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Last night was the Golden Globes awards. One of Hollywood’s first major ceremonies since the strikes. Ultimately, there were a lot of winners between films and TV shows and you can check out the full list here. Who thinks this is a bellwether that Oppenheimer will win the Oscars?
In other news…Hollywood redefines the “hit”, OpenAI opens a store, and we’re going back to the moon.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Upcoming blockbusters // Illustration by Kate Walker
Hollywood remakes the definition of a “hit”
The Future. According to THR, one out of five moviegoers has “vanished” since COVID… but that may not mean moviegoing is on the decline. It’s just evolving. The next era of Hollywood may be one where originality, big swings, and hybrid releases help movies rise above the cultural white noise.
Marquee mysteries
2023 was the year of the moviegoing vibe shift due to a handful of trends.
Franchise fatigue. Plenty has been written about the very bad year for superhero movies, but new entries like the Indiana Jones, Mission: Impossible, and Transformers franchises came in below expectations.
Demand for fresh blockbusters. For the first time since 2001, the top three films at the box office weren’t a sequel or remake, with audiences preferring big swings like Oppenheimer and Barbie.
A push for originality. It’s the A24 wave — younger cinephiles are propping up bold specialty releases like Poor Things, Asteroid City, and Dream Scenario, giving them the love that propelled Everything Everywhere All at Once to a Best Picture win.
Theaters as marketing. Speaking of specialty movies, many are doing a quick run in theaters in order to eventize their rental and streaming releases, which has worked well for films like The Holdovers and Priscilla.
The domestic box office hit a surprising $9 billion last year — 21% more than 2022, but 21% behind 2019. Hollywood still has a ways to go before returning to post-COVID glory… but these trends may be a blueprint to get there.
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Open for business // Illustration by Kate Walker
OpenAI is opening its app store
The Future. ChatGPT is finally opening its own version of Apple’s App Store after some delay. Considering how much revenue (and regulatory headaches) the marketplace provides, ChatGPT’s chatbot store could turn the AI firm into a booming, sustainable business… as long as copyright law doesn’t make it obsolete.
GPT marketplace
OpenAI is monetizing the creation of AI agents — chatbots that don’t require human intervention.
The preeminent AI company is opening up its GPT Store this week after its originally slated launch in November (some Sam Altman drama got in the way).
The store will allow ChatGPT and enterprise subscribers to sell and share customized chatbots created using ChatGPT.
Payment plans are still as hazy as ChatGPT’s training data, but the firm said that it’s figuring out a way to pay developers based on how much their chatbots are used.
Some of the custom chatbots already available, per The Verge, on ChatGPT Plus’ explore tab include one explaining Gen Z memes and another that’s meant to help people through work negotiations (no one likes haggling for a raise).
With AI agents’ potential to become moneymakers, the internet may be transitioning out of its app era.
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SPACE
Courtesy of Astrobotic Technology
Two American companies may beat NASA to the moon
The Future. Two private companies, Pittsburgh’s Astrobotic Technology and Houston’s Intuitive Machines are in a NASA-backed space race to land on the moon. It’s the first phase of NASA’s plan to tap private firms to become lunar delivery services. If either landing is successful, the companies might become key players in setting up a sustainable lunar colony.
Houston, we’re going private
According to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Astrobotic Technology and Intuitive Machines are “scouts going to the moon ahead of us.”
Astrobotic Technology’s “Peregrine” lander takes off today aboard the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan, carrying 20 research packages for seven countries.
Intuitive Machine’s “Nova-C” lander launches in mid-February aboard a SpaceX flight, carrying five packages for NASA.
Both are expected to land in late February… as long as there are no rocket delays (something both companies have suffered).
Peregrine is also carrying the DNA or ashes of 70 people, including Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and renowned sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke.
Nova C is landing on the moon’s south pole, while Peregrine will land there on a second machine — both with the goal of finding frozen water. That’s where the scouting comes in: NASA’s manned Artemis missions later this decade have a goal to harvest the water for drinking and to help develop rocket fuel.
So, now we want to hear from you…
YOUR DAILY POLL
We ask the hard-hitting questions.
96.8% of you voted No in Friday’s poll: Do you use LinkedIn for dating?
“Really? Seems weird to me, but I’m old and married. What do I know?”
“I cannot think of a worse place to find love.”
“As a married woman, that is not how I use LinkedIn. However, a few guys have slid into my DMs, and even a matchmaker asked if I was interested in signing up for her services. Nothing inappropriate, just surprising.”
“No, but I definitely do lurk on people I’ve dated on LinkedIn. I just started dating someone and one of the first things my friend did was look him up on LinkedIn. It’s like the new background check.”
“I haven’t found LinkedIn useful for much of anything except pestering me to renew my Premium membership... which I won't.”
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Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
Layered Reality is resurrecting Elvis in AI for the Elvis Evolution stage show in London. Read More → variety
Netflix is considering several ways of making extra money on its gaming ambitions, including putting ads in games, charging for AAA titles, and rolling out in-game purchases. Read More → wsj
The Smashing Pumpkins put out a seemingly unprecedented open casting call for a new guitarist on social media. Read More → deadline
Fashion & E-Commerce
LVMH head Bernard Arnault has put his 29-year-old son, Frederic, in charge of the fashion conglomerate’s watch division, which includes brands like Tag Heuer and Hublot. Read More → forbes
Buy now, pay later transactions pushed online holiday sales to a record $222.1 billion. Read More → bof
Crocs has unboxed its first-ever sneaker, constructed by former New Balance and Mocler designer Salehe Bembury. Read More → highsnobiety
Tech, Web3, & AI
In partnership with Bay Area Times
Perplexity, an AI-powered Google Search competitor, has secured $74 million from Jeff Bezos and many other tech execs — one of the biggest startup raises in recent history. Read More → wsj
Three trucking firms have stated that they plan on removing safety drivers from their autonomous vehicles by the end of the year. Read More → bloomberg
Samsung, Tesla, and Hyundai are teaming up to power and monitor the smart home of the future. Read More → engadget
Creator Economy
Logan Paul is refunding investors in his Pokémon-esque NFT game, CryptoZoo, after the game never materialized — claimants will just have to promise not to sue him. Read More → techcrunch
Travel creator platform Atmosfy is launching a half million dollar creator fund for active influencers on its platform. Read More → tubefilter
Peloton is rolling out a workout content hub on TikTok under a co-branded #TikTokFitness hashtag, featuring class clips, creator partnerships, and celebrity collabs (hopefully Christopher Nolan). Read More → wsj
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Boye Akolade. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.