Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all 103365 articles
Browse latest View live

The biggest box-office hit the year you were born

$
0
0

Back to the Future

Moviegoing has long been one of America's favorite pastimes, with blockbuster box-office earnings serving as a reliable predictor of cultural staying power.

Using both IMDb's and Box Office Mojo's lists of the highest-grossing films by year, Business Insider has compiled a chronology of the biggest box-office hits every year since 1975.

We adjusted global box-office receipts for inflation through 2016 using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator. We've also included critic ratings from Metacritic (on a scale of one to 100) and fan ratings from IMDb (on a scale of 1 to 10) for each film.

Several franchises are represented — "Star Wars," "Harry Potter," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" each make multiple appearances — as are Academy Award nominees and winners such as "Titanic" and "Rocky."

We used '75 as the cutoff because we found that worldwide figures before then were spotty and inconsistent.

Read on to find out the highest-grossing movie released the year you were born:

DON'T MISS: The 30 most expensive movies ever made

AND: RANKED: The 10 movies most likely to dominate this summer

2015: "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens"

Adjusted gross: $2.07 billion

Unadjusted gross: $2.07 billion

Critic rating: 81

Fan rating: 8.3

Plot summary"Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance." 



2014: "Transformers: Age of Extinction"

Adjusted gross: $1.12 billion

Unadjusted gross: $1.1 billion

Critic rating: 32

Fan rating: 5.7

Plot summary"Autobots must escape sight from a bounty hunter who has taken control of the human serendipity: Unexpectedly, Optimus Prime and his remaining gang turn to a mechanic, his daughter, and her back street racing boyfriend for help."



2013: "Frozen"

Adjusted gross: $1.31 billion

Unadjusted gross: $1.28 billion

Critic rating: 74

Fan rating: 7.6

Plot summary"When the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter, her sister, Anna, teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 7 craziest movie ideas that somehow actually worked

$
0
0

Pirates of the Carribean DisneyMake no mistake, in modern Hollywood there is no such thing as an idea that’s too crazy. There is simply too much money on the line for any idea to be dismissed out of hand, except possibly a Black Widow movie, for some reason. This is why abominations like the "Battleship" movie exist.

This weekend, another idea, an animated family movie based on a smartphone game about shooting birds out of a slingshot, will become the latest film to have moviegoers wondering how such a wild idea made it to the screen. The reason is that it wouldn’t be the first time a wild idea became a fantastic movie (or, at the very least, a fantastically successful movie). Here are 7 times that the craziest of ideas paid off in Hollywood. Which ones did we forget?

SEE ALSO: 47 new TV shows coming in the next year that just got announced

Idea No. 1: Let's make an action franchise out of a theme park ride

Disney built most of its theme park success on their films, which were all based on animated movies. We should have guessed it would only be a matter of time before they flipped the script, and made a movie based on one of their original theme park ideas. The crazy part was, it worked. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" was a fun and exciting adventure that took elements from the classic ride and used them as the basis for a great story. A great cast helped build an original adventure. It may have only been a great idea once, however.

Bonus Crazy Idea: Depp deciding to play his role like he’s a drunk Keith Richards.



Idea No. 2: Let's update everything around the Brady Bunch, but keep them exactly the same

Television series are one of those evergreen ideas that will perpetually be made into movies. Most of them fail. The insane humans who took on the herculean task of making a movie out of "The Brady Bunch" had a couple of major issues. Simply making a comedy version of the original show would be too easy, as the 70s were a fairly ridiculous decade to begin with. (Have you even seen the pants?) However, if you modernize the story, you lose everything that made "The Brady Bunch" what we loved. The solution? Modernize everything, except them. The juxtaposition of the two time periods is what we were all going to be laughing at anyway, so just make the movie about that. And it really, really worked.



Idea No. 3: Let's create a superhero franchise around the fat guy grom 'Parks & Rec'

Today you can’t swing a dead cat at an action franchise without hitting a rumor that Chris Pratt is going to be part of it. It’s a remarkable turnaround, considering prior to his turn in James Gunn’s "Guardians of the Galaxy," he was the chubby dude on TV’s "Parks & Recreation." Casting Pratt as Peter Quill made some sense. Comedy was a key part of the film, and so you need somebody who can deliver it, but first and foremost it’s a Marvel movie. Quill may not have superpowers, but he’s a comic book hero nonetheless. It was the ensemble which made the movie something special, even by Marvel standards, but Pratt played his part.

Bonus Crazy Idea: These Marvel movies are crazy popular, let’s make one based on a comic that even the fans have never read. And one with a tree and a raccoon as major characters.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Angry Birds' knocks 'Captain America' off the top spot at the box office

$
0
0

Angry Birds

After two consecutive weeks of dominance at the US box office by Disney's "Captain America: Civil War," the latest Marvel hit was knocked off by an unlikely title, "Angry Birds."

In an impressive performance by the Sony title based on the popular app, the movie took in an estimated $39 million over the weekend, according to Exhibitor Relations.

"Captain America: Civil War" took in $33.1 million in a strong third week in theaters. The film has also passed the $1 billion worldwide-gross mark.

What makes the "Angry Birds" win impressive is its rebound from the soft Thursday previews it had.

Taking in an OK $800,000 versus fellow new release "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising," which earned $1.67 million in previews, "Birds" ended up making $10.9 million on Friday while "Neighbors 2" made just $8.8 million on its Friday, according to Deadline.

That shift in momentum set the stage for the dominance by "Birds" the rest of the weekend.

"Neighbors 2" ended up in third place with $21.8 million.

Neighbors 2 Chuck Zlotnick UniversalIt turned out the hype around the sequel to the 2014 hit comedy starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Zac Efron didn't turn into box-office dollars as the movie will take in around 50% less its opening weekend than what the original did. A stat the film's studio, Universal, wasn't expecting.

However, Sony must be excited with a potential franchise for "Angry Birds." The movie had a 16% spike in sales from Friday to Saturday, as it took in $16.6 million on Saturday.

The movie showcased the memorable components that made the app so popular, matched with celebrities voicing the characters, including Danny McBride, Jason Sudeikis, and Josh Gad.

The other big release of the weekend, "The Nice Guys," starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as bumbling private detectives, took in $11.27 million. Warner Bros. wasn't expecting the movie to do any major damage over the weekend, but they must be happy with it taking in this much, as it's geared toward the over-30 crowd (who rarely come out in droves for the opening weekend of a movie).

SEE ALSO: The 18 best movie sequels that never happened

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's the groundbreaking technology that can turn people into animals in movies

Mythbusters' Adam Savage reveals the surprising myth he regrets not busting

8 explosive new documentaries that you need to see

$
0
0

weiner 2 ifc films

If the current summer blockbuster movies blanketing your local cineplex each week aren't your thing, don't worry, there's a handful of documentaries coming out soon that will save you.

From an inside look at a cult to the highly public breakdown of a political career, these nonfiction works tell compelling stories that are likely to be more fulfilling than your latest climactic world-resucing showdown.

Here are eight titles we think you should definitely check out in the coming months — and how to watch them.

SEE ALSO: Here are the new TV shows that just got picked up by networks

"Weiner" — in theaters May 20 (available on demand May 26)

The collapse of Anthony Weiner's political career is a strange story that late-night show hosts pray to the comedy gods for. This Sundance-winning doc gives us a fly-on-the-wall look at Weiner's attempt to rebound from his embarrassing social-media gaffe to become mayor of New York City. What follows is a bizarre insight into politics and one man's questionable methods to save face.



"Holy Hell" — in theaters May 27

The Buddhafield started in the late 1980s in West Hollywood as a spiritual group led by a charismatic leader with a handful of followers who thought he was providing them with an enlightened life. Two decades later, many in the group figured out they were in a cult. Former member Will Allen now reveals what went on in his eye-opening documentary made up of footage he shot over the 21 years he was there. 



"Unlocking the Cage" — in theaters May 27 (New York), nationwide in June

Legendary filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus ("The War Room") document the pioneering work of animal protection attorney Steven Wise, who seeks personhood rights for animals, specifically four chimpanzees in New York. We see Wise's journey bringing the first lawsuit ever attempting to transform an animal from a "thing" with no rights into a "person" with legal protection. If the courts see corporations as people, why not chimps? That complex question makes "Unlocking the Cage" gripping stuff.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

6 things that are shaking up the future of TV

$
0
0

the great indoors cbs

The broadcast networks just wrapped one of the most chaotic weeks for television viewers, but also one of the most telling.

In addition to announcing which shows have met their end, the networks presented their new series for the 2016-2017 seasons this week in an annual event known as upfronts. At upfronts, the networks put on a glitzy show for advertisers and spin a web of statistics in order to entice companies to spend their commercial dollars.

At upfronts, you can see trends begin to form and a glimpse into what challenges the industry is facing.

Here are six things we learned about the TV networks from upfronts:

SEE ALSO: 47 new TV shows coming in the next year that just got announced

DON'T MISS: 19 TV shows that were just canceled

Reboots, remakes, and spin-offs are still going strong.

If y0u thought last year's crop of shows was packed with reboots, remakes, and spin-offs, wait until you see this year's list. TV series based on movies, like "Lethal Weapon, " "Frequency," and "The Exorcist," are a big part of the upcoming class.

At the core of this strategy is fear. Networks are afraid to try new things. And when a title or concept was successful in another form — such as a movie, book, or comic book — businesses feel more comfortable with the decision, because they believe they arrive with built-in audiences.

It's a solid theory, but not foolproof. Looking back on this year alone, the fallen copycat shows include Fox's "Minority Report" and CBS's "Limitless" and "Rush Hour."



The bottom line is more important than ever.

This year, we saw networks cutting the cord on shows that, in the past, have had some immunity to cancellation because they were created as part of longtime or important partnerships.

We saw it over and over again at ABC. The network canceled "The Muppets," which comes from ABC's owner, Disney, and "Agent Carter," from sister company Marvel, which still has "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." at the network. It also got rid of cult show "Nashville," which comes from the network's own production studio.

Then over at CBS, we saw the network unload "Supergirl," the expensive but solid-rated DC Comics show, on sister network CW. Arguably, "Supergirl" should have gone to the more youthful network to begin with, especially since it already had three other DC series.

What does this tell us about the state of the TV industry? First, networks have an eye on the bottom line now more than ever. And second, there must be a lot of talented show creators out there if networks are willing to get rid of some established players.



The surprising history show trend is here.

There are no fewer than six new shows that deal with time travel or are set in the past. They range from comedic takes like Fox's "Making History" to action-adventure like NBC's "Timeless" and drama like CW's remake of the movie "Frequency."

It's unclear why the networks are turning to history for show ideas, except maybe for the success of shows like FX's "The People v. O.J. Simpson" and Hulu's JFK drama "11.22.63." Or even the huge success of HBO's "Game of Thrones," which has a very medieval atmosphere.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

5 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

$
0
0

hodor dies game of thrones hboWarning: spoilers ahead for Sunday's episode of "Game of Thrones," "The Door."

"Game of Thrones" took us through an emotional and action-packed hour on Sunday that saw the fall of a much-loved character, and the setup of several showdowns to come.

For fans, the phrase "hold the door" will become permanently connected to the character Hodor (Kristian Nairn). After protecting and serving Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) since his escape from Winterfell, he gave his life to save Bran from the White Walker army. This battle may have gone to the White Walkers, but at least Bran will have another day.

Meanwhile, battles for power are being set up in the North, the Iron Islands, and in Slaver's Bay.

With those developments and the episode's sad ending, some details may have gone unnoticed.

Here are five important things you probably missed on this week's "Game of Thrones":

SEE ALSO: The 5 most talked-about moments from last week's 'Game of Thrones'

DON'T MISS: 5 important things you probably missed on last week's 'Game of Thrones'

Who's Melisandre 2.0?

It was hard not to notice that Melisandre (Carice van Houten) has some new competition: the red priestess Kinvara (Ania Bukstein). Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) summoned her to Mereen to keep the people in check. So little is known about her at this point, but she was wearing a necklace that looked very similar to Melisandre's. That means she probably has the ability to disguise her appearance and age, too. There doesn't seem to be someone like her in George R.R. Martin's books, which makes her a totally new character to the "Thrones" world. She also has a thing for Daenarys (Emilia Clarke), but we'll get into the ramifications of that in a bit.



A downsized Kingsmoot.

We finally saw the Kingsmoot go down. This is the Iron Islands process of picking a new king. Yet it was a pretty tame event compared to how it went down in the books. Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) only had to beat his niece, Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan), for the crown. In the novels, though, there was Yara, Euron's younger brother Victarion, and several other challengers.



Sansa's lie.

Some fans probably wondered why Sansa (Sophie Turner) would lie to Jon Snow (Kit Harington) about how she heard of her uncle's army, rather than telling him that she found out from Baelish Aidan Gillen aka Little Finger. The show's executive producer explained that it might show a crack forming in their relationship.

"If she really trusted Jon, and she really was coming at this as a clean, pure Stark, she would tell the truth to her brother and the person to whom she has real allegiance at this point," showrunner D.B. Weiss said in the post-episode video. "But for whatever reason, she holds back on that. And I think that shows that Little Finger still has a hold on Sansa."

How that "hold" plays out, we'll have to see.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Snapchat is letting X-Men fans transform into their favorite characters today

$
0
0

Twentieth Century Fox has bought up nine Sponsored Snapchat Lenses to promote the forthcoming "X-Men: Apocalypse" movie.

For 24 hours on May 23, Snapchat users can overlay their selfies with nine X-Men characters: Apocalypse, Beast, Professor X, Cyclops, Mystique, Quicksilver, Magneto, Nightcrawler, and Storm.

Here's the Cyclops Lens:

xmengif1

To activate the Lenses function, Snapchat users need to point their smartphone camera towards them, then tap and hold on their face in the app.

The Lens menu then appears, which features Lenses that have been sponsored by advertisers and those created by Snapchat's in-house team.

Snapchat told Business Insider earlier this month that it has run more than 50 Sponsored Lenses campaigns in the seven months since launch and that 30 million Snaps a day are now decorated with Lenses. The ad unit ranges in price between around $100,000 up to $750,000 depending on geography and whether the Lens is tied to a specific holiday or an event.

Here's the X-Men Nightcrawler Lens:

Snapchat Lens

In addition to the Lenses, Twentieth Century Fox has also bought the first ever Snapchat ticketing ad unit.

The video ad, which will appear in the app's Discover content section, allows the use to swipe up to purchase movie theater tickets within the app. The ad began running on May 13 and will continue until May 26, the night before "X-Men: Apocalypse" debuts in theaters.

The ticket ad represents what Snapchat is calling "3Vi" ads, an extension of its "3V" advertising pitch (vertical, video, views,) that allow consumers to interact (that's what the "i" stands for) with the ad unit.

SEE ALSO: Advertisers love Snapchat's priciest ad format — and that ought to worry its social media rivals

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Adam Savage reveals why he and 'MythBusters' cohost Jamie Hyneman won't be working together anymore


4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

The inspiring rags-to-riches career of 'Shark Tank' judge and entrepreneur Robert Herjavec

$
0
0

The Herjavec Group CEO Robert Herjavec

Robert Herjavec is best known as one of the five investors on ABC's "Shark Tank." But he has quite a backstory.

Not only is he a millionaire thanks to some successful companies he has founded, he also maintains a fun social life with truly interesting hobbies.

Here are all the trials and tribulations that made him the brilliant and successful shark he is today.

Robert Herjavec was born on September 14, 1962, in Zbjeg, Croatia. When he was 8, he fled the communist regime with his family to live in Canada, Business News Daily reports. At the time he spoke no English.

 



According to Herjavec, his family left Croatia with one suitcase and $20 in hand. They lived for 18 months in a friend's basement while they began rebuilding their new life in North America.

 



Herjavec's first jobs were as a newspaper deliveryman and a waiter. These early experiences in customer service taught him the ins and outs of being a successful businessman.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A streaming exclusive just broke into the Billboard 200 for the first time in history

$
0
0

Chance The Rapper Coachella overalls

It's becoming even more clear that streaming is becoming the dominant way in which people consume music.

Two weeks after streaming helped propel Drake's album "VIEWS" into the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart, streaming music has reached another milestone. 

"Coloring Book," the new album by Chicago native Chance The Rapper, has debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard top 200, despite being a streaming exclusive

In its first week, tracks from "Coloring Book" were streamed 57.3 million times, which  is equivalent to 38,000 traditional album sales. The album is currently an Apple Music exclusive, but will be available on other streaming services on May 28th. There are currently no plans to release the album for sale, as Chance The Rapper has been a vocal proponent of free music.

If you're an Apple Music subscriber, you can stream the full album below.

 

SEE ALSO: The internet wants a Spotify ‘tip jar’

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How to turn your MacBook into an external hard drive by pressing one button

The 5 most talked-about moments from this week's 'Game of Thrones'

$
0
0

night king arrives game of thrones hboWarning: spoilers ahead for Sunday's episode of "Game of Thrones."

HBO's "Game of Thrones" gave fans a lot to talk about during Sunday's episode, "The Door."

The emotional and action-packed hour saw the fall of a much-loved character, and the setup of several showdowns to come.

But which moments had fans talking the most?

Social-media monitoring platform Brandwatch found more than 66,000 "Thrones"-related mentions on Twitter during the one-hour episode and identified the moments when conversation peaked.

Here are the five most talked-about moments from the latest "Game of Thrones" episode:

SEE ALSO: 5 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

DON'T MISS: The 5 most talked-about moments from last week's 'Game of Thrones'

5. Sansa (Sophie Turner) confronts Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen).

9:07 p.m. ET – More than 1,100 mentions.



4. The White Walkers arrive.

9:49 p.m. ET More than 1,200 mentions.



3. Sheer jubilation that the episode was starting.

9:01 p.m. ET  More than 1,300 mentions.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Broadband subscribers continue to climb, while cable sees mixed subscriber trends (CMSCA, CHTR, TWX)

$
0
0

Cable Subscribers Q1 2016

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Digital Media Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

The cord-cutters have scored another victory.

Total U.S. cable subscribers among the top nine companies (which make up about 95% of the total market) declined year-over-year in the first quarter of 2016, while broadband customers rose, according to new data from Leichtman Research.

These top nine companies added just over 50,000 subscribers in Q1 2016, but total subscribers hit 49.1 million, down 0.2% YoY and 3% from two years ago. These are not huge percentages, but they take on new meaning when compared to broadband subscription trends.

These same top U.S. cable companies added almost 1.1 million high-speed Internet subscribers in the quarter, which lifted the total 56.3 million. This marks a 6% YoY increase and a 12% increase from two years ago.

But all is not completely lost for cable companies despite their reliance on cable subscribers for much of their revenue. The latest quarter was the first time since 2008 that the top companies posted net sequential subscriber gains from Q4 to Q1, according to Leichtman Research.

This was due in large part to Comcast, which added 53,000 subscribers in Q1, more than Charter and Time Warner Cable combined. Customers are seemingly taking advantage of Comcast's skinny bundle packages such as Stream TV, as about 25% of new cable customers in Q4.

As consumer viewing habits continue to change, it stands to reason that skinny bundles will continue to become more popular.

The rise of cord-cutters and the continuing declining growth in cable subscribers has led some to wonder if traditional pay-TV will even have a place in the near future.

Margaret Boland, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on subscription video on-demand services that examines how the growth of SVOD is coming at the expense of the pay-TV industry. The report analyzes the state of the pay-TV industry and maps out which demographics are more likely to stop buying traditional TV packages.

The report also discusses the user base, original content offerings, and subscription models of the major subscription streaming services available today, including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video. Finally, it looks at how traditional pay-TV companies and premium channels like HBO and Showtime are addressing the shift to digital viewing, as well as the implications of their response for advertisers.

Subscription Video on Demand Report COver

  • Those abandoning pay-TV packages fall into three main groups: cord-nevers, cord-cutters, and cord-shavers. Whereas video streaming services have found favor with younger viewers in particular, an increasing portion of older subscribers also are leaving behind their pay-TV packages. Still, younger viewers watch four times as much video content online than older viewers.
  • Netflix is the largest SVOD service and will continue to dominate the industry with an impressive original content lineup and aggressive expansion plans.
  • Amazon is trying to compete with Netflix by investing significant resources in original content.
  • Hulu is the third-largest SVOD service, but the only one to offer ad-supported membership tiers. Hulu has been the slowest to roll out original and exclusive content, but it has inked numerous deals in the past year to boost its content library.
  • Pay-TV companies are responding to the rise of SVOD services by offering subscribers "skinny bundles" and their own streaming services.

In full, the report:

  • Illustrates the fall of the traditional TV package and the rise of broadband only cable subscriptions.
  • Lays out the different types of viewers that are leaving behind pay-TV: cord-cutters, cord-shavers, and cord-nevers.
  • Examines the leading SVOD services including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and premium channel offerings from HBO and Showtime.
  • Explains the various ways that pay-TV companies are responding to the rise of SVOD services, notably skinny bundles and standalone streaming services.
  • Considers what the migration to SVOD services means to marketers.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

  1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
  2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of subscription video on-demand services.

Join the conversation about this story »

The first trailer for Emma Watson in the 'Beauty and the Beast' remake is here

$
0
0

emma watson beauty and the beast

"Good Morning America" unveiled the first teaser for the live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast," which features Emma Watson as Belle. 

The trailer features an eerie tour of the Beast's beautiful yet decrepit castle as a piano plays the iconic theme of the movie. Through ballrooms and candlelit alcoves, the clip pauses on a picture of a young, handsome boy. Suddenly, a claw rips through the portrait. 

At the arrival of Belle, Lumiere and Cogsworth declare, "Look, a girl! ... What if she is the one?"

To which Watson replies, "Hello?"

The final scene cuts to the famed rose as Watson reaches for it. 

The movie (out March 17, 2017) will also feature Dan Stevens as Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, Josh Gad as Le Fou, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Kevin Kline as Maurice, and Audra McDonald as Garderobe.

The live-action remake of the 1991 classic is directed by Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls," "Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and 2"). 

Watch the full trailer below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEE ALSO: Disney announced all its movies coming in the next 4 years — here's what you have to look forward to

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

Madonna and Stevie Wonder delivered a powerful Prince tribute in spite of protest

$
0
0

Madonna Kevin Winter Getty

At the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, Madonna gave a touching tribute to Prince with help from another towering musical icon, Stevie Wonder.

As the arena shined in purple, Madonna came on the stage dressed in purple and sitting on a purple throne as she sang Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" (which was made famous in a cover by Sinead O'Connor).

Stevie Wonder then joined Madonna, and the two did a duet of Prince's classic "Purple Rain."

Though a number of people weren't happy about Madonna as the choice for the tribute and even protested the performance, that wasn't evident on the screen. The audience all began waving their purple glowing bracelets in the air. Rihanna got into it with a little dance, too.

Prince and Stevie Wonder were close until Prince's sudden death on April 21. Madonna and Prince collaborated together on her 1989 album "Like a Prayer." 

He Changed The World!! A True Visionary. What a loss. I'm Devastated.🦄 This is Not A Love Song.

A photo posted by Madonna (@madonna) on Apr 21, 2016 at 11:17am PDT on

Madonna ended the performance with Wonder by saying, "Most of all, thank you Prince Rogers Nelson, for all that you have given us."

Stevie Wonder Madonna Kevin Winter Getty finalWatch the full performance below:

 

SEE ALSO: 5 important things you probably missed on this week's "Game of Thrones"

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Warner Bros. just released the first trailer for its R-rated animated Batman movie


Elijah Wood says there's a secret pedophile ring in Hollywood and child actors are 'prey'

$
0
0

Elijah Wood Jonathan Leibson Getty final

Elijah Wood has been in the entertainment business most of his life.

Having started out doing local modeling and commercial work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he moved out to Los Angeles with his family as an 8-year-old in the mid-1980s, where he got work on the Paula Abdul music video "Forever Your Girl" and gained acclaim in the '90s movie "Avalon."

Though it seems like a glamorous way to be brought up, Wood, now 35, is revealing for the first time that Hollywood is dealing with a child sexual-abuse epidemic.

In a revealing piece about the "Lord of the Rings" star for The Sunday Times, Wood is quoted saying child actors are regularly "preyed upon" by "vipers" in Hollywood.

Wood told The Times that he "never went to parties where that kind of thing was going on," because his mother, Debra, protected him from interacting with people who could take advantage of him.

But he did note: "I've been led down dark paths to realize that these things are probably still happening."

Wood is not the first former child star over the years to make this claim.

In 2011, Corey Feldman told ABC’s "Nightline" that he has been a victim of sexual abuse by men in Hollywood.

"I can tell you that the No. 1 problem in Hollywood was and is and always will be pedophilia," he said. "That's the biggest problem for children in this industry ... It's the big secret."

Last year, the documentary "An Open Secret" delved into accusations of a pedophile ring in Hollywood. It put a spotlight on accusations by adults who said they were abused by men in the film industry when they were child actors.

A large portion of the movie explores the convicted sex offenders who owned and operated the late-'90s multimedia company Digital Entertainment Network.

Though it was directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg, the film had a very small theatrical release.

Wood, who has seen "An Open Secret," said in the Times story that the film "only scratches the surface. I feel there was much more to this story than it articulates."

"People with parasitic interests will see you as their prey," Wood said of child actors who know little about the business and want to find a way to succeed. "What upsets me about these situations is that the victims can't speak as loudly as the people in power."

UPDATE: On Monday evening, Wood tweeted the following:

SEE ALSO: The "Lethal Weapon" writer says Mel Gibson is "blacklisted" in Hollywood

Join the conversation about this story »

If you have 5 friends, there's now a way to get Spotify for just $2.50 per month

$
0
0

listening to music

We'll let you in on a little secret: Family plans are a great deal if you're looking to save money on subscriptions. And the people who share a family plan don't usually have to be actual family.

Such is the case for Spotify, which as of Monday started offering a $14.99 family plan for up to six people.

The new price is available in every country Spotify works in except Canada. The same plan used to cost $30 per month for a group of five. 

So, if you find five other people who want to get in on your "family" plan, you could end up spending just $2.50 per month to get Spotify Premium.

We imagine the price cut has something to do with the $14.99 family plans offered by Apple Music and Google Play Music. And it's good news if you want to save money on Spotify Premium, which normally costs $9.99 per month for a single subscription.

If you split a $14.99 Spotify subscription six ways, that comes out to about $2.50 per month — a dirt cheap price for unlimited music, podcasts, and video streaming.

Adding people to a Spotify family plan is as easy as sending them an invite link from your account. Once they accept your invite, they'll have full access to Spotify without ads. Each member of a family plan has their own Premium account, so there's no sharing music libraries either.

The main catch is that Spotify bills the plan in full to the main account holder, so other members have to pay that person their share of the cost. To make that process easy, we recommend Venmo or Square Cash.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: If You're Going To Pay For Music — Pay For This

John Oliver argues why we need to fix the process for choosing the presidential nominees

$
0
0

john oliver last week tonight presidential primary reform hbo

John Oliver believes the US presidential primary and caucus process needs reform, as he said on Sunday's episode of HBO's "Last Week Tonight."

At the root of the problem of the 50-year-old system for choosing delegates is the confusion it creates, the host said.

For example, when a candidate wins the popular vote yet doesn't earn the highest number of delegates in a state, such as when Bernie Sanders won in Wyoming and Donald Trump triumphed in Louisiana.

Trump called the results "a fix."

"The thing is I get why he's annoyed," Oliver said. "And there is no clearer piece of evidence that our system is broken, no more thoroughly dead canary in the coal mine, than when Donald Trump is actually making sense. Because when you see results like that, the system feels counterintuitive."

The delegate system, as the host explained, was created in order to make sure that the party could balance out the popular vote in the case that leaders don't agree with its result. But each state is basically in charge of the way it handles its primaries or caucuses, which leads to a lot of differences in the system and more confusion around the choosing of delegates.

"That in itself is a huge problem," Oliver said of the inconsistency and confusion baked into the system. "Any competition should have clear rules. You don't get to the end of a football game and say, 'Okay, who found the most eggs?' Wait, what? That's what we were supposed to be doing? Why didn't anyone tell us that at the start? I only have five eggs."

The problem is, as Oliver pointed out, candidates and the voters can complain about the system during an election, but when the candidates are chosen, the conversation trails off. So Oliver suggested we all set a date to write the party leaders about reforming the system.

"I propose February 2," Oliver said. "Now that will be easy to remember, because it's Groundhog Day, which does seem appropriate. Because unless this process is fixed, we are all destined to live through the same nightmare scenario over and over again until the end of f---ing time."

Watch the segment below:

SEE ALSO: 6 things that are shaking up the future of TV

DON'T MISS: Robin Wright demanded the same salary as Kevin Spacey for 'House of Cards' — or she would go public

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

Norse mythology is weirdly the most diverse part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

$
0
0

valkyrie tessa thompson

Marvel Studios announced a host of casting news for the upcoming film "Thor: Ragnarok" last week, revealing that Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, and Karl Urban were joining the film. 

They also confirmed that Tessa Thompson, who starred in "Creed" and "Selma," would be playing the Asgardian heroine Valkyrie.

Her casting adds a welcome bit of much-needed diversity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but in some ways it only highlights the studio's other problems with whitewashing. 

The heroes from the Thor comics are based on Norse mythology, and in the books almost all of them were originally white. This is partially because comics historically have a problem with diversity, but also because, you know, they're a bunch of Viking gods, so it made a certain amount of sense.

In the movies, however, Idris Elba was cast as the traditionally white Heimdall, and Thompson is now going to play the fair blonde Valkyrie. 

Norse mythology seems like the one area where Marvel could've maybe been given a pass when it comes to diversity, and it's great to see they've instead chosen to cast black actors to play these characters. It also makes it even more mystifying that they're casting white men for characters that should by all rights really be of Asian descent.

The studio raised eyebrows when they cast "Sherlock's" Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange, a traditionally white character who is seeped in Asian tradition and mysticism. The comics-accurate casting might've merely be a missed opportunity to not have a white male lead for the 14th movie in a row, but they also cast Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, a powerful sorcerer of Tibetan descent. This blatant whitewashing earned Marvel a well-deserved round of criticism. "Doctor Strange" co-writer C. Robert Cargillblamed political issues with China for the race swap, not that it makes it any better. 

tilda Swinton MarvelMarvel also botched an opportunity to diversify with their upcoming Netflix series "Iron Fist." The character is white in the comics, but has been criticized for being an outdated "orientalist-white-man-yellow-fever narrative." Instead of updating the character with an Asian actor, they instead cast Finn Jones, best known for playing Ser Loras Tyrell in "Game of Thrones." 

It's somewhat maddening that a cast of characters directly based off of Scandinavian gods is more open to diversity than characters with roots in Asian history and culture. If her past work is anything to go off of, Tessa Thompson is going to be a terrific Valkyrie, and it's nice that Marvel didn't arbitrarily limit themselves to a white actor. Maybe by the time we get to Phase Four that ethos will be true for heroes on Earth and not just Asgard.

SEE ALSO: Chiwetel Ejiofor on Hollywood diversity

Follow INSIDER on Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Seth Rogen explains why Marvel is great at making sequels

The company behind Angry Birds desperately needs the movie to be a hit

$
0
0

It looks like the "Angry Birds" movie is a hit: it grossed more than $150 million in its opening weekend, and knocked "Captain America: Civil War" off the top of the U.S. charts.

That's a nice boost for Rovio, which has been struggling to come up with another hit game since the Angry Birds craze peaked. As this chart from Statista shows, Rovio's revenue peaked in 2013, and last year it slipped from profit into loss. 

20160523_Rovio

SEE ALSO: As bidders lowball Yahoo, let's look once again at how its core business has stagnated

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch never-before-seen footage of SpaceX's most impressive rocket landing to date

Viewing all 103365 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images