SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " wrap " 794 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Giant iPhone Duo Displays Coming to Four Apple Stores
To celebrate the launch of the iPhone Duo this Friday, Apple has set up oversized iPhone Duo promotional displays at Apple Fifth Avenue in New York City, Apple Covent Garden in London, Apple BKC in India, and Apple Jing'an in Shanghai. The installations were already spotted under wraps, and Apple CEO John Ternus has since revealed what they look like in a photo of Apple Jing'an shared on his Weibo account today.
How well have past GOTY winners sold?
We’re less than two months away from 2026’s The Game Awards, and what a year it’s been for fantastic games, including Resident Evil Requiem, Forza Horizon 6, Slay the Spire II, the Blood of Dawnwalker, and Control Resonant – just to name a few. So as we approach the end of the year, we thought we’d look back on our estimates for the GOTY winners of the past four years. In terms of revenue, Elden Ring (2022 winner), Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023), Astro Bot (2024), and Expedition 33 (2025) have generated a combined $3.8B via 73M copies sold: Let’s have a look, then. Elden Ring has generated $2B in revenue Elden Ring is a phenomenon in every sense. It’s sold a whopping 36.4M copies across Steam (50%), PS5 (35%), and Xbox (15% across console and PC). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Elden Ring also just passed an astronomical milestone: $2B in revenue. While PlayStation and Xbox account for half of Elden Ring’s copies sold across these three platforms, they account for 57.5% of revenue. This – as ever – is due to regional pricing and the higher relative share of PC gamers in lower-priced markets. For example, around 17.4% of Elden Ring’s Steam copies sold were in China, where the game costs about 26% less than the price in the States. There’s an … interesting narrative going around these days that console gamers are only interested in ball-and-gun games and have the patience for little else. Well, Elden Ring’s impressive sales prove that is simply not true, and across all platforms. What’s more, over 9.8M people have played Elden Ring for over 100 hours, with nearly 3.5M people getting all of the achievements and trophies. For reference, 10.9% of Elden Ring’s PlayStation players have the platinum trophy, while 10.5% of players on Steam and 3.9% of Xbox players unlocked all the achievements. Git gud, Xbox players! Of the 1.5M people who played Elden Ring on PlayStation last month, 4% also played Dark Souls 3 last month, 4% played Bloodborne, and 3% played Sekiro. There’s those Soulsborne diehards for you. By many accounts, including my own, Elden Ring is one of the best games of all time. It’s an evergreen seller that will continue to be a cash cow for Bandai and FromSoftware for years to come. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Elden Ring has sold another 2M copies across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox this year, generating almost $110M. This means it’s outperforming many of this year’s high-profile releases. Even Elden Ring’s standalone run-based PvE spinoff, 2025’s Nightreign, has sold 7.8M copies and generated $282M in revenue. Baldur’s Gate 3 is another billion-dollar-plus banger Another cross-platform phenomenon is Baldur’s Gate 3, which has sold 23.2M copies and generated over $1.2B in revenue. About 18.7M of these copies (80.6%) are via Steam, 2.9M via PS5 (12.7%), and 1.6M (6.8%) via Xbox. Around 1.3M folks on Steam bought BG3 before it hit 1.0. The PlayStation version launched about a month after the PC 1.0 release, while the Xbox version came four months later due to technical issues around developing local co-op on the Series S. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Across platforms, Baldur’s Gate 3’s monthly active users have never dropped below 2M, including 2.2M MAUs last month (68.5% on Steam, 21.9% on PS5, and 9.6% on Xbox). And it still regularly brings in 280K to 400K players every day: About 1% of BG3’s Steam player base has played for over 500 hours! That’s a little under 200K people. Astro Bot is also an evergreen seller, albeit a more niche, family one Astro Bot, 2024’s winner, has now sold 4.7M copies and generated $291M in revenue. The budget, including marketing, is almost certainly under $100M, given the small Japan-based core team and three-year dev timeline. You can really see why the tides are changing toward less expensive hubs. Astro Bot is the only first-party winner on this list, but follows other first-party winners of The Last of Us Part II (2020’s winner), God of War (2018), and Breath of the Wild (2017). Around 46.6% of Astro Bot’s copies sold have been physical, which is far higher than the typical game. This makes sense for a couple of reasons: There’s a large family audience for this one, and physical boxes are an item to wrap when giving Astro as a gift. Astro has collector value for the PlayStation core (this is nostalgia-fueled platformer celebrating PlayStation’s history) Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Astro is another one of those games that continues selling over time, regularly selling more than 100K a month. It’s sold around 1M more copies this year ($60M in revenue) and is a popular title with families. We can see this using the Alinea platform’s MAU crossover tool: Astro Bot’s top #2, #3, and #4 games by crossover in any given month this year are Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox – without fail. The #1 title every month, though, is Astro’s Playroom, a pack-in with all PS5 consoles. For every month this year, between 20% and 30% of Astro Bot players also played Astro’s Playroom that month. So the free pack-in is a noice funnel for converting players to a full paid product. Expedition 33 sells 8.7M despite Game Pass cannibalisation Finally, we have last year’s winner – Expedition 33. The turn-based-RPG banger has generated $366M via 8.7M copies sold, with 58.8% on Steam, 35.7% on PS5, and 5.5% on Xbox. Xbox’s share of copies sold is this low due to Expedition 33 launching on Game Pass, where 4.3M people across console and PC accessed the game. A little under 700K Xbox players used their subscription to play Expedition 33 this year. That said, the game’s 1.5-year Game Pass deal ended last week on October 16, and we’re already beginning to see a positive trend on Expedition 33’s copies sold via Xbox (but the jury’s still out!). There’s understandably a lot of French pride behind this one, as France is the game’s #3 market on both Steam and PlayStation. Vive la France! One thing that stood out to me is that the GOTY winners aren’t $300M Hollywood productions made in the US. They’re mostly mid-budget studios outside the traditional AAA cost centres. Lots to think about there. Also, good games sell well; who’d have thunk it!? And there’s a whole load of them this year, with GTA 6 still to come, too. GTA just made the cutoff point for the VGAs this year. What a coincidence! Loading... Cool links and other stuff Our physical games newsletter from Tuesday was picked up by GameSpot, Eurogamer, TweakTown, and a bunch of others. We’re offering a free trial of our platform for games companies. Send us a message here, or reply right here on Substack/email, and we’ll set you up. Next week, we’ve got some exciting news regarding the future of our newsletter, so stay tuned! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. Want to see why these companies (and many others) are subscribed to Alinea? Get a free platform trial! [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
Giant iPhone Duo Installations Spotted at Apple Fifth Avenue
Apple is preparing what appear to be giant iPhone Duo displays outside its Fifth Avenue store in New York ahead of the device's launch on Friday, October 23. Photos from users on X show the structures on the plaza beside the glass cube. Their designs are hidden by wrapping and black covers, so it remains unclear exactly how Apple will present the device. October 21, 2026 The outdoor installations accompany a substantial retail push inside the store.
Haverhill, Southern New Hampshire Chambers Plan Joint Business After Hours
The Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce is joining with the Southern New Hampshire Chamber of Commerce for Business After Hours next week at Wicked Sticky Designs. Members of the two chambers will network; get a behind-the-scenes look at Wicked Sticky Designs, producer of wide format printing, vehicle wraps, fleet graphics, banners and decals; and enjoy
Vivek Ramaswamy’s Amy Acton Attack Ad Is ‘One of the Most Despicable Things’ Chris Hayes Has Seen in Politics
Chris Hayes condemned a controversial attack ad targeting Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, calling it "despicable"
NBA Excitement Elevates as New Season Kicks Off
ScreenShare: A data partnership between ScreenEngine & TheWrap
Target Unwraps the Science of Gift Giving in Holiday Campaign
Created by Mythology and directed by ‘Hacks’ co-creator Lucia Aniello via hungryman, the retailer gives tenure to actor D’Arcy Carden as leader of its ‘Academy of Giftology’, a digital destination beyond its nine bilingual films
ID@XBOX x IGN Showcase Recap: All the News and Announcements
We've just wrapped up another fantastic ID@XBOX and IGN Showcase, bringing the latest news and updates on many brilliant indie titles heading to XBOX.
Legendary Entertainment Submits Takeover Offer for Lionsgate
The move comes after the "Dune" producer first eyed a potential acquisition of the Hollywood studio last year
Legendary Entertainment Submits Takeover Offer for Lionsgate
The move comes after the "Dune" producer first eyed a potential acquisition of the Hollywood studio last year
Scientists discover a promising blood sugar–regulating compound in red alga
It is a dietary staple found in sushi, rice wraps and ramen toppings. Commonly known as nori in Japan and gim in Korea, red seaweed is especially popular across Asia. Yet, despite its widespread consumption, ...
Pfizer makes ‘business decision’ to end phase 2 trial of autoimmune drug as program’s future uncertain
Pfizer has called time on a phase 2 trial of its CXCR5 antibody in an autoimmune blood disorder, with the company tight-lipped on whether this marks the end of the road for the asset. The Big Pharma had been evaluating the therapy, dubbed PF-06835375, in a phase 2 study of 61 patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) that kicked off in 2022, according to the federal trials register. However, Pfizer confirmed to Fierce on Monday that this study had been terminated “due to a business decision.” “The decision to terminate the trial was not based on any safety concerns,” a spokesperson pointed out. At time of publication, PF-06835375 remained listed on Pfizer’s website for both ITP and lupus. A phase 1 study in lupus wrapped up in 2022, according to the trials database. ITP is an autoimmune disorder characterized by a low platelet count. Novartis was at one point evaluating its B-cell-depleting antibody ianalumab—recently approved as Fabhalta to treat immunoglobulin A nephropathy—as a potential treatment ITP. But the therapy struggled to demonstrate a benefit in the clinic for this indication. When contacted by Fierce, Pfizer wouldn’t confirm whether all work on PF-06835375 has been halted, and whether the company has any other plans to explore C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5) as a mechanism. CXCR5 is found in blood cancers such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma chemokine receptor. However, there is little expression in normal tissue, which has led some drug developers to explore its potential. Vincerx Pharma had at one point been planning to take an anti-CXCR5 ADC into the clinic to treat B-cell malignancies, but that ambition was scrapped due to cash constraints. Where Big Pharma is placing its bets is one of the hot topics being discussed at Fierce Biotech's high-impact event in London next month. Find out more information and register by clicking on the banner below: [ ](https://qtxasset.com/quartz/qcloud5/media/image/where_big_pharma_is_placing_its_bets.png?VersionId=B8JrRbJ.pFUSK1pJgjeWHLGm_18RdLAy)
Why Next Season Is Pivotal For Braves' AJ Smith-Shawver
The starting right-hander wrapped up the season with an underwhelming 6.61 ERA and has struggled to stay healthy.
Megyn Kelly Bemoans ‘You Can See Everything’ ‘Political’ Charlie Kirk Mentions: ‘Cannot Go Anywhere’
Megyn Kelly is still recommending "You Can See Everything" to her audience even if the Charlie Kirk mentions angered her.
Central Illinois Flea Market vendors explain why they’re in business
The Central Illinois Flea Market wrapped up its season at Peoria Speedway this weekend, giving shoppers one last chance to browse a variety of unique finds.
2nd annual Resource Fair offers free Naloxone kits
The Salt Lake County Health Department wrapped up its second annual Resource Fair on Saturday, focusing on raising awareness to what's already available.
Top Stories: Apple HomeView, New Apple TV and HomePod mini, and Sold-Out iPhone Duo
It was another crazy busy week for Apple, headlined by Tuesday seeing the company take the wraps off of several home-related products as part of a "Welcome home" launch wave.
Caleb Wilson Flashes in Bulls' Preseason Finale Versus Timberwolves
Chicago took care of a short-handed Minnesota team to wrap up preseason play.
Huntingdon Health and Rehab wraps up annual Fall Festival
The Fall Festival at Huntingdon Health and Rehab has wrapped up after a full afternoon of family fun.
Golden boys soccer takes care of business in 2nd half against Green Mountain
Golden boys soccer stays hot as regular season begins to wrap up.
Bucs' Todd Bowles warns defense about Steelers RB Jaylen Warren
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles urges his defense to wrap up against Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren ahead of Week 6.
Bleecker Street Sells to Outerlight Entertainment
Outerlight Entertainment has bought Bleecker Street, the independent studio behind films like Spinal Tap 2 and Musk.
Bleecker Street Sells to Outerlight Entertainment
Outerlight Entertainment has bought Bleecker Street, the independent studio behind films like Spinal Tap 2 and Musk.
CAA, WME and UTA Team With Ron Howard and Jason Blum to Push for Indie Productions
A new group, formed by the top talent agencies and producers, is lobbying for independent films and movies to be made in the U.S.
Fox News’ Brit Hume Questions If Trump ‘Should Be Out There Front and Center’ Amid Dismal Polls
"His approval rating is, what, 36%" Fox News' chief political analyst says of President Donald Trump.
Aaron Paul Pays Tribute to RJ Mitte, Advocates for Mental Health: ‘I’m So Sorry You Were Hurting’
Aaron Paul posted a video of his "Breaking Bad" co-star RJ Mitte advocating for mental health alongside a moving tribute following his death earlier this week.
MIPCOM Cannes Attendance Dips as AI, Creators and Vertical Dramas Reshape Global Entertainment Market
CANNES, France — Attendance at MIPCOM Cannes was down this year, but the world’s largest international television market is undergoing a transformation that organizers say reflects the dramatic changes sweeping through the global entertainment business. MIPCOM Cannes 2026 drew 10,100 delegates from 104 countries, down from approximately 10,600 attendees from 107 countries last year. The … Continue reading "MIPCOM Cannes Attendance Dips as AI, Creators and Vertical Dramas Reshape Global Entertainment Market"
Hochul and Blakeman trade barbs in only governor debate
The candidates clashed over immigration enforcement, utility costs, crime and more.
YMCA camp in Honolulu turns fall break into a science adventure
The YMCA of Honolulu wrapped up "STEAM Camp" over fall break, teaching students important science skills. The camp is a place where Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math engage students.
YMCA camp in Honolulu turns fall break into a science adventure
The YMCA of Honolulu wrapped up "STEAM Camp" over fall break, teaching students important science skills. The camp is a place where Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math engage students.
Scarlett Johansson-Produced ‘Assassins’ Competition Show Greenlit at Peacock
The competition series will be executive produced by Johansson, Brien Meagher and Rhett Bachner for B17 Entertainment
Fox Entertainment Partners With Hartbeat for Vertical IP Development, Distribution
The new partnership gives Fox first look at films and TV series developed from select Hartbeat labels' microseries.
Arizona State Council Focuses on Workers, Growth and Political Action
The IAM's Arizona State Council has wrapped up its 2026 Fall Conference, bringing together about 30 union leaders, delegates, and guests to discuss the future of working families across the state. The conference was led by Council President Steve Nickel, with special guest IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert "Bobby" Martinez also was in
Week 6 NFL Power Rankings: Best 10 Teams
With Monday Night Football wrapping up on October 12, 2026, it’s time for the Week 6 NFL power rankings. These are my top ten teams through the first five weeks of the 2026 NFL regular season, based on performance, scoring margins, and offensive and defensive production. TeamRankings provided the average scoring and team turnover margins. […] The post Week 6 NFL Power Rankings: Best 10 Teams appeared first on Stadium Rant.
How worried should Catholics be about the pope’s health?
Pope Leo XIV announced on Sunday that he will undergo surgery this week to remove a “nodule” from his lung. The pope made the announcement at the end of his Sunday Angelus address, asking for prayers. “Dear all, recently, during some checkups, the doctors discovered a nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and was well-localized,” Leo said. “The doctors felt it was necessary to intervene, and so, following their advice, I decided to have surgery to remove it. The procedure is already scheduled for the next few days. I thank you for your spiritual support and I entrust myself to your prayers.” The Vatican press office subsequently added that Leo is scheduled to undergo surgery at the Gamelli hospital on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The pope is expected to spend up to a week in the Gamelli recovering, after which, for the moment, he is still expected to undertake his largest and longest to-date Apostolic journey, heading to Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru, beginning Nov. 6. Prayers have, understandably, poured in from dioceses around the world, accompanied by the best wishes of heads of state and international institutions. So how worried should Catholics be for the health of the pope? The Vatican’s messaging around Leo’s pending surgery is, in many ways, a new approach to papal health issues. But, despite the pope’s personal candour, the Holy See’s messaging perhaps raises as many questions as it answers. Subscribe — Leo’s decision to announce his own medical status and pending hospital stay during the Sunday Angelus is, it should be said, already something of a big deal. Traditionally, the health of popes simply hasn’t been discussed publicly or officially, until circumstances made it absolutely necessary. Memorably, in 2023 Pope Francis was rushed to the Gemelli in an ambulance, exhibiting signs of cardiac arrest according to many close to him, only for the Sala Stampa to put out a statement insisting he was merely going in for “pre-scheduled” tests. That Pope Leo has decided to announce his condition himself, with remarkable frankness, is a significant comms policy shift around the Apostolic Palace. This might reflect a deliberately more open posture, as opposed to the traditional, otiose evasiveness, and the first fruits of an American pope and American prefect of the Dicastery for Communications favoring honesty as a baseline. Equally, it must be allowed, it could be that the pope’s situation is serious enough that there would be no keeping it under wraps or playing it off, and the decision was made to be as open as possible to head off speculation about the papal health. Certainly, Leo appeared to make every effort to sound reassuring — stressing that, whatever the diagnosis is, exactly, it is “well-localized” and “early stage.” Of course, for everyone listening, talk of a “nodule” in a lung will immediately send thoughts — and prayers — running to concerns about words not used, like “cancer,” “tumor,” “begnin” or “malignant.” To be clear, none of those words may yet be medically appropriate. And there is every reason to believe and assume that Leo is giving almost as much information as he may have himself at this stage. But the context of the pope’s announcement and the timing of his surgery do reasonably raise reasonably serious concerns for Leo. We don’t know, and this isn’t to say anyone has the right to expect to know, when the routine medical checks made this discovery. It could have been last week, last month, or even earlier. As such, it isn’t really possible to say with what kind of urgency Leo is being brought in for surgery. However, there is clearly some serious urgency to the matter. Leo making the announcement and going into hospital this week, of all weeks, means he is having to miss the balance and conclusion of his global meeting of the heads of the world’s bishops conferences, which he convened in Rome this week. That, as the Vatican has announced, has meant some serious changes to the schedule, with the newly minted dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Tagle, subbing in for the closing Mass on Wednesday, and the meeting’s organizers announcing that the final working document/summary of the meeting being delayed until Leo can read and feed into it. Those changes suggest that the timing of Leo’s surgery isn’t of his own choosing, and he is acting on the best medical advice he can get by moving urgently. Had this issue been discovered weeks ago, it seems reasonable to assume the pope would have seen it dealt with before the meeting began. And were it possible to delay it, even by a few days to allow the meeting to conclude as scheduled, the expectation would surely be he’d have opted for that. It cannot be excluded that Leo is simply having to fit in with the schedules of his medical team, but a man who occupies arguably the most important and prominent role in Italy, if not Western Europe, could generally be assumed to be the one whose calendar others work around. All this points to a very recent medical discovery leading to a “days matter” diagnosis, or at least suspected possible diagnosis. Of course, another factor weighing in the balance is Leo’s upcoming apostolic visit to three South American countries, including a return to Peru, where he spent many years as a priest and bishop. It is entirely possible that the doctors, and the pope himself, are more concerned about the potential knock-on effects of surgery, and the time needed for recovery, for a 71-year-old — even one as physically sound and actively sporty as Leo. The pope is due to depart Rome November 6 for his 10-day three-country trip, returning on Nov. 17. It may be that Leo has simply made the decision to allow maximum time for his own post-op recovery, and even allow for potentially unforeseen circumstances, so that he is at full strength for the landmark trip. While it might be an inconvenience, and clearly a last-minute wrench in the works for the Amoris meeting, it is possible that Leo simply weighs the importance of that conference more lightly in the balance than even the possibility of missing his homecoming trip to Peru, or even having to scale back his itinerary for the trip. If that is the case, it would suggest a real abundance of caution by the pope approaching his Latin American tour, and a sobering indication of where Leo ranks the non-synodal meeting currently underway in Rome. In any event, what can be said for certain is that the pope having to take this, of all weeks, out of his schedule for surgery and an extended hospital stay is extremely unfortunate timing. It is clear that this is a decision Leo has made on the advice of his doctors. Together, they clearly consider that the risks of delaying, even by a little as a few days, represents an unacceptable risk for the pope. Even expecting and allowing for Leo’s full and speedy recovery, that should be a very sobering thought for Catholics everywhere. Subscribe
Lyndon Historical Society’s ‘Pies On The Porch’ Oct. 17
LYNDON — The Lyndon Historical Society will wrap up its summer and fall activities with Pie on the Porch at the Shores Memorial Museum in Lyndon Center on Saturday, October
Crews begin clearing 169 trees at DC golf course Trump plans to convert to championship course
The East Potomac Golf Course is home to one of several Trump administration renovation projects wrapped up in litigation brought by preservationists.
Review: McDonald's Snack Wrap in the US and UK
After sparking disappointment from fans in the UK, we compared both versions of McDonald's snack wraps in the US and UK.
Column: Life lessons from the WYO Film Festival
What makes the annual WYO Film Festival — which just wrapped its ninth installment last weekend at the WYO Performing Arts and Education Center — such a unique opportunity is
Weekly Portland women’s sports wrap up (10/9)
Weekly Portland women’s sports wrap up (10/9) presented by Rebound Orthopedics and Neurosurgery and Rivermark Community Credit Union.
Netflix’s Summer of Bummer
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Today, I’ve got a guest post from longtime friend of the newsletter, Brandon Katz. I’ve been trying to find time all summer to look at Netflix’s straight-to-streaming film slate, but between a pre-planned trip and Nielsen moving up their streaming data timeline, I’ve been swamped. So I reached out to Brandon, one of my favorite fellow analysts, to write about it. And I feel like he captured the tone and data focus of the newsletter perfectly. You can connect with Brandon on LinkedIn and Twitter. Enjoy! Don’t worry, folks. You’re in safe hands with me. To ease any anxieties about an interloper in ESG’s domain, I’ll start by stealing one of his best framing devices: headlines. Box office flops are covered in the same way the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eye pizza: with cartoonish insatiability. I would know. I’m a former reporter who wrote nearly identical headlines: Yet, intentionally or not, streaming misses get treated with kids gloves, filtered through a rosy lens: In the last six years, U.S. streaming viewership has become nearly as transparent as the box office, but the data often arrives weeks later, in a number of less intuitive metrics, and with nary an official budget to be found. This plays into the Wall Street-whispering narratives major streamers have been cultivating for years. They get a pass in a way that theatrical studios simply don’t. Subscribe Netflix’s Summer Slate Not a single Netflix original film released between May and August this year opened above 20 million U.S. TV hours, per Nielsen. That benchmark usually serves as the EntStrategyGuy’s floor for a streaming hit on Netflix. None of these films enjoyed a hit-cementing single week of 20-plus million hours during their runs. Netflix’s two best films were true crime docs, Maternal Instinct (16.5 million hours) and The Crash (19.7 million), the best overall week for a film this summer. Great for most other streamers, but not necessarily what we’re used to seeing from Netflix. For an overly-dramatic comparison, Happy Gilmore 2 opened last summer to around 47 million hours (celebrity cameos, baby!). Zooming out, the picture looks even worse. In 2026, Netflix’s five biggest scripted summer films posted the lowest average (28.6 million hours) and median (28.8 million hours) eight-week viewership totals of the past four years. Now, it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect Netflix to deliver a _KPop Demon Hunters-_sized hit every year. But it’s also not ideal to see the size of their hits shrinking over the last few summers. Let’s quickly run through some of the notable summer misses. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein’s perfectly fine romcom, Office Romance, fell off the charts after 20 million hours in its first two weeks. Top films usually last for four-plus weeks. Starry titles ideally don’t decay that fast either. Homegrown star Millie Bobby Brown couldn’t prevent the snappy Enola Holmes franchise from diminishing returns. At 14.3 million U.S. hours, the third film posted roughly half of what the first two films did in their first two weeks. What’s on Netflix calculated that per-day global views were down nearly 60% from the second movie. The Whisper Man did okay with more than 36 million hours over its first four weeks. But I expected a little more juice from a film featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott. Kevin Hart’s Ladies First collected just 11.2 million hours total across two weeks. That’s a big miss for one of Netflix’s go-to stars. Plopping into the same bucket are Sunny Sandler’s Don’t Say Good Luck (10.3 million in two weeks) and John Cena’s Little Brother (17.5 million). Meanwhile, English-language originals Color Book (June 19), In the Hand of Dante (June 24) and Heartstopper Forever (July 17) never sniffed Nielsen’s Top 10 at all, despite needing only 2 to 5 million hours to land in the top ten most weeks. (By my count, eleven English-language scripted original films released between May and August did chart). It’s only fair to mention that Swapped (1-May) posted nearly 42 million U.S. hours over five weeks (the longest Netflix original run this summer) and is currently their eighth most-watched English-language film ever worldwide. Remarkably Bright Creatures (37 million, 4 weeks) and Voicemails for Isabelle (27 million, 4 weeks) weren’t bombs either. Still, overall, I think it’s fair to say this was a quieter summer season than we’re used to seeing from the market-leader. You might not realize that given the language commonly used in public analysis. The Twist Despite the starkly black-and-white tone of the coverage, here’s the twist: when many box office bombs arrive on streaming, their viewership looks a whole lot like many of Netflix’s supposedly successful summer releases. Hmm, where have we heard that one before? Masters of the Universe topped out at $65 million stateside against a $170 million budget_._ I’ll admit, Skeletor ripping sleeveless curls as a gym bro and bodyslamming Adam’s co-workers was funny. But, much to the chagrin of my bank account, my laughter doesn’t launch franchises. Yet the He-Man reboot opened to 19.6 million hours (from a Wednesday five-day opening instead of just one weekend), on par with Hoppers on Disney+ (19.4 million). It put up nearly 47 million hours over its first six weeks, bigger than all of Netflix’s summer releases. Pretty darn healthy and likely to land among the 25 most-watched movies on streaming this year. Sticking with Amazon, The Sheep Detectives just barely broke even at the box office with $133 million worldwide (and only $66 million domestic). I never expected cloven-hooved, cud-chewing mammals to be able to bring me to tears. Yet that’s exactly how I found myself at the end of this surprisingly affecting movie (#NoShame). It was likely the unexpected quality in a family-friendly film that powered its streaming over-performance. Sheep Detectives delivered a solid run for Prime video netting 26.2 million hours! How about franchise IP? Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu had the lowest opening ($81 million) and lowest-grossing Disney-era live-action Star Wars film ($178 million domestic). One day before release, its Heat score (19.8%)—audiences who list their interest as a 7/7—fell behind blockbusters Wicked (21%), Superman (23%), Fantastic Four: First Steps (23%), Michael (23%), Toy Story 5 (26%) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (27%), according to Greenlight Analytics. The urgent enthusiasm just wasn’t there. On streaming, Mando opened to weeks of 12.1 million, 6.1 million and 2.7 million hours (21 million total) over its first three frames. Not the numbers Lucasfilm was hoping for nor the numbers of a streaming hit. But they’re in the same vicinity as some Netflix summer releases with $345 million at the global box office to offset a smidgen of the pain. Final Thoughts So why oh why does this nuance gap exist? Four key reasons: Data Literacy: A “$100 million opening” just makes sense. After decades of box office reporting, even casual movie fans are well-versed in the benchmarks of hits and home runs. There’s an immediate shorthand. But “16.5 million” hours doesn’t land nearly as cleanly. Despite leaps of progress, the streaming ratings era is still in its infancy compared to theatrical. The EntStrategyGuy and I met thanks to a late 2010s group chat of data nerds hungry to find a shred of certainty in nebulous streaming performance. I’m not surprised to see “No. 1 on Netflix” still getting misconstrued out in the wild. Timing: By Friday morning, we have the box office’s Thursday night previews totaled, allowing us to better project the weekend’s expectations. From there, ticket sales are reported daily. By Sunday, the film’s fate is usually finalized, at least in terms of public perception. In streaming, Nielsen recently improved its delay to…two weeks. The medium isn’t forced to contend with instant gratification as harshly. Financials: Theatrical film budgets are a mere Google away. Profit and loss is calculated in the cold and unforgiving naked light of day for all to see. But finding the vast majority of streaming exclusive movie budgets requires the forensic investigation skills of a Criminal Minds detective. Also, it’s very difficult to calculate how much revenue/value a straight-to-streaming films provides a streamer. This is why there are so few stories about streaming original movies “losing X amount of money”. On top of that, marketing budgets are far greater for theatrical movies than streaming exclusive movies, which leads to earlier and better awareness. This then translates to a wider pool of potential interest. Narrative Control: Netflix is the only major streaming service to publish weekly first-hand viewership data and annual engagement reports. Naturally, some headlines borrow their first-hand framing**.** Other streamers benefit from their comparative lack of transparency. They may occasionally announce vague performance platitudes such as Apple TV’s Mayday becoming its “biggest film debut on the platform to date over its first 18 days,” and that it ranked No. 1 with left-handed viewers in its first weekend. (Fine, I made up that second one). But, for the most part, they keep first-hand viewership shrouded in mystery to avoid bad press. Especially for outlets that demand multiple articles per day from their writers, it’s an easy (and understandable) way for some reporters to hit their daily article quota by just repeating what the streamers have told them. TL:DR version: Streaming-exclusive movies are asked to do different things than theatrical movies, but that doesn’t mean they should escape judgment. Both still need to draw enough eyeballs to justify their cost within the proper performance contexts. The more cleanly we can inject a little nuance into streaming analysis, the better we’ll understand the audience and content trends that drive this industry. And that’s what all of this is really about: knowing what audiences actually want! Brandon Katz is the Director of Insights & Content Strategy at Greenlight Analytics where he focuses on evaluating the ever-fluid media landscape to unearth understanding, opportunity and value. Greenlight Analytics is the entertainment intelligence consulting company redefining how Hollywood finds, understands, and activates audiences. Prior to joining Greenlight Analytics, he served as the senior entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, and as a full-time entertainment industry reporter covering the Xs and Os of Hollywood, most notably with TheWrap and the Observer.
Missouri business Precison Mazes outlines this year's memorable creations (LISTEN)
Precision Mazes has wrapped up another incredible season, turning agriculture’s fields into works of art that you can literally get lost in. Cameron Conner talks with owner Rob Stouffer about this year’s favorites and what is in store for 2027. Share this:
Glen Powell Doesn't Want to Talk About Politics as a Movie Star: 'My Calling Is Elsewhere'
Glen Powell told Esquire in a new profile that he has no intention of stepping into the ring of political discourse.
Glen Powell Doesn’t Want to Talk About Politics as a Movie Star: ‘My Calling Is Elsewhere’
Glen Powell told Esquire in a new profile that he has no intention of stepping into the ring of political discourse.
Acme demolition complete as group looks toward site’s future
The Sheridan County Conservation District and Acme Working Group is wrapping up the clean-up phase of the former Acme Power Plant reclamation site following a summer full of demolition.
Apple Reportedly Waiting on Samsung for Ultimate Bezel-Free iPhone Display
Apple is waiting on Samsung to perfect a next-generation OLED display technology that wraps almost vertically around a phone and essentially makes the sides themselves part of the screen, claims a Chinese leaker. Xiaomi's 2021 concept phone – bearing a striking resemblance to Samsung's rumored technology According to the Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital, the technology is internally described by Samsung as a "full-surround, full-screen display".
Belmont High School Sports Wrap
Belmont High sports round-up: scores and highlights from football, field hockey, cross country, soccer, volleyball and swim for the week of Oct. 2.
Mental health group wraps statewide tour in Parkersburg
The National Alliance on Mental Illness in West Virginia hosted an hour-long listening session Tuesday afternoon at West Virginia University Parkersburg.
Trump takes midterms message to deep red Nebraska
President Donald Trump gave supporters a campaign-style speech in Nebraska in a continued effort to fire up the GOP base ahead of the midterms. CNN’s Jeff Zeleny reports.
Banijay Entertainment Unites US Operations With Banijay America Following All3Media Merger
Ben Samek will serve as the CEO of this division, which will now house Turnkey Studio Services
Banijay Entertainment Unites US Operations With Banijay America Following All3Media Merger
Ben Samek will serve as the CEO of this division, which will now house Turnkey Studio Services
Burton must respond to 'gift-wrapped' loss
Burton boss Gary Bowyer says this week will help him see "what the squad is made of" after defensive errors "gift-wrapped" Huddersfield victory.
National team’s next matches! Everything on November’s international break
The Brazilian National Team already has its next commitments set to wrap up the 2026 calendar.During the November FIFA window, the team coached by Carlo Ancelotti will play two friendlies in Asia, bot...
Sarasota tape manufacturer acquires Iowa shrink film maker
Intertape Polymer Group has acquired Clysar.
HIGHLIGHTS: Wall vs. Midland Christian
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Midland Christian hosted Wall and the Mustangs handed the Hawks their first loss since December 2024. With the win, Midland Christian wrapped up non-district play with a 3-3 record, and next week they begin district play on the road against Fort Worth Christian. Watch the video above for the highlights.
Weekly Portland women’s sports wrap up (10/2)
Weekly Portland women’s sports wrap up (9/25) presented by Rebound Orthopedics and Neurosurgery and Rivermark Community Credit Union.
The multiplier effect: Wilmington film boosts local business during ‘One Tree Hill’ convention
WILMINGTON — Thousands of fans pilgrimaged to Wilmington almost two weeks ago to celebrate a show that wrapped filming in the city more than a decade ago. Some local businesses felt the boost.
TLFF 2026 winners announced
Twelve Lions Film Festival wrapped up another year at The Kentucky Theatre Sept. 25-27 with a variety of films from around the state, country and world.
Islanders News: Darche on summer, Duclair on target
Good morning and happy Friday, the New York Islanders are last in the Metro. Islanders News Elsewhere Last night’s scores included the Jack Hughes getting the Devils the win in overtime after he objected to a mid-game question from AJ Mleczko about bubble wrap and plastic utensils (he was reportedly injured during a team dinner […]
Girls challenge away force
Hosting Vienna before two-week breakTo wrap up the first half of the ADMIRAL Women's Bundesliga regular season, our team faces another home match before heading into the international break. First Vie...
Raine Group Close to Sale of Majority Stake in Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment
Raine Group is selling its majority stake in Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment.
PMK Entertainment Brings Prodigy PR Founder Erik Bright on as EVP of Content and Strategic Comms
PMK Entertainment has appointed Prodigy Public Relations founder Erik Bright as EVP of Content and Strategic Communications.
PMK Entertainment Brings Prodigy PR Founder Erik Bright on as EVP of Content and Strategic Comms
PMK Entertainment has appointed Prodigy Public Relations founder Erik Bright as EVP of Content and Strategic Communications.
Fox Business Lines Up New Weekday Programming Slate After Maria Bartiromo Exit
Fox Business has set a new weekday programming lineup starting Monday, Oct. 12, just a month after Maria Bartiromo's abrupt departure.
Matt Rice Takes the Reins of UTA’s Film Division as Agency Reshuffles Leadership
Matt Rice has been elevated to president of the new UTA Filmed Entertainment unit, as the agency has reorganized its filmed entertainment division
Matt Rice Takes the Reins of UTA's Film Division as Agency Reshuffles Leadership
Matt Rice has been elevated to president of the new UTA Filmed Entertainment unit, as the agency has reorganized its filmed entertainment division
Bono Says Ed Sheeran Worried About Getting 'Into Politics' on Their Song About the War in Ukraine
Sheeran and U2 collaborated on "Yours Eternally" earlier this year before his Free Palestine fallout with Macklemore
Jewish and Israeli Artists Face Growing ‘Cultural Boycotts’ Across Entertainment, ADL Report Says
The Anti-Defamation League has tracked 65 cases of protests, cancellations and harassment involving Jewish, Israeli and Zionist performers.
Jim Carrey marries girlfriend Min Ah in private ceremony
The two have been spotted together as far back as 2022, but Carrey kept details of their relationship under wraps.
‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ Becomes First Video Game of 2026 to Top List of Titles People Are Most Excited About
ScreenShare: A data partnership between ScreenEngine & TheWrap
Bears keeping starting QB under wraps before Jets game
Bears head coach Ben Johnson is remaining mum on the team's starting QB vs. the Jets, although the team knows "the direction" for Week 4.
CNN Taps Pamela Brown for New Women’s Health Streaming Series
“The Situation Room” co-anchor Pamela Brown will host “Body Language by CNN,” a new women’s health series debuting Oct. 8 on CNN All Access.
O'Neill has made rod for his own back as daunting run looms
Just when I thought not much else could surprise me in Scottish football, Martin O'Neill casually threw in his post-match press conference quip about whether it's time for him to "wrap things up" at Celtic. If it comes at Fir Park a week on Sunday, Celtic will have lost four in a row and may well cede Premiership top spot.
AOC wraps upstate tour as speculation grows over political future
She has shown interest in a Senate or presidential run.
Tom Cruise Dusts Off 'Risky Business' Dance Moves for Packed 'Jennifer Hudson Show' Spirit Tunnel
Tom Cruise revived his “Risky Business” dance moves for an appearance in “The Jennifer Hudson Show” spirit tunnel, which drew a record number of participants.
Pirates Should Be Encouraged About Konnor Griffin’s Strong Finish
Konnor Griffin wrapped up his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a high note.
AI Has Already Impacted How Creatives Are Pitching Films, According to FoxNXT Head
Jon Flynn, EVP and head of FoxNXT, took the stage during TheWrap's first-ever AI Creator Day ahead of TheGrill.
Science takes the runway: HIV Unwrapped at NYFW
At this year’s New York Fashion Week, HIV Unwrapped has put science on the runway, calling attention to today’s breakthrough treatments, the U=U message, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic that forever changed New York’s art and cultural scene
Wrapping up Recovery Month with Alpharus Health, formerly Gateway Foundation: Rebrand and resources
Alpharus Health, formerly Gateway Foundation
Paramount+ Picks Up US Rights for 3 British Series From A24
Paramount+ has picked up the U.S. rights for three British series from A24, "It Gets Worse," "Major Players" and "The Ministry of Time"
Guardians’ Parker Messick Wraps up Historic Rookie Season
Parker Messick's rookie season with the Cleveland Guardians was one for the record books.
VMAs 2026 Tally Biggest Audience Since 2015 With 8.4 Million Viewers on CBS and MTV
MTV’s Video Music Awards returned to Los Angeles with a bang, bringing in its biggest audience since 2015.
SJ Cafe in Loves Park has closed. The business is for sale
By Kevin Haas Rock River Current Get our mobile app LOVES PARK — A locally owned cafe that centered on quick grab healthy options such as smoothies, wraps, parfaits and protein bites has closed after less than a year in business. SJ Cafe, 6731 Broadcast Parkway, announced its closure on Monday via Facebook. Owner Danna
Q2 Rundown: PENN Entertainment (NASDAQ:PENN) Vs Other Consumer Discretionary
As the Q2 earnings season wraps, let’s dig into this quarter’s best and worst performers in the consumer discretionary - casino operator industry, including PENN Entertainment (NASDAQ:PENN) and its peers.
7wire Ventures Presents: Top of the Ladder Featuring Karoo Health Co-Founder & CEO Ian Koons
In our latest Top of the Ladder feature, we sat down with Ian Koons to discuss his path into healthcare, why cardiology has resisted value-based care for so long, what it means to build infrastructure rather than another app, how Karoo wraps care around patients between appointments, and where he sees the future of cardiovascular care.
Graham Norton teases mystery star at Taylor Swift wedding
Graham Norton is keeping at least one detail from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's star-studded wedding under wraps.
Shawn Levy and 21 Laps Entertainment Sign Overall TV Deal With Disney's 20th Television
The new deal that lured the producer over from Netflix kicks off in 2027
Shawn Levy and 21 Laps Entertainment Sign Overall TV Deal With Disney’s 20th Television
The new deal that lured the producer over from Netflix kicks off in 2027
ONE WEEK AWAY: Protect Our Care’s “Sick of It! Fix Health Care Now” Bus Tour Hits the Road to Take the Fight for Affordable Health Care Across the Country
Washington, D.C. — One week from today, Protect Our Care’s “Sick of It! Fix Health Care Now” campaign will hit the road with Care Force One, kicking off in Bangor,...
In brief: '9 to 5' headed back to theaters and more
Pour yourself a cup of ambition and head out to your local movie theater. 9 to 5 is headed back to movie theaters for a special, weeklong run starting on Oct. 9. This will be a newly restored version of the classic satirical workplace comedy starring the late Dolly Parton. Additionally, Disney is set to donate net proceeds from each ticket purchased for the rerelease in the U.S. to the Dollywood Foundation in support of its flagship program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Disney is the parent company of ABC News ...Off Campus star Ella Bright has found her next gig. The actress confirmed she will star opposite Mason Thames in the movie Narcs in a post shared to her Instagram Story. This marks Bright's first major studio feature role. The upcoming coming-of-age comedy will be made for Sony Pictures. While the movie's plot is being kept under wraps, it will serve as the directorial debut of John Phillips, the writer of No Hard Feelings, Good Boys and Dirty Grandpa ... TNCMS.AdManager.render({region: 'fixed-big-ad-top-asset', slot: 1, fold: "above"}); Did you miss Evil Dead Burn in theaters? Not to worry. The film is set to make its global streaming debut on HBO Max on Oct. 2. Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Erroll Shand and Maude Davey star in the film that was directed by Sébastien Vaniček ...Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Thank you for reading kmaland.comAt KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com.
BMW M2 Gets A Dramatic 3.0 CSL Makeover
Riverti Automobili reshapes the G87 BMW M2 with 3.0 CSL-inspired bodywork, while key specs like power and production remain under wraps.
2026 MTV VMAs Winners List
A complete list of VMAs winners for the 2026 awards, including Madonna, Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter
Nations League: Greece upset Germany, Portugal sink Norway
The Greek feat!That wraps up the first evening of Matchday 2 in the 2026-2027 Nations League.League A - Group 4: Portugal’s big resultThe evening’s blockbuster clash between Norway and Portugal we...
England win series as Banton delivers on potential
Tom Banton delivers on all of his potential by crashing a brilliant first international century as England wrapped up their summer with an ODI series win over Sri Lanka.
Pedro Gabriel highlights confidence and intensity before three friendlies
Pedro Gabriel, left-back for the Brazil U-20 National TeamCredits: Nelson Terme/CBFThe Brazil U-20 National Team is wrapping up a week of intense work in Spain before starting a run of three friendlie...
Surprising Maple Leafs Player Clears Waivers
The Toronto Maple Leafs wrapped up their preseason contests on Wednesday with their final split-squad game against the Ottawa Senators. After the games, the Maple Leafs sent down eight players who had the possibility of being claimed off waivers.Veteran forward Steven Lorentz was among those eight players; however, luckily for the Maple Leafs, he cleared […] The post Surprising Maple Leafs Player Clears Waivers appeared first on HEAVY.
Trump Again Rants About Press After Barring CNN From Air Force One: 'These Are Sick People'
President Trump again raged against press coverage after barring CNN from Air Force One: "It is amazing that I have succeeded so long."