Hot Blockbuster Summer

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Happy Thursday, Future Party. Do you want to know just how anticipated GTA 6 is? The US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division is offering active-duty soldiers a four-day pass to play the game when it comes out in November… if they sign a re-enlistment contract for at least two more years. The stats on how many take up the offer should be fascinating. Those are the real die-hard fans.

Correction: On Tuesday, we wrote that Spider-Man: Brand New Day came behind only Avengers: Doomsday in being the fastest to reach $2 billion at the box office. We meant Endgame. Got a little ahead of the MCU there.

Theater owners across America are ecstatic that audiences are finally returning to the movies in droves, making the box office feel like its pre-pandemic self again.

The Big Picture: Six years ago, the narrative seemed to be that theatrical movies were on the way out and streaming would become the primary way audiences watched movies. The industry and culture at large have come a long way since then, with theatrical movies proving to still be the best way to eventize a tentpole and turn indie darlings into major hits.

Behind The Scenes: According to Variety, this is the first year that has felt like a normal year at the movies since 2019.

Final Tally: Theater owners are so optimistic about the rebounding box office because no single title is dominating the conversation. Instead, people are showing up for all different kinds of movies week after week, feeling FOMO if they’re not part of these rare monocultural experiences. It’s why IMAX screenings sell out months in advance and why 26-year-old Curry Barker has become the hottest name in horror.

It’s also why the major theater chains are now rallying around the Paramount/Warner Bros. merger — they don’t want any disruption to the flow of movies, especially after just recovering from thin slates stemming from COVID production delays. No one wants to be cut down at the knees just as they start to sprint.

Coming Soon: With Dune: Part 3 and Avengers: Doomsday anchoring a fall/holiday movie season filled with potential breakout titles, 2026 could become the record year needed to finally end the conversation about the viability of movie theaters.

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Stand-up comics are starting to post comic-strip-style still images of their jokes instead of videos… and are seeing a significant boost in engagement.

Why It Hits: In recent years, short-form videos have seemingly been the only way to go viral and build a following on social media. But online attention spans have gotten so short that comedians are discovering the instantaneous delivery system of a photo can get the job done even faster. It’s the OG Instagram all over again.

Between The Panels: Forget the minute-long video when you can get to the punchline with just one image.

Punchline: The comic-strip format is having a big effect on some comedians who couldn’t seem to game the algorithm with videos. Comedian Eric Walsh said he gained 55,000 new followers in just a few months after posting the still content. Meanwhile, David Zucker, a digital marketing strategist and NYC-based comedy producer, told NYT, “When one person starts making a change, whether it’s to their actual performance or the way they market themselves, and everyone else sees that person is suddenly leapfrogging them, they try to isolate what’s different about them and emulate that.”

In other words, expect to be reading a lot more comedy online in the coming months.

Next Post: With extra emphasis on the quality of jokes, prepare for professional joke writers — the people behind the comedians — to get a new shot at glory.

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58.3% of you voted No, never in yesterday’s poll: Do you play mahjong?

“BUT I live in Chinatown NYC, and I think it’s awesome to see multiple generations at Columbus Park or in nearby storefronts getting together to play. Makes me want to learn!”

“I learned mahjong from a friend during community college. We even played multiple games on my 21st birthday. Now it’s been years since I’ve played, but I hope to pick it back up sometime.”

“Started a mahjong club with my friends mid-pandemic, and it’s been going ever since.”

“We started a group six months ago, and even though we play every week or two, we are still learning the rules. It took me four months before I ever won a game.”

“I actually play Japanese-style mahjong (riichi/reach mahjong) online.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join Poll Of The Day, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🎸 The Beatles’ rights-holding company, Apple Corps, has struck a wide-ranging merch and licensing deal with UMG.

🎮 Sony admitted that its upcoming PlayStation 6 console has been postponed indefinitely due to memory-chip shortages.

👀 Amazon MGM accidentally leaked its new Jason Statham movie, Mutiny, on Prime Video ahead of its theatrical release.

🤖 OpenAI is trying to beat Anthropic for enterprise customers by promising not to retain business customer data on its servers.

🚀 Chinese space startup LandSpace successfully tested a reusable rocket, putting it in closer competition with SpaceX.

🚗 Florida billionaire Herbert Wertheim spent $40 million at a Sotheby’s auction to buy the first Ferrari Luce EV ever produced.

📱 An Owl & Co study found that the vertical video economy (excluding China) is worth $150 billion.

🤳 Reddit is testing a new feature that turns regular text threads into AI-powered vertical videos.

💸 The founders of Kick have launched a new creator platform called Club, centered around superfan communities.