie that makes going to the multiplex worthwhile.

With the high stakes, and the top-shelf actors and directors who seem to gravitate to the genre, when it's done right, it can be a thrilling cinematic experience.

As Steven Soderbergh dives back into the genre with the excellent "Logan Lucky" on Friday (in which Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and Daniel Craig try to rob a NASCAR race), we thought it was a good time to look back on the classics of the genre.

Here are the 21 best heist movies of all time, ranked:

SEE ALSO: Steven Soderbergh has a new plan to make Hollywood movies outside the control of big studios

21. "A Fish Called Wanda"

John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin play a bumbling group who commit a robbery of very pricey diamonds and then try to con one another out of the loot. Cleese and Palin are at top form, and Kline's portrayal of a cocky American earned him an Oscar win for best supporting actor.  

20. “Mission: Impossible”

Though Tom Cruise's first time playing Ethan Hunt showed off all of the fun spy aspects of the franchise, it also had a very elaborate heist element. Hunt breaking into CIA headquarters to steal the "NOC" list is a highlight of the film.

19. “Bottle Rocket”

For Wes Anderson's directorial debut, he cast then-unknown brothers Luke and Owen Wilson as friends who plan the heist of a factory only for things to go horribly wrong.

After poaching two TV veterans in June to run its TV and movie business, Apple is ready to drop $1 billion in the next year to make original content, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.

That makes Apple a real player in Hollywood, something the town has been anticipating ever since Netflix and Amazon crashed into the market with big budgets.

Apple's $1 billion is about half of what HBO spends on programming (about $2 billion in 2016, and a "couple billion dollars" this year). Earlier this year, JPMorgan estimated that Amazon would spend $4.5 billion on video in 2017, though we don't have an official number. And Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos said recently that Netflix will spend about $7 billion next year for content.

The Journal says this $1 billion could go to fund "as many as 10 television shows." And it will likely include at least a few prestige shows, in the vein of Netflix's "House of Cards," to start former Sony execs Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg's reign off with a bang.

Apple and Hollywood

Apple's road to Hollywood has been rocky so far. Apple's plans to get a TV package off the ground were stymied for years, partially because of Apple's hard-nosed negotiating strategy, former Apple employees told Business Insider.

After acquiring Beats and launching Apple Music, Apple dipped its toe in the TV waters by producing a few original programs for the service. They weren't a runaway success. "Planet of the Apps," an app-focused version of "Shark Tank" with celebrity mentors like Jessica Alba and Will.i.am, was mocked by critics. And Apple's "Carpool Karaoke" spinoff was delayed for months for unspecified reasons, before debuting this month.

Apple's upcoming series helmed by Dr. Dre, "Vital Signs," a semi-autobiographical scripted series about his life, is nowhere to been. Production began in February 2016, and there were subsequent reshoots, people familiar with the production told Business Insider.

But that era lacked a cohesive strategy, with various Apple execs involved in shows on a case-by-case basis, according to insiders.

Now it's Erlicht and Van Amburg's turn, and they have $1 billion to play with. 

SEE ALSO: Inside Apple’s rocky road to Hollywood, and what happened to Dr. Dre’s show

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 7 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 3 of 'Game of Thrones'

Warning: Spoilers for "Game of Thrones" season seven. If you aren't caught up on the series, read at your own risk. 

Remember when Daenerys rode Drogon and fried the Lannister army? That battle sequence was inspired by "Apocalypse Now."

Business Insider recently talked to Robert McLachlan, a “Game of Thrones” cinematographer who worked on season seven episodes “The Spoils of War“ and “Eastwatch.”

McLachlan talked about why he loves working with smoke, what inspired the look and feel of the Loot Train Attack, and why a health and safety officer had to interfere with production. He also told us about a simply lit scene from “Eastwatch” that he is obsessed with.

Beyond this season, McLachlan has worked on other big "Game of Thrones" episodes including season three's "The Rains of Castamere" and "Mhysa," as well as season five's "The Dance of Dragons" and "Mother's Mercy."

McLachlan talked about what it was like to shoot such an epic battle sequence for one of the biggest shows on television:

SEE ALSO: Who was the smartest, dumbest, luckiest, and most emotional this week on 'Game of Thrones'

"My initial reaction after reading the outline of this [Loot Train] battle was, 'Oh boy, this is not gonna happen quickly.'"

"My other thought was, 'We're gonna need lots of cuts and shots.' It's a really daunting action sequence. This battle is massive, so it was important to keep the momentum. We were also under a lot of pressure, since the Battle of the Bastards was one of the best battles ever filmed, including television and movies." 

"Our biggest enemy and our biggest ally is mother nature."

"For cinematographers, consistency often measures the quality of our work. So thank goodness there was smoke involved. Smoke helps with consistency when you're shooting exteriors, but I also love the way it looks, especially with the sun shining behind it." 

"For inspiration and reference, director Matt Shakman and I looked at the Napalm scene in 'Apocalypse Now' and 'Saving Private Ryan.'"

McLachlan and Shakman wanted the brutality of the battle to feel realistic.

• Shelby Bonnie helped found CNET in the 1990s. Now he wants to build an artificial intelligence platform for a voice-controlled digital home of the future.
• Pylon ai aspires to be the connective tissue for media companies and advertisers creating content for devices like Amazon's Echo.
• The first publication built for Pylon ai is Tasted, an instructional cooking product.

Shelby Bonnie was one of the earliest pioneers in digital publishing when in 1993 he and Halsey Minor cofounded the tech site CNET.

Now Bonnie sees a chance to be early in a new medium once again – one that may have just as much transformative potential as the web did a quarter century ago.

He's set to roll out Tasted, an audio media brand built for voice assistant devices like Amazon's Echo and Google Home. And the plan is for Tasted to be the first of many new voice-centric "publications" built on a new tech platform Bonnie and his team have produced, dubbed Pylon ai.

While Tasted aims to help chefs access recipes from the web by talking to their various digital assistants (and never having to have their sticky hands touch a keyboard) it's Pylon ai that Bonnie sees as revolutionary.

He's calling the artificial intelligence technology a "conversational development platform," and the aspiration is that it becomes the glue that connects all of a person's devices in a soon-to-be-realized digital home. The vision is that numerous publishers and advertisers will build apps, tools, services and publications using the Pylon software.

"We think [voice] is one of the biggest transformational trends we’ve seen," Bonnie told Business Insider. "It's only meaningful if someone connects them in a really smart way. So imagine if you begin to take AI tech and connect all the things about my life, remember things about me and learn."

"I think this has the ability to be that piece we’ve been missing."

That missing piece will probably take a bit of time to be fully realized. In the near term, Tasted promises to offer some practical content for the growing number of consumers putting Amazon or Google-powered voice devices in their kitchens.

Bonnie and cofounder Mike Tatum has assembled a collection former product and engineering executives from companies like OpenTable, Stubhub and CNET Networks to build out Tasted. In addition, Regan Cafiso, former food editor at Food Network, Martha Stewart and the foodie website Chow has been installed as Tasted's head of content.

Pylon has received seed funding from Index Ventures, Allen & Co and a slew of digital media investors.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Amazon has an oddly efficient way of storing stuff in its warehouses

Following the surprising news on Tuesday that MoviePass would begin a $9.95-a-month subscription service in which members can see one movie a day in US theaters, AMC Theaters has announced it is looking into whether it can block the service.

The largest theater chain in the world issued a statement late Tuesday saying it was consulting with its attorneys on whether it could stop accepting MoviePass.

"AMC believes that holding out to consumers that first-run movies can be watched in theaters at great quantities for a monthly price of $9.95 isn't doing moviegoers any favors," the statement said. "In AMC's view, that price level is unsustainable and only sets up consumers for ultimate disappointment down the road if or when the product can no longer be fulfilled."

That is the biggest question many have in the exhibition world: How will MoviePass be financially sustainable? BoxOfficeMojo says movie tickets in the US cost $8.89 on average. At that price, the company will lose money on a subscriber who sees just two movies a month.

One source told Business Insider it's assumed that the company would be relying on advertising revenue, but MoviePass would have to do huge levels of traffic to really make any money. The service had about 20,000 subscribers in December and hopes to add 100,000 more with the new plan.

"MoviePass was founded to make it easier for passionate moviegoers and casual fans to see films the way they're meant to be seen — in the theater," MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe said in a statement. "Our vision has always been to make the moviegoing experience more affordable and enjoyable for our subscribers. We are changing the way consumers think about going to the movies by making it possible to experience a broader array of films — from the latest summer blockbuster to a critically acclaimed documentary — through a subscription model."

MoviePass announced Tuesday that it had sold a majority stake to the big-data firm Helios and Matheson Analytics to promote a nationwide rollout of its $9.95-a-month plan.

Business Insider contacted the other major US theaters chains, Regal and Cinemark, to see whether either company was planning to attempt to block MoviePass, but neither immediately responded for comment.

SEE ALSO: The 5 biggest winners and losers at the box office this summer — including "Wonder Woman," Rotten Tomatoes, and sequels

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's the first trailer for the second season of 'Westworld'

Warning: Spoilers if you have not seen the newest episodes of "Game of Thrones."

The words "Game of Thrones" normally bring death, destruction, and political intrigue to mind — but that's not all that "Game of Thrones" has to offer.  

There's a lot of romance on "Game of Thrones" that tends to get overlooked in the midst of the battles, and wars between Houses. 

The romantic relationships on "Game of Thrones" range from steamy and loving, to tempestuous and insidious. 

Keeping all of that in mind, we decided to take a look at all of the romantic relationships featured on "Game of Thrones," and rank them from worst to best.

Here they are:

35. Craster and his daughters/wives

Craster is a wildling, and former ally of the Night's Watch known for marrying and sleeping with all of his daughters. Craster also would sacrifice any male children his daughters bore.

Incest, sacrifice, and nonconsensual relationships aren't uncommon occurrences on "Game of Thrones," but the combination of all three makes Craster and his unfortunate daughters/wives the worst relationship on "Game of Thrones."

34. Walder Frey and his child brides

It's hard to consider Walder Frey's relationships with his endless stream of disposable child brides relationships at all.

The nonconsensual nature of Walder Frey's relationships with his young brides makes these so-called relationships some of the all time worst on "Game of Thrones."

33. Sansa Stark and Ramsay Bolton

Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish arranges for Sansa to marry Ramsay, after the Boltons have taken over Winterfell. 

Unsurprisingly, the man who castrated Theon Greyjoy for fun turned out to be a less than stellar husband, physically and psychologically tormenting Sansa.

Sansa exacts revenge upon Ramsay and has him eaten alive by his own dogs, restoring House Stark as the rulers of the North.

When "Sonic the Hedgehog" burst onto the Sega Genesis console in 1991, he was a very impressive little guy. He ran incredibly fast, as did the game he starred in — it was especially impressive compared to pretty much anything else out there.

There was only one problem: "Sonic the Hedgehog" isn't a very good game. 

Your nostalgia-laced memory may be screaming out in anguish at that statement, but revisiting so-called "classic" Sonic games will confirm the assertion. It's fast, and pretty, but not much else — and things haven't gotten better over time.

With "Sonic Mania," that long losing streak is finally broken. Not only is "Sonic Mania" a good Sonic game, it's a good game period. 

SEE ALSO: A new Sonic game is on the way, and it looks exactly like Sonic did 20-plus years ago

"Sonic Mania" isn't just an homage to past Sonic games — it's an homage to your memories of those games.

To be clear, "Sonic Mania" is rife with homage to the long-running "Sonic the Hedgehog" series. Starting with the main title screen and running throughout the game, there are references galore in everything from Sonic's idle animation to the Eggman/Robotnik-themed levels to the many, many secret areas.

But the game itself isn't entirely built on homage — "Sonic Mania" is instead a love letter to your nostalgia. It feels like your rose-tinted memories of playing the original games over 20 years ago, though it's actually a far more modern game. 

It runs at a stunning 60 frames-per-second — quickly and smoothly — which makes Sonic's high-speed movement look better than ever. There's a real sense of momentum to Sonic's speed, like you're controlling a snowball rolling downhill.

What made Sonic games so different from Mario games, aside from speed and visuals, was their sense of momentum. Sonic zooms through loops, flies into the air and catches a downhill just right so as to keep the momentum going — he's like a motorbike more than a Mario-esque character.

"Sonic Mania" captures that feeling perfectly. 

As seen above in an early example, Sonic (followed by Tails, naturally) is rushing downhill to a quarterpipe platform — it's a setup as simple as this that leads to a variety of different gameplay options soon afterward. Perhaps you'll use Sonic's built up momentum to reach an unusually high platform, or perhaps this leap is a red herring and a secret is hiding just below in the next section of level. Perhaps both! In fact, it's very likely that both options are on the table — "Sonic Mania" is full of moments like this where you can choose one of several options. 

This is a classic Sonic trope, of course — branching paths through each level — but "Sonic Mania" makes those paths clearer than ever. When you pair that replayability with the game's snappy controls, "Sonic Mania" embodies everything the series has attempted to achieve. 

"Sonic Mania" looks and sounds and plays like one of the first three "Sonic the Hedgehog" games. In many ways, it's a mash-up of those three games for modern audiences.

"Sonic Mania" starts out as a direct homage. You're playing through Green Hill Zone — the first area in the first "Sonic the Hedgehog" game. The original music is re-created and everything. Things quickly begin to evolve, and one of the first things you'll notice is the incorporation of elements from later Sonic games.

As seen above, one of the game's three playable characters is Knuckles (who first appeared in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3") — you can also play as Tails, the two-tailed fox buddy of Sonic. Both of these guys didn't appear until sequels of the first game arrived.

Moreover, gameplay elements from subsequent Sonic games are scattered throughout "Sonic Mania." You'll encounter computer monitors with elemental power-ups — Sonic of course jumps on and breaks those monitors, thus releasing the magical powers therein. Using these powers in-game adds a sense of invincibility to Sonic's wanton high-speed running, making an already fast-moving game feel all the more speedy. 

George R.R. Martin had very different plans for his "Game of Thrones" characters when he wrote his original outline for the series in 1993. 

Some notable differences included a love triangle between Arya and Jon Snow, a marriage between Sansa and Joffrey (and a baby), and Jaime Lannister sitting on the Iron Throne.

According to Martin's original outline, Jaime ends up killing everyone that comes before him in the line of succession in order to become the king of Westeros. 

Here's the excerpt from Martin's original "Game of Thrones" outline describing Jaime's rise to power:

"Tyrion Lannister will continue to travel, to plot, and to play the game of thrones, finally removing his nephew Joffrey in disgust at the boy king's brutality. Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders. Exiled, Tyrion will change sides, making common cause with the surviving Starks to bring his brother down, and falling helplessly in love with Arya Stark while he's at it. His passion is, alas, unreciprocated, but no less intense for that, and it will lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon Snow."

Jaime is, of course, not sitting on the Iron Throne in the HBO show, but is now standing alongside it while his sister and lover Cersei, who rules the Seven Kingdoms. But the series isn't over yet, and as Cersei continues to execute more and more violent and ill advised plans that threaten the destruction of King's Landing, perhaps the Kingslayer in Jaime will be invigorated once more?

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NOW WATCH: 6 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 5 of 'Game of Thrones'

On Tuesday, MoviePass announced it would be slashing its rates to $9.95 a month. The service, which allows subscribers to see one film a day in theaters, saw such a spike in interest that its website crashed due to the traffic. 

As someone who has been using the service for over a year and who saw his rate cut from $50 a month, I was thrilled. I love going to the movies, and am happy to know that now more people than ever will be making their way to their local cinema. 

For those who just signed up, or for anyone who is still on the fence about joining the service, here's an explanation of how seeing a film through MoviePass works. 

SEE ALSO: The world's largest movie-theater chain is trying to block MoviePass' new $10-a-month plan

There are two components to MoviePass: the smartphone app and the physical card they send you once you sign up. After you receive your card, you can create an account in the app and begin watching movies.

When you open the MoviePass app, you'll find a list of theaters around your current location. If you want to see other theaters available through your subscription, simply change the zip code to your desired location.

Selecting a theater will bring up a list of the day's showtimes. Unfortunately, MoviePass does not let you look at different dates, so you can only browse movie times day-of.

MoviePass only works for standard 2D films, so any IMAX or 3D showings will be greyed-out and you will not be able to select them. 

• "Pokémon Go" finally added Mewtwo, a long-anticipated legendary monster, earlier this week.
• Mewtwo was released at Pikachu Outbreak, an annual festival in Yokohama, Japan, where two million players caught 120 million monsters.
• Unlike its previous big event, the disastrous Pokemon Go Fest in Chicago, the Pikachu Outbreak event was a huge success, foreshadowing big things for "Pokémon Go" in the United States and elsewhere.

Way back in September 2015, the very first trailer for "Pokémon Go" hinged on one completely irresistible image: Hundreds of Pokémon trainers teaming up to take down Mewtwo, a legendary and very popular monster.

When the game launched in June 2016, however, Mewtwo was nowhere to be found. In fact, "Pokémon Go" players didn't even get the opportunity to team up to collect powerful, legendary monsters until a sweeping update earlier this summer.

Well, earlier this week, game developer Niantic officially launched Mewtwo into the world, at a real-life "Pokémon Go" event at Yokohama's annual Pikachu Outbreak festival. And the way Niantic did it wasn't quite as cool as the trailer, but it hints at much bigger things to come when Mewtwo becomes available in the USA. Thank goodness.

Niantic says that in the seven days of the Pikachu Outbreak, two million players caught 120 million Pokémon. Niantic says, too, that it worked with local cell phone companies to make sure that there was enough network capacity, and the resulting event was way more successful than the disastrous Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago.

An outbreak of Pikachu

You can read an on-the-ground account of the Mewtwo event at The Verge. The short version is that it was apparently a little anticlimactic — with so many players fighting Mewtwo, the monster went down in no time. And every player caught Mewtwo on their first try. Still, it was the biggest group event ever held by "Pokémon Go."

For Pikachu Outbreak, Niantic and The Pokémon Company coordinated  to turn the city of Yokohama into a huge "Pokémon Go" play area, with rare monsters like Larvitar, Unown, and a shiny variant of Pikachu dispersed all over the city and its environs.

The centerpiece of the event, though, was the chance to capture Mewtwo.

Ahead of the event, players had to enter a lottery for the chance to enter a local stadium for the chance to battle the mythical monster. Every 15 minutes, a huge group of players were shuttled in to battle the monster en masse, with the occasion marked by a projection of Mewtwo on the scoreboard and special fireworks at the culmination. All in all, "thousands" participated, says Niantic.

Soon, so-called "exclusive raids" will be coming to the United States, giving domestic players their own chances to catch Mewtwo. Those raids will be invite-only, leading big groups of players to the same place at the same time for, hopefully, their own epic battles. 

Whether or not those events match the scale and scope of that original trailer remains to be seen. But Niantic is finally delivering on the game's original promise, bringing us closer and closer to the "Pokémon Go" we've been waiting for. And, hey, if the first time out was anticlimactic, now Niantic can build something better next time.

Now, if the game just adds player-versus-player battling and Pokémon trading, we'll really be set. 

SEE ALSO: Pokémon Go is great again, thanks to its sweeping new update

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NOW WATCH: We went to the 'Pokémon GO Fest' in Chicago that turned into a complete disaster — here's what it was like

Tom Cruise's love for doing his own stunts may have finally caught up with him.

The 55-year-old actor seems to have injured himself attempting a stunt on the London set of "Mission: Impossible 6," and though it's unknown what his condition is, it appears production on the Paramount blockbuster will be put on hold.

According to Variety, production on "M:I 6" will be halted for between six weeks and three months, so that Cruise can heal. A source said the actor may have broken his ankle in two places and hurt his hip. Cruise is to see a doctor this week, and it will then be determined how long production will be halted.

Currently, Paramount is still planning a July 27, 2018 release of the movie, and one source told the trade it's possible the movie could still finish on time, if the focus is put on post production while Cruise is healing, and the studio then shoots the rest of the star's scenes when he returns.

Finishing on time would certainly make life a lot easier for Paramount. Cruise's costars on the movie — Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson — are all either in the midst of working on other projects or will jump right into one when the scheduled end date on "M:I 6" hits. If production is delayed, it could take a lot of maneuvering of schedules (and cooperation with other studios) to get everyone back to complete the latest movie in Paramount's money-making franchise.

The previous "Mission: Impossible" movie, 2015's "Rogue Nation," earned over $682 million worldwide at the box office.

The Cruise injury could also affect the filming and release of his next project, the "Top Gun" sequel.

On Sunday, TMZ released video of Cruise missing his mark when jumping from one roof top to another on the set of "Mission: Impossible 6." He crashed into the side of the building he was jumping to. After pulling himself onto the roof, he began limping. 

Business Insider contacted Paramount and Cruise's rep for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

Here's video of Cruise attempting the stunt:

SEE ALSO: How to use MoviePass, the $10-a-month service that let's you see one movie pre day in theaters

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NOW WATCH: Pokémon Go's first real-world event was a complete disaster — here's what happened