Regulator says found no animal welfare breaches at Musk firm beyond 2019 incident
By Marisa Taylor The head of the U.S. agency responsible for animal welfare has told lawmakers that it
1970-01-01 08:00
Voting fraud claims spread ahead of Spain's pivotal election
Claims of vote rigging and election fraud are spreading in Spain ahead of that nation's pivotal election on Sunday
1970-01-01 08:00
Mamma Mia! and The Dark Knight were the original Barbenheimer
The same-day release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has sparked a frenzy on social media in recent weeks. But as cotton candy plastic pop meets death, destroyer of worlds on Friday 21 July, it’s worth pointing out that, incredibly, this has happened before. Fifteen years ago on 18 July 2008, dark versus light had another box office showdown, when Nolan’s The Dark Knight was released on the same day as Abba-inspired musical sensation Mamma Mia! Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Of course, social media was a very different beast back then. We can only dream of what the meme machine would have churned out with Christian Bale’s foreboding Batman and Amanda Seyfreid’s bride-to-be Sophie. Or what about Heath Ledger’s terrifying Joker and Pierce Brosnan’s smooth-as-you-like Sam Carmichael? The Dark Knight won the opening weekend by some distance, bringing in $158.4m in ticket sales compared to $27.7m for Mamma Mia! However, the Abba extravaganza clawed back some ground in the end, earning $611m in total, though still far less than The Dark Knight’s $1bn. Of course, theatre fans will point to the resounding success of Mamma Mia! the musical, which is the second-most successful production of all time with $4bn in total revenue, only lagging behind The Phantom Of The Opera. And beyond the numbers, news outlet Vulture even positioned the event as a good versus evil, light versus dark battle “for the soul of America” ahead of opening weekend. Sounds familiar, right? “It’s tempting to look at this weekend, in fact, as a mandate on how Americans feel about the state and future of our great nation,” the publication wrote at the time. “Is America optimistic? Do we essentially view ourselves as attractive, tan actresses frolicking on the beach to ABBA songs? Or is the soul of America chaotic and violent, like the deranged anti-hero whose electrifying presence animates The Dark Knight?” Twitter users tried to give the 15-year-old film pairing the Barbenheimer treatment. One person wrote: “Just realised the dark knight/mamma mia release day could have been called “Abbatman”. Why wasn’t I on Twitter in 2008?” It’s too early to say which of Barbie or Oppenheimer will come out on top on their opening weekend – though analysts have predicted a win for the former. But with the films hitting cinemas on 21 July, we don’t have long until we find out. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
Grab’s Bank to Accept Bigger Deposits, Signaling Cap Raised
Grab Holdings Ltd.’s upstart digital bank started accepting larger deposits in Singapore, suggesting the city-state’s regulator has raised
1970-01-01 08:00
Marketmind: Big Tech weighs in, UK relieved
A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan July is heating up
1970-01-01 08:00
What happened between Joe Rogan and Alex Jones? Conspiracy theorist accuses podcaster of 'playing dumb' in public: 'It's all calculated'
Alex Jones said, 'He sits there and plays dumb and does all that stuff and it’s all calculated, he’s a good guy, he knows all this stuff'
1970-01-01 08:00
Russia Hands Seized Danone, Carlsberg Assets to Putin Allies
Russia named a relative of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and an ally of President Vladimir Putin to head
1970-01-01 08:00
Ukraine Recap: Lula Says World Tires of War After Tense EU Meet
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has expressed ambivalence toward Russia’s attack on Ukraine, said the
1970-01-01 08:00
Kepa Arrizabalaga becomes Chelsea's longest-serving senior player after latest exit
Kepa Arrizabalaga becomes Chelsea's longest-serving senior player after Ethan Ampadu's sale to Leeds.
1970-01-01 08:00
Nigerian Central Bank Is Losing a Battle to Close Naira-Rate Gap
Nigeria’s official currency exchange rate is once again widening a gap with the parallel-market rate, shrugging off a
1970-01-01 08:00
Hawaii governor declares state of emergency as Tropical Storm Calvin threatens to deliver strong winds and torrential rain to the Big Island
Tropical Storm Calvin strengthened Tuesday as it continued to approach Hawaii's Big Island, where more than a million people are under a state of emergency and a tropical storm warning is in effect.
1970-01-01 08:00
Rich Chinese Eye Australia Homes as 700,000 to Leave by 2025
Australia is the top overseas destination for Chinese property hunters in the first half of this year, according
1970-01-01 08:00
