Mall Zombies 2.0

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Happy Wednesday, Future Party. Galaxy Robot Park in Seoul, South Korea, has a pretty unique pitch — come see thousands of humanoid robots singing, dancing, playing soccer, and doing martial arts. Launched by Galaxy Corporation and populated by robots from Chinese startup Unitree, it feels like one step closer to living inside The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Your mileage on whether that’s a good thing may vary, but no one can say it’s not entertaining.

Google and Range Media Partners have lifted the lid on their partnership — a tech-focused studio called 100 Zeros.

The Big Picture: Following on the heels of Apple and Amazon, Google is taking baby steps into the film and TV industry (YouTube notwithstanding). Between a partnership with Range (which reps some of Hollywood’s biggest talent) and a DeepMind deal with A24, Google is betting that joining forces with cultural tastemakers is the path of least resistance to getting people excited about its cutting-edge tech and changing the narrative around science fiction.

Behind The Scenes: According to NYT, 100 Zeros has three missions: “Shape how technology — particularly Google technology — appears onscreen; experiment with emerging forms of entertainment; and build relationships with talent.”

Here’s how it’s doing that:

Final Credits: 100 Zeros is backed by a rotating fund said to be in the millions of dollars, with revenue generated from one project reinvested in the next. As long as the venture is paying for itself, it could be an ongoing resource.

Range co-founder and CEO Peter Micelli told NYT that Google has “the most remarkable toolbox” for filmmaking and that their partnership so far has led many of the management firm’s clients to have a more open view of AI. For Google execs up in Silicon Valley, that might be the biggest win of all.

Coming Soon: It’s only a matter of time before Gemini becomes a co-star in a movie playing at Sundance.

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Mainstream leisure-economy brands are getting squeezed as consumers tighten their belts.

Why It Hurts: When Americans’ budgets shrink, the first thing to go is typically a fun outing with family or friends. With inflation still stubbornly high and cost-of-living expenses increasing, arcades, bowling alleys, theme parks, and other IRL activities may become mall zombies.

Between The Lanes: Well, this is no fun.

Final Check: Leisure brands are a key indicator of the average consumer’s financial health, according to Meghan Robson, head of US credit strategy at BNP Paribas. Basically, if these brands are struggling, it means everyone is struggling.

But there’s an interesting wrinkle. Even though these brands are suffering, other forms of entertainment are thriving. Movie theaters, which were decried as a dying breed just a few years ago, have come roaring back.

So, what goes around may very well come back around… as long as they don’t file for bankruptcy.

The Future: Expect leisure brands to test Gen Z-focused rebrands to appeal to customers desperate for IRL experiences.

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38.1% of you voted I’m generally skeptical of them in yesterday’s poll: How do you generally approach conspiracy theories?

“What’s the point of giving energy and thought to something that no one is ever going to come clean about? There is a great deal of behind-the-scenes nefarious dealing going on every day that we hear about and that is verifiable. Why engage with what’s not verifiable?”

“I approach them all differently, depending on the claim, subject, and root source. Sometimes, there’s a bit of truth, but it’s become distorted into something far from it.”

“Just enough of them turn out to be true to keep me from discounting them entirely.”

“Truth is always stranger than fiction.”

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.

🎥 It’s official: Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have merged into Skydance.

📺 The Emmys will stream exclusively on Prime Video starting in 2027 as part of a new six-year deal.

🎓 Rapper A$AP Rocky announced a four-year, full-tuition scholarship for one student to attend the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University.

💰 Cloud-computing company Lambda is raising up to $4 billion ahead of a planned IPO.

🤖 Anthropic is giving eligible startups a free year of Claude Team and $1,000 in API credits.

🔋 Google and Constellation Energy struck a 20-year deal to expand nuclear-power capacity.

📈 The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both hit record highs yesterday. That’s the AI economy in action.

👕 Frasers Group opened a new division to house its investments in Burberry, Hugo Boss, and Mulberry with its luxury-retail business.

💄 JAY-Z’s MarcyPen Capital Partners is reportedly close to acquiring LVMH’s 50% stake in Fenty Beauty.