Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all 101934 articles
Browse latest View live

The man behind the excellent new 'God of War' breaks down in reaction to the game's success: 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm glad I didn't f--- it up.'

0
0

God of War (2018)

  • The new "God of War" game is excellent, and critics are singing the game's praises.
  • After working on the game for five years, director Cory Barlog filmed himself looking at reviews for the first time.
  • As he realized that the game was universally praised, Barlog broke down and began crying.
  • "Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he said, "I'm glad I didn't f--- it up."


Making video games is a tremendously hard job. Making huge blockbuster video games like the new "God of War" is even harder.

Game director Cory Barlog has been working on bringing the new "God of War" to life for the past five years. More specifically, Barlog and dozens of other people have been working on bringing it to life. 

The weight of that is clearly weighing on Barlog. 

In a video he posted to his personal YouTube channel on Thursday, Barlog visibly broke down upon seeing the impressively high score "God of War" received from nearly 100 critics on reviews aggregation site Metacritic

Cory Barlog (Sony Santa Monica/God of War)

The game's currently sitting at a 95/100 average score, making it the highest-rated game of 2018 thus far. If you're looking for even more confirmation of how good the new "God of War" is, look no further than our own glowingly positive review.

Barlog paused from looking at reviews to say, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm glad I didn't f--k it up." 

More than just an outrageously expensive project, the new "God of War" is a major reboot for an important Sony franchise. There's a lot riding on it being a major success, meeting or exceeding the bar set by the original games. It's a platform for re-establishing a major Sony franchise. 

It's not the same magnitude, but it wouldn't be far-off to compare Barlog's task here with that of J.J. Abrams in the new "Star Wars" movies — there's a lot of baggage to deal with, and a lot of money involved, and a lot of passionate fans with strong opinions. "God of War" has been a major Sony franchise since 2005, starting on the PlayStation 2.

Like the new "Star Wars" movies, the new "God of War" takes major characters and established series norms to new places. It's an evolution of the series in every sense, from the main character, to the gameplay, to the universe it's set within. 

God of War (2018)

Barlog is clearly aware of the risk involved here.

"I'm not gonna bulls--t you — I was freaked out, man," he said in the video. "I guess I didn't want to believe that others would see it was we saw it. Sometimes a crazy idea can make something special."

You can watch the full video right here:

SEE ALSO: The new 'God of War' on PS4 is the first must-play game of 2018

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 5 hidden features only PlayStation 4 power users know about


The new 'God of War' is one of the best-looking games ever made — see for yourself

0
0

god of war ps4

The new "God of War" game, which launches as a PlayStation 4 exclusive this week, is one of the best-looking games ever made. Period.

Sony was kind enough to provide us with a review copy of the game a few weeks before launch, but while we don't want to spoil the game or any of its many surprises, we'd love to give you an idea of the kind of visual treat customers are in for.

All of these images show actual gameplay, and were captured on a PlayStation 4. Note: The thin black bars around the screen are present if you play the regular PS4 version of "God of War," but do not exist on the PlayStation 4 Pro version. It's hardly noticeable, but makes it possible for this incredibly visual game to run on years-old hardware.

Take an early look at "God of War" (don't worry — no spoilers here):







See the rest of the story at Business Insider

1 out of 5 US homes with wifi now have a smart speaker like the Amazon Echo

0
0

Smart speakers have been a hot ticket item in recent years. Products by Amazon, Google and Apple, which allow consumers to play music, order food and get news just by talking to the device, have already experienced a surprisingly strong adoption in the US market. 

This chart by Statista which is based on comScore data, shows that 20% of homeowners with wifi have at least one active smart speaker. That percentage will be inching up as well, if the past few months are any indication of the device's steadily increasing adoption rate.

Chart of day

SEE ALSO: Uber and Lyft might be taking over the streets — but the ride-sharing economy still has a long way to go http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-lyft-ride-sharing-still-not-mainstream-adoption-charts-2018-4

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How does MoviePass make money?

Disney World cast members share the 7 annoying things they wish park-goers would stop doing

0
0

Walt Disney World princess rapunzel tangled

  • Walt Disney Worldemployees, also known as cast members, are trained in the art of creating a positive experience for guests.
  • But some visitors to the famed Orlando park don't make things easy for the people who work there.
  • Business Insider spoke with eight former Disney World cast members to get an idea of the most annoying guest behaviors.
  • From overly aggressive pin-hunting to blaming cast members for bad weather, these are the things sure to annoy or concern Disney World cast members.

Walt Disney World cast members interact with a ton of guests every year — as many as 20.4 million people visited the park in 2016.

But for employees, also known as cast members, not every interaction with a guest is going to be positive and seamless.

John Quagliano, a former cast member, told Business Insider that most guests were perfectly nice to cast members.

"But at the same time, a lot of people can be really testy," he said.

Quagliano, who worked in the Magic Kingdom, added that he understood why some Disney visitors might be on edge at the park.

"People have just spent this much money to have this wonderful vacation and come to Florida, and then all of a sudden they get to the park and they realize 'Whoa, my family and I maybe have to stand in line for 20 minutes,' or 'It's raining, and now the ride's closed down,'" Quagliano said. "A water's $3, so they get thirsty and they say, 'I just spent four grand on a hotel — how is the water $3?'"

But former cast members say there are some things visitors can avoid doing to avoid antagonizing them.

Business Insider recently spoke to eight people who participated in the Disney College Program at Disney World. Here are the annoying guest behaviors they said they wished would stop.

SEE ALSO: A look inside the daily routine of Walt Disney, who wandered through the office after hours and always carried snacks in his pockets

DON'T MISS: 11 insider facts about working at Walt Disney World only cast members know

READ MORE: 20 cities are left in the running for Amazon's second headquarters — and the story of Disney's secret hunt for land nearly 60 years ago could predict how Amazon's HQ2 will change its home city

Getting mad while waiting in line

At Disney World, the lines can get long, and heat and boredom can cause tempers to flare.

But one former cast member who operated rides like The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and The Mad Tea Party, told Business Insider that now that she had worked at the park, she'd "never get upset at a merge point, when a cast member lets all of the FastPass line go and not standby."

"There's a certain expectation in terms of how that is done — and knowing that, I am more than willing to be patient with the cast member at merge because I know they're just doing their job," she told Business Insider.



Ignoring cast members' instructions — especially when it comes to safety precautions

"A lot of guests sort of ignored safety-related directions," Devin Melendy, a former cast member who wrote "Devin Earns Her Ears: My Secret Walt Disney World Cast Member Diary," told Business Insider.

Melendy, who worked in Frontierland, said she often helped with crowd control during park parades. She said she felt uncomfortable when she had to ask guests to move to a better location and often got attitude in response.

Quagliano agreed, saying he sometimes encountered guests who were reluctant to comply with requests like moving strollers to the side to avoid blocking foot traffic.

"We don't tell people what to do just for the sake of doing it," Melendy said. "Disney is very devoted to safety and making sure that guests are happy and in a safe zone. We don't do it for fun — it's so everyone can enjoy the park and the parades in a safe manner."



Debating height requirements for rides

"You'll have guests try to argue about the height requirement when they're at the front of the line," Christina Hartless, a former Disney cast member, told Business Insider. "You'll have guests who try to stuff their kids' shoes."

Hartless worked at the Epcot attraction The Sum of All Thrills, which allowed guests to design a simulated roller-coaster experience.

The ride had two height requirements: You had to be 48 inches tall to ride and 54 inches tall to use the feature that would flip the attraction upside down.

As a result, Hartless said, she often encountered people who'd try to persuade cast members to look the other way when it came to height requirements.

"I once had a family tell me that they had come all the way from Brazil just so their 3-year-old could ride that ride," she said, "which I kind of doubted."

Fortunately, Disney World's website allows you to check which rides have height requirements before you waste your time waiting in line and bugging cast members.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

15 tips and tricks to play and win at Fortnite Battle Royale, the most popular game in the world right now

0
0

fortnite

In just about seven months, "Fortnite Battle Royale" has become the hottest game in the world.

The game is not only free-to-play for anyone, it's also everywhere you could possibly play a video game: It's a free download for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, but also iOS. It's coming soon to Android.

The gist of "Fortnite Battle Royale" is simple: 100 players are dropped onto an island with a constantly-shrinking "safe zone." There are weapons and special items scattered all over the island. The goal is to be the last person standing at the end.

"Fortnite Battle Royale" may seem straightforward, but it's actually a very nuanced game with plenty of depth. And knowledge, in addition to fast reflexes, is crucial to surviving and winning the 100-person battle royale.

And so, here are 15 tips and tricks to win at "Fortnite Battle Royale":

1. Take advantage of the training area before the game starts.

Before every game, all of the players are loaded into a lobby of sorts, where you'll be able to pick up a few weapons and materials to practice shooting and building, respectively. If you're feeling unsure about controls, use this time to get familiar.



2. Use your pickaxe on everything you can, especially at the start of each game.

Every character in "Fortnite Battle Royale" carries an indestructible pickaxe, and almost every object in the game can be destroyed with your pickaxe. Just hit it repeatedly to gather its materials — wood, metal, or brick — which you'll use to build forts, ramps, walls, and defenses.

Gathering materials early on is the key to a good defense in "Fortnite Battle Royale." The best players break everything apart from the very start of the game, from trees to boxes and even walls and floors.



3. Learn to build. Building is the key to your defense, and defense often means survival.

This is crucial for newcomers. Practice making quick buildings and ramps around your character in just a few seconds, which can save your character if you're getting shot at. Practice building to climb mountains and buildings quickly. Keep practicing. Building is your best mode of transport in "Fortnite," but it's also your very best defense aside from the potions and Med Kits you'll find strewn around the island.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

MoviePass is losing $20 million a month — and starting to look a lot like a famous dot-com bust (HMNY)

0
0

Moviepass

  • One of the lessons of the dot-com bust was that services that seem too good to be true probably are.
  • Since it dropped its price to $10 a month, MoviePass, the subscription movie ticket service, has seemed to be just that — too good to be true.
  • Executives insisted the service was rationally priced and the company was developing a valuable asset in its large and growing subscriber base.
  • But documents released showed the company is doing just what skeptics suspected — losing gobs of money.


Of all the companies that came and went in the dot-com boom and bust, the one I most regret not using before it died was Kozmo.com.

Kozmo was essentially an online convenience store. At just about any hour, you could place an order for whatever it was you were in need of at that moment, and the company would deliver it — quickly and for free.

Because it didn't have a minimum order size, you could get away with ordering a single candy bar or a pack of gum. A buddy of mine, after getting a song stuck in his head, would go on Kozmo and order a single CD to be delivered to his house.

The service was so amazing at the time, it sounded too good to be true.

And, of course, it was.

It turned out that once you factored in delivery costs, Kozmo was losing money on every sale. Its net loss in 1999, the last year it publicly disclosed, was $29 million which was 8 times the size of its meager total revenue for that year. By the time Kozmo shut down in 2001 — four years after it launched — it had burned through $250 million in venture capital funding and had little left to show for it.

The lessons of Kozmo and other, similar dot-com busts have kept coming back to me repeatedly in recent months, particularly as the craze over MoviePass continues.

MoviePass has been a big hit with consumers — but that's its problem

By now, you've probably heard about MoviePass. It's the company that offers a subscription service that allows you to attend one movie each day in the theaters for only $10 a month.

MoviePass has actually been around since 2011, but barely made a stir with the general public until it cut its rates to the $10 price in August. Since then, its service has taken off, hitting 1 million subscribers before the end of last year and 2 million by February. Just by itself, MoviePass bought 1 million tickets to "Black Panther" for subscribers.

But ever since MoviePass made a splash by announcing its $10 a month plan, I've thought there was something very Kozmo-like about it. The company's service sounded just too good to be true.

moviepass CEO mitch loweThe average price of a single movie ticket was almost $9 last year, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners. At that price, MoviePass subscribers starts saving money by using the service with the second movie they see each month. Each movie they see after that each month is essentially free.

Things are even better for customers in areas such as New York and San Francisco, where ticket prices are generally significantly more than the average, and often top $10. Subscribers in those areas can often save money on the very first movie ticket they buy each month if they use MoviePass. And if customers signed up for the annual plan that MoviePass temporarily offered — which averaged about $7.50 a month— they can save even more money.

That's a great deal for consumers. But it's a recipe for disaster for a company. The whole thinking behind MoviePass is to encourage consumers to get back into the habit of watching movies in theaters. But it loses money on anyone who sees more than one movie in a month. And the customers that use the service the most are the ones that cost the company the most money.

MoviePass has been publicly dismissing concerns

MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe, a former Netflix executive, has been shrugging off these concerns. Instead of the price being irrationally low, Lowe has argued that the service is priced just right. The average casual moviegoer only sees about one movie a month, meaning that the service is priced at around breakeven for them and for the company.

Meanwhile, MoviePass is building up a valuable asset in the form of its large and growing subscriber base, Lowe has argued. Theaters and other companies will pay to advertise to them, he's predicted. And theater chains will end up offering the company discounted tickets and a cut of concession sales, figuring that MoviePass is helping to bring in more viewers to their venues than they'd otherwise have, he's said.

That's a nice dream, but as MoviePass' parent company made clear this week, its reality is much closer to what I believed it to be — MoviePass is losing money hand over fist.

But the company's business model looks a lot like a dot-com bust

The company's annual report indicates that MoviePass is spending far more money buying tickets than it's getting in subscription revenues, a business model that Kozmo would have been familiar with.

Thanks to that, as Business Insider reported, MoviePass has been burning through about $20 million a month since September. Just between December 19 and February 20, parent company Helios and Matheson, which only took control of MoviePass on December 11, advanced MoviePass nearly $56 million to support its operations, Helios disclosed in its annual report this week. Helios gave MoviePass another $35 million between March 1 and April 12.

In fact, MoviePass is burning through money so quickly that Helios had to go to the public markets to raise more funds. And even after raising $30 million this week, it warned investors that it would need to keep raising money.

MoviePass has become such an albatross for Helios that the company's auditors issued a warning in its annual report that there was substantial doubt it would remain in business over the next year.

That too was familiar. We saw a lot of similar "going concern" warnings during the dot-com bust.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Lowe and MoviePass will pull this out. Maybe the company won't be our era's version of Kozmo.

But right now, I feel like I've seen this movie before, and I know the ending.

SEE ALSO: A Wall Street analyst thinks he's figured out the real price Netflix would need to charge to break even — and he says it would destroy the company's growth

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How does MoviePass make money?

The 22 top Marvel Cinematic Universe sidekicks and supporting heroes, ranked from worst to best

0
0

black panther danai gurira

When you think about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, popular heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, and Black Panther probably spring to mind first. Or you might even think about the notable villains like Loki and Killmonger.

But the MCU is also rich with memorable supporting characters that have made their mark on their respective movies. Standouts like the rock-man Korg in "Thor: Ragnarok" or Black Panther's technologically savvy sister Shuri stole the show in great movies.

Business Insider has gathered 22 of the most memorable (some more than others) supporting heroes and "sidekicks" in the MCU and ranked them worst to best. These are the characters that aren't necessarily "Avengers" (yet) but could be; or they are regular people who have provided immense support.

Love interests like Natalie Portman's character in "Thor" and Rachel McAdams in "Doctor Strange" were left off the list because the MCU unfortunately casts talented actresses in wasted, underwritten roles. There are, though, a couple exceptions, like Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts in the "Iron Man" movies and Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia in "Black Panther," who have memorable roles that stand apart from the main character.

Below are 22 notable supporting heroes and sidekicks in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ranked:

SEE ALSO: All the Marvel Cinematic Universe details you need to remember before seeing 'Avengers: Infinity War'

22. Ned ("Spider-Man: Homecoming")

Played by Jacob Batalon

Ned, Peter Parker's best friend, doesn't really do much in "Homecoming" aside from providing comic relief. He does help Parker unlock some cool features in his Spider suit, but that's about it.



21. Erik Selvig ("Thor" and "The Avengers")

Played by Stellan Skarsgård

The astrophysicist Selvig was first introduced in 2011 in "Thor" and reprised his role in "The Avengers," and then the sequels to both of those movies. You probably wouldn't realize that he's shown up that much in the MCU, even though he's been a big help to Thor and the Avengers, because he's kind of forgettable. And he spends much of "The Avengers" brainwashed. 



20. Harley ("Iron Man 3")

Played by Ty Simpkins

Harley is a very, very supporting character who shows up in "Iron Man 3" and helps Tony Stark after his armor shuts down and leaves him stranded. The movie is so divisive, though, that perhaps the one thing most people can agree on is that this kid is the best part of the movie. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 17 worst sequels to great movies, ranked

0
0

terminator genisys

Whenever a critically acclaimed movie does well at the box office, Hollywood studios are eager to throw money into a follow-up picture or even a series of sequels.

But some movie premises aren't meant to be extended.

And many, many sequels aren't executed with the thought or care of their far-superior original films, especially in series that have stretched over many years — as one sees in the chasm of quality between "The Terminator" (1984) and "Terminator Genisys" (2015). 

We adapted this ranking from our list of the worst sequels of all time, selecting the films that had a vast discrepancy in Rotten Tomatoes critic scores between their terrible sequels and great originals. 

Here are 17 of the worst sequels to great movies, ranked by the increasing discrepancies in their critical reception:

SEE ALSO: The 44 worst movies made by iconic directors — from Spielberg to Scorsese

17. "Friday After Next" (2002)

Critic score: 26%

Sequel to: "Friday" (1995) — 74%

Discrepancy: 48%

What critics said: "The jokes are sophomoric, stereotypes are sprinkled everywhere and the acting ranges from bad to bodacious." — San Francisco Chronicle



16. "Batman & Robin"

Critic score: 10%

Sequel to: "Batman" (1989) — 72%

Discrepancy: 62%

What critics said: "A sniggering, exhausting, overproduced extravaganza that has virtually all of the humanity pounded out of it in the name of an endless parade of stunt sequences." — Chicago Tribune



15. "The Fly II" (1989)

Critic score: 27%

Sequel to: "The Fly" (1986) — 91%

Discrepancy: 64%

What critics said: "It's got nothing on Cronenberg's original - or the Vincent Price classic" — Sunday Times



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This luxurious hotel room is also a crazy paradise for gamers — take a look inside

0
0

gamer hotel room thumbnail

Panama City has a lot to offer tourists. Gorgeous beaches, historic sites, and a lively downtown area are just a few of the many attractions that bring millions of tourists from all over the world to the Central American city every year. 

But if you're not into any of that outdoorsy stuff, you might enjoy a stay in this crazy hotel room, designed to be a gamer's paradise, at the Panama City Hilton Hotel. The room was created by the Latin American division of PC company Alienware — a subsidiary of Dell — and showcased in a video this week touting the room in all its glory.

The room is decked out with Alienware gaming tech, and it's like nothing you've ever seen:

 

SEE ALSO: The new 'God of War' is one of the best-looking games ever made — see for yourself

A high-end Alienware PC and VR-gaming setup dominates the room, all centered around a racing-style gamer chair, pointed at a massive 65-inch TV. It reportedly costs $349 a night.

The room also features the usual hotel stuff: Two queen beds, cable access, full bathroom, and so on. 

Source: Xataka



A close up of the battle station shows an Alienware Aurora desktop, a high-end gaming PC that starts at $899.99, and a color-changing backlit gaming keyboard, complimented with two Xbox controllers and an Oculus Rift VR headset.

The equipment in this photo is worth at least $1,500, by even the most modest of estimates.



If you happen to bring a guest with you and want to play a few rounds of "Fortnite: Battle Royale," they can use the Alienware gaming laptop conveniently right behind the main chair.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

14 movies playing at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival that should be on your radar

0
0

tully focus features

Beginning on Wednesday, the Tribeca Film Festival kicks off another year of spotlighting fascinating movies, TV shows, and the latest projects from the world of virtual reality.

That isn't even mentioning the anniversary screenings of treasured classics like “Schindler’s List" and “Scarface,” accompanied by talks with the legends behind the works.

But not everyone can make it to New York City to take in all the fun. Here are 14 movies showing at the fest that you should seek out when they are eventually released in theaters and streaming.

SEE ALSO: "Westworld" season 2 is even better than the first and transcends the last sci-fi tropes holding it back

“The American Meme”

This documentary looks at the people who are famous for being famous — Paris Hilton, The Fat Jew, Emily Ratajkowski, among others — and dissects what you really have to do to become a social media brand. [Seeking distribution]



“Disobedience”

Following up his best foreign film Oscar for “A Fantastic Woman,” Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio gives us the story of a taboo romance set in North London’s Orthodox Jewish community, starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams. [Released by Bleecker Street on April 27]



“The Fourth Estate”

Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus (“What Happened, Miss Simone?”) looks at the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency from inside one of the papers he criticizes the most: The New York Times. [Airing on Showtime May 27]



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How The Rock conquered the China box office and proved he's the biggest movie star on the planet (TWX)

0
0

Rampage 3 Warner Bros

  • With its $55 million opening-weekend take in China, Dwayne Johnson's latest movie, "Rampage," is further evidence he's one of the few actors who can bring in major coin across the world.
  • But his dominance in China, the world's second-largest movie market, has been years in the making.

For many studio heads these days, glancing at how their latest movie did in China is in some ways more important than seeing how it did in North America. That is because things are changing drastically for an industry in which the domestic box office had been considered the true indicator of a movie's worth for over a century.

Since the early 2000s, the movie market in China has gone from almost nonexistent to second behind only the US. And it could become No. 1 by 2020, as movie theaters continue to be built at a hurried pace to feed the interest of not just the Hollywood titles but those made by the country's burgeoning homegrown production industry.

Everyone in Hollywood is trying to figure out how to navigate this sea change. Which stories work best? Which are duds? And which movie stars can rake in the cash?

That last one has become an easy answer: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

His latest CGI (and testosterone) heavy blockbuster, "Rampage," won the US box office over the weekend with a $35.8 million take for its studio Warner Bros. But what the movie did in China has the studio ecstatic, as it took in $55.2 million there as part of a $115.7 million international gross.

But this is far from an overnight success. The Rock has been big in China for a while.

Dominance years in the making

Johnson's elevation to a global box-office draw came when he joined the "Fast and the Furious" franchise with 2011's "Fast Five." But his potential worth in China expanded dramatically over the next few years.

In 2013, "Fast & Furious 6" became the first movie in the Universal franchise to play in China (though years' worth of bootlegs of the previous movies were undoubtedly floating around the country). It took in a respectable $66.5 million there. But when "Furious 7" played there in 2015, it went gangbusters, taking in $391 million in China. A few months later, Johnson showed he didn't need the "Fast" fam to make it in China, where "San Andreas" went on to earn $103.2 million.

fate of the furious the rockThe next movie starring Johnson that went to China was the 2016 animated film "Moana" ($32.7 million), and then in 2017 "The Fate of the Furious" found incredible success there with $392.8 million, helping the movie earn $1.2 billion worldwide.

With audiences in China already getting a glimpse of Johnson this year when "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" opened there in January ($78 million), the $55 million "Rampage" opening suggests it doesn't matter whether he's with an ensemble or solo: They want to see Johnson.

"Johnson continues to prove that he is the most bankable star in the world with his growing global appeal," the comScore box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Business Insider. "It's hard to imagine any other star who could have catapulted 'Rampage' to a nearly $150 million worldwide debut."

But in an indication of just how important China is, The Rock made sure to spend some time there before "Rampage" opened.

Mr. Johnson goes to Shanghai

It's pretty standard to tour the globe for publicity on a major Hollywood release, but when you're a huge star like Dwayne Johnson, the hustle can be narrowed down to some key regions. And Warner Bros. made sure one of Johnson's stops was in China.

Johnson went on a promotional tour in Shanghai for "Rampage," his first time visiting the country's largest city, a studio source told Business Insider.

And the way he was treated, he's certain to return.

The movie's press conference in the city was live-streamed through multiple partners across the country, there was a fan screening in Shanghai's biggest theater, and Johnson extended his likability across all ages after he befriended three kids who were dressed as the three monsters from the movie during the press conference (the movie is based on a popular video game in which giant monsters destroy cities).

"Dwayne, or 'Johnson' as they call him in China, was in great spirits and charmed all of the audiences with his signature enthusiasm and humor," the source said.

Along with the $55 million opening weekend, "Rampage" took in $15.7 million on its opening day in China, the third-highest opening day ever for a Warner Bros. movie in the country.

"Dwayne Johnson and giant monsters — that's the perfect recipe for a hit in China these days," Jeff Bock, a senior analyst for Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider. "In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was the tipping point for 'Rampage' getting green-lit in the first place."

In an era when the mega movie stars are considered less of a draw than a good superhero movie with "regular" stars, Johnson is showing he's an exception to the trend. He is already a household name in the US, and he's ahead of most stars in conquering China.

SEE ALSO: All the Marvel Cinematic Universe details you need to remember before seeing "Avengers: Infinity War"

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why Apple makes it so hard to get a new iPhone battery

Disneyland is home to a squad of feral cats who have free rein in the park — and you can adopt one if you work there

0
0

Disney Cat 7

  • Disneyland has a not-so-secret squad of feral cats wandering the park.
  • The company doesn't encourage people to feed or go near the cats, as they're feral.
  • Still, the cats have earned plenty of fans on Facebook and Instagram — and even captured the attention of Hollywood star Ryan Gosling.


Disneyland is home to some unexpected residents that might give Mickey Mouse pause.

The famous park is home to dozens of feral cats.

Mike Fox, author of "The Hidden Secrets & Stories of Walt Disney World," "Disneyland Details: The Magical Hidden Secrets & Story Elements of Disneyland," and "Disneyland In-Depth" and founder of the site Disney-Secrets.com told Business Insider that the park houses "cats members" who "roam the park day and night keeping any rodents in check."

"Guests love them, and they even have their own fan pages," he told Business Insider. "The fact their title is a play on the title of 'cast members' makes it that much more interesting."

Here's a look at how the wild cats earned free rein of Disneyland:

SEE ALSO: Disney World employees share the 7 things they wish park-goers would stop doing

DON'T MISS: 20 cities are left in the running for Amazon's second headquarters — and the story of Disney's secret hunt for land nearly 60 years ago could predict how Amazon's HQ2 will change its home city

SEE ALSO: A look inside the daily routine of Walt Disney, who wandered through the office after hours and always carried snacks in his pockets

According to the cats' fan site, the feline invasion of Disneyland began in 1955, when the Walt Disney Company had to evict them from Sleeping Beauty Castle. Those cats were adopted by cast members.

Source: DisneylandCats.com



The cats that live in the resort today are not part of a concerted park effort to manage pests.

Source: DisneylandCats.com



DisneylandCats.com said that a team of Disney cast members is assigned to ensure the park-wide clowder is healthy.

Source: DisneylandCats.com



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The eSports competitive video gaming market continues to grow revenues & attract investors

0
0

eSports Advertising and Sponsorships

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

Business Insider 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.

Subscribe to an All-Access pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
Access to all future reports and daily newsletters
Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
And more!
Learn More

Purchase & download the full report from our research store

Join the conversation about this story »

A Wall Street analyst thinks he's figured out the real price Netflix would need to charge to break even — and he says it would destroy the company's growth (NFLX)

0
0

Reed Hastings

  • The Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter on Tuesday reiterated his "underperform" rating on Netflix's shares.
  • His bearish view comes despite the company's earnings report Monday that said it added about 1 million more subscribers in the first quarter than analysts had expected.
  • Pachter is concerned about Netflix's cash burn and thinks the company can't turn that around and post significantly positive cash flow without raising prices to the point that it curtails growth.

When it comes to Netflix, Michael Pachter remains a bear — even after seeing the company post standout quarterly results on Monday.

Long skeptical of the streaming-video company's business model and its ability to generate meaningful returns for investors, the Wedbush analyst on Tuesday reiterated his "underperform" rating on Netflix's shares.

He did increase his price target to $125 a share from $110, but that only underlines his pessimism; in recent trading, Netflix shares were trading at $336.92, up $29.14 a share, or about 9%.

In explaining his rating, Pachter pointed to Netflix's ongoing cash burn. The company had a net outflow of about $284 million in its latest quarter, stemming from its operations and its investments in equipment and DVDs for its legacy business.

The company said Monday that it expected to continue burning through cash for the "several more years," Pachter noted. Realistically, the company won't be able to stanch the bleeding unless it dramatically raises prices — a move that could severely crimp its growth, he said.

"Until we see evidence that it can successfully deliver positive free cash flow, we advise investors to seek more compelling investment opportunities," Pachter said in a research note. "We believe that Netflix's valuation is unwarranted."

While Netflix's reported Q1 revenue and profits were in line with Wall Street's expectations, it added 7.4 million subscribers, about 1 million more than analysts had forecast. Many of Pachter's colleagues on the Street used Netflix's results to issue bullish reports on the company and raise their price targets to the stock's current level or beyond.

Even Pachter was impressed with that kind of subscriber growth.

"Netflix is absolutely delivering on its growth goals," Pachter said, adding that the company "is clearly doing something right."

But Netflix is essentially boosting its subscriber growth by underpricing its service, he said.

While the company posts a profit on its income statement, that accounting ledger accounts for only a portion of what it's spending on producing and licensing movies and TV shows. Once you factor in all the money Netflix is sending out the door, the company's cash flow is deeply in the red and getting worse.

Last year, the company's free cash flow — which takes into account operating expenses and investments in property and equipment and other long-lived assets — was in the red by $2 billion. This year, the company expects an outflow of $3 billion to $4 billion.

To break even from a cash flow perspective, Netflix would have to raise its prices to about $15 a month globally, Pachter estimated; right now, it charges $11 a month in the US and about $9 internationally.

To be a significantly profitable business, he said, it would have to charge about $20 a month.

At that level, Netflix's growth rate would almost certainly slow to a crawl, given the increasing number of competitors, all of which offer their services at significantly lower prices.

"In conclusion, we aren't yet ready to drink the Netflix Kool-Aid," Pachter said.

SEE ALSO: Netflix doesn't have to worry about the cloud threatening companies like Facebook and Google says CEO Reed Hastings

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Netflix is headed for a huge profit milestone in 2018

8 common words you probably didn't know came from TV shows

0
0

seinfeld

  • TV shows like "Friends," "Saturday Night Live," "The Simpsons," and "Seinfeld" have made a lasting cultural impact.
  • They even added words to the dictionary.
  • Words like "spam," "regifting," and "going commando" have become part of common parlance.

Television plays an important role in society — it educates, connects with us emotionally, offers cultural commentary, and makes us laugh.

But TV plays an important linguistic role as well. Language experts play close attention to the ways TV shows influence the way we talk, and some of the most interesting linguistic developments are associated with TV.

Take the word "spam," for instance. Once just a canned lunch meat, spam now refers to junk email — all because of a 1970 Monty Python sketch.

There are plenty of other examples too, from shows like "Friends," "Saturday Night Live," "The Simpsons," and "Seinfeld."

Read on to learn about some of the most enduring words that got their starts on popular TV shows.

SEE ALSO: A made-up word from a 22-year-old 'Simpsons' episode has finally made it into the dictionary

DON'T MISS: 9 words and phrases people think are wrong, but are actually correct

"Not!"

It's hard to believe that one of the most basic joke constructions got its start on "SNL," but that's exactly the case here.

The joke debuted in a well-known 1990 "Wayne's World" sketch featuring the cast members Mike Myers and Dana Carvey and the host Tom Hanks. At one point, Myers turned to Hanks and said, "Anyways, Barry, that was really interesting," before looking into the camera and adding, "Not!"

The joke turned into one of the sketch's many catchphrases and had such staying power that "Not!" was named the American Dialect Society's Word of the Year in 1992.

In the years before that sketch, the word floated around in the vernacular of UCLA college students according to the Orlando Sentinel. And before that, Steve Martin ad-libbed a similar line in a 1978 "SNL" sketch.

But we can thank "Wayne's World" for bringing the "Not!" joke into the mainstream — and for inspiring one of the more memorable scenes in "Borat."



"Spam"

Canned Spam has been around since the 1930s, but we can thank a 1970 Monty Python sketch for its alternate internet-related definition.

The sketch is set in a cafe where nearly every menu item contains Spam. The references to the canned lunchmeat increase until all the dialogue is drowned out by a chorus of Vikings singing "Spam!" repeatedly.

As chatting on the internet became possible in the '80s and '90s, some early netizens flooded online message boards with lyrics to the song, drowning out other conversations, much like the Vikings in the sketch.

The practice became known as "spamming" the message boards, and by 1990, the definition of "spam" had expanded to any unsolicited online messages sent to a large number of people.



"Regifting"

The practice of giving someone a gift you had previously received has been around as long as gifts have been given.

But calling it "regifting" became popular thanks to a 1995 episode of "Seinfeld" in which a regifted label-maker becomes a topic of concern among the show's characters.

Merriam-Webster also indicates the episode was the first use of the term, saying it emerged in 1995.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside the 'storybook' marriage of Barbara and George HW Bush — who were married longer than any first couple, and still said 'I love you' every night

0
0

barbara george hw bush

Former first lady Barbara Bush died on Tuesday at age 92.

She had been battling Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and congestive heart failure, and was hospitalized several times over the last year.

Bush, who resided in the White House for four years while her husband, former President George H.W. Bush, served as Commander in Chief, had been married to the 41st president of the United States for 73 years.

Described as a true love story, here is an inside look at the longest marriage in US presidential history:

SEE ALSO: Inside the marriage of Donald and Melania Trump, who broke up once before, reportedly sleep in different bedrooms, and are weathering rumors of his affairs

DON'T MISS: Inside the marriage of Barack and Michelle Obama, who met at work and kissed outside an ice cream store on their first date

Barbara Pierce and George Bush met at a dance over Christmas vacation in 1942. She was 16 and he was 17, and Barbara claimed that George was the first boy she ever kissed.

Source: Associated Press



After dating for a year and a half, the two became engaged and planned to get married before George went off to serve in World War II as a Navy pilot. He famously named three of his Navy planes after her, and the two shared love letters while he was away.



On January 6, 1945, the couple married at the First Presbyterian Church in Rye, New York while George was on leave from war. He was 20 and she was 19.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Amazon's cloud business is using this weird 1976 'Saturday Night Live' skit to explain its new blockchain product (AMZN)

0
0

SNL blockchain

  • AWS is launching a new blockchain product that will make it easier for engineers to use blockchains without building a network from scratch.
  • AWS evangelist Jeff Barr illustrated the benefits of this product with an apt analogy found in a 1976 Saturday Night Live skit.
  • In the skit, a couple is fighting over whether a product is a dessert topping or a floor wax. It might not be obvious, but it's actually both things at once.


Amazon Web Services announced a new product on Thursday that will make it easier to use blockchains. 

AWS isn't the first to market with this kind blockchain product. IBM has led the way with enterprise-grade platforms for building on top of blockchains. Oracle also has an offering, and Google Cloud has been experimenting with their own products. 

What is new, however, is how AWS has chosen to illustrate the uses of blockchain: with a 'Saturday Night Live' skit from 1976.

The Shimmer Floor Wax skit shows a husband and wife fighting over whether a product is meant to be used as a dessert topping or as floor wax. It's kind of funny and kind of gross, but it also demonstrates how blockchain experts can sometimes talk past each other when it comes to explaining the benefits of the emerging technology.

"Some of the people that I talk to see blockchains as the foundation of a new monetary system and a way to facilitate international payments," AWS evangelist Jeff Barr wrote in a blog post. "Others see blockchains as a distributed ledger and immutable data source that can be applied to logistics, supply chain, land registration, crowdfunding, and other use cases."

"Either way, it is clear that there are a lot of intriguing possibilities and we are working to help our customers use this technology more effectively," he said. 

AWS said its new Blockchain Templates will simplify the process of launching an Ethereum or Hyperledger Fabric network, getting it done "in a matter of minutes and with just a few clicks."

It will make it easier for engineer to build platforms that benefit from blockchain technology's contracts and immutable ledgers, without needing to know how to build them from scratch.

Read more about how decentralized blockchain technology works on a centralized cloud here. 

SEE ALSO: IBM told investors that it has over 400 blockchain clients — including Walmart, Visa, and Nestlé

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A neuroscientist explains why reality may just be a hallucination

On Earth Day, National Geographic is broadcasting stunning, previously unreleased photos from its archive — accompanied by music

0
0

bison

Earth Day is one of the world's largest celebrations of our environment. 

To commemorate the holiday, National Geographic is debuting a "Symphony for our World": a television event that will pair a slideshow of National Geographic's stunning wildlife photography with a five-part symphony.

The music is created by Bleeding Fingers Music and performed by a full orchestra and choir. The symphony-and-photo pairing will air on National Geographic Wild on Sunday, April 22 at 7 p.m. EST.

A touring, 90-minute live symphony event with projections of the photos will also debut in San Francisco, California on April 22 (Earth Day), then tour around the US and Canada.

Below are some of the most spectacular wildlife images from "Symphony for our World," which were previously unreleased from National Geographic's archive.

SEE ALSO: Soak in the beauty and fragility of our dynamic planet with these stunning photos

The live symphony performances will take place in cities around the US and Canada. After starting in San Francisco on Sunday, the event will then travel to Austin, Texas in July.



The music and images are divided into five parts that correspond with different ecosystems: the sea, coastlines, land, mountains, and sky.



Images from each of those environments will be accompanied by a different chapter of music that's tailored to the ecosystem.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'A Quiet Place' continues to amaze by winning the weekend box office again, while the new Amy Schumer movie and 'Super Troopers 2' perform better than expected

0
0

a quiet place

  • Paramount's "A Quiet Place" is back on top of the domestic box office with $22 million this weekend.
  • It's now made $132 million domestically (with only a $17 million budget).
  • "I Feel Pretty" ($16.2 million) and "Super Troopers 2" ($14.7 million) had solid opening weekends.

This weekend marks the last before Disney/Marvel Studio's "Avengers: Infinity War" opens and pretty much sucks up the majority of the box office for the next few weeks, so the rest of Hollywood tried to get its dollars in now before the faucet is turned off.

For the most part, they were successful.

After the worldwide success of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's latest movie "Rampage" last weekend, Paramount's surprise hit "A Quiet Place" continues to amaze as it's back on top of the domestic box office in its third weekend in theaters. The movie earned an estimated $22 million this weekend, according to Exhibitor Relations.

That now puts its domestic total at $132 million (it was made for just $17 million).

"Rampage" came in second with $21 million. The Warner Bros.' hit dropped under 50% domestically this weekend to land in third place, a respectable drop and even more impressive seeing the movie is based on a video game, a genre that historically isn't a big draw past the first weekend. The movie has made over $192 million worldwide.

In third place is the Amy Schumer comedy, "I Feel Pretty," which despite a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and how fickle audiences are about comedies these days, took in $16.2 million.

super troopers 2 fox searchlightBut the big surprise of the weekend was the performance of "Super Troopers 2."

The sequel to the now cult classic 2002 release from comedy troupe Broken Lizard that follows the antics of five Vermont state troopers took in $14.7 million this weekend. That's far above its $5 million to $7 million projection for the weekend.

The movie, released by Fox Searchlight, won Friday with a $7.9 million take (pretty much making up its $5 million production budget in one day). It also didn't hurt that the date on Friday was 4/20, a marketing godsend for a marijuana-focused franchise.

"I Feel Pretty," released by STX Films/Voltage/Wonderland Sound, also exceeded its industry projections ($11 million to $14 million), which is a major rebound for Schumer, who lost a lot of points with audiences and critics with the disappointing comedy "Snatched" last year.

Warner Bros. is also happy to see its Steven Spielberg hit, "Ready Player One," cross the $500 million milestone at the worldwide box office. That includes over $200 million in China, making it the 10th-highest grossing US-made release in the Middle Kingdom all-time.

SEE ALSO: Inside the surprise success of "A Quiet Place" — from a worriesome test screening to a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A neuroscientist explains why reality may just be a hallucination

How to find the secret ending to the huge new 'God of War' game on PlayStation 4

0
0

God of War (2018)

  • The new "God of War" game has a secret ending.
  • It's easy to miss, but it's not hard to find after you finish the game's main storyline.
  • Here are spoiler-free instructions for how to see the ending.


The new "God of War" game is so much fun to play, you may have missed its secret ending.

The PlayStation 4-exclusive is a triumph of storytelling and design, offering dozens of hours of gameplay within its gorgeous version of the mythological Norse realm of Midgard. After the game's story comes to an end, you may think that's all there is. And it's understandable — it's a satisfying conclusion.

But "God of War" has a Marvel-esque hidden ending, one that you can only unlock after you complete the game's final story mission and the credits roll. If you were paying attention to the game's story at all, you'll be eager to see the secret finale.

God of War (2018)

Without saying anything about the secret ending itself (no spoilers!), here's how to unlock it:

After the credits roll, the game informs you that you can return to the open world and continue exploring. But you have another option: Return to the house you started in at the beginning of the game. 

God of War (2018)

When you get to the house, enter through the front door. Inside, you'll find a button prompt near the beds of Kratos and Atreus. It's a small house, so the prompt isn't hard to find.

Once there, you can choose to go to sleep for the first time since your adventure began. Doing so will trigger the secret ending.

If you care at all about the future of the "God of War" franchise, you'll be excited to see the hidden finale. Enjoy!

SEE ALSO: The new 'God of War' on PS4 is the first must-play game of 2018

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How gross are your earbuds?

Viewing all 101934 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images