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Much like how the character Jack Dawson proudly proclaims to be king of the world after boarding the Titanic, film director James Cameron could claim to be king of the box office. Cameron chooses to take a mellower approach, letting the numbers do the talking. His latest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, hits theaters this Friday and is primed to break even more box office records. Lets take a look at the history of this franchise before we discuss industry projections. A brief history of the ‘Avatar’ films The first Avatar film came out in 2009 and received generally positive reviews. Cameron and his artists have so lovingly imagined the moon of Pandora that every shot of the film contains new wonders. One can lose oneself in this world, gushed Vultures Bilge Ebiri.On both the domestic and world stages, Avatar became the highest grossing film of all time. Domestically, Star Wars: Episode VIIThe Force Awakens dethroned it in 2015, and similarly, Avengers: Endgame took the No. 1 spot worldwide in 2019. However, Avatar fought back in 2021 and retook the title of worldwide highest grossing film of all time thanks to a re-release. Beyond box office records, the first Avatar film also introduced the industry and audiences to new technology. Cameron and his team developed the Fusion Camera System, which shot in 3D. Additionally, the team utilized virtual cinematography to aid in the motion-captured sequences. The release of Avatar: The Way of Water, the second film in the series, was delayed, in part, so even more technology could catch up with Camerons vision. This time around, Cameron created new ways to film underwater to introduce a new group of Navi, the moon-dwelling species at the heart of the franchise. The 2022 release also marked an expansion of the scope of the project. Camerons original idea was to make a trilogy. After establishing a writers’ room in 2013, three movies became five. Camerons gamble paid off as the sequel became the third highest-grossing film of all time globally. [Image: 20th Century Studios] What are critics saying about ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ so far? Ahead of its theatrical release, critics have given Avatar: Fire and Ash mixed reviews. Most praise the films visuals, but lament the thin repetitive storyline. Fire and Ash is sound and fury signifying nothing. Or at least nothing excitingly new, wrote David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter. Owen Gleiberman of Variety agreed and even posed a hard question. Its fine, but do we actually care about it? On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie had a 67% Tomatometer rating and a 93% Popcornmeter rating as of Friday. What are the box office predictions? Despite the mixed reviews, Avatar: Fire and Ash is still expected to perform well at the box office. Variety predicts the film will make $90 million to $105 million domestically on its opening weekend and an additional $250 million to $275 million around the world. (Deadline makes a similar forecast with a combined global box office of $340 million to $380 million.) The previous Avatar films, Variety further notes, become record breakers not only because of impressive opening weekends but also because of long-running box office dominance. Fire and Ash is expected to follow the same pattern. If it does, the potential is huge. Combined, the previous two films have already generated more than $5 billion at the global box office. Either way, the movie is expected to be a boon for Twentieth Century Studios and parent the Walt Disney Company.
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E-Commerce
The discovery of the body of Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a Portuguese national who studied physics at Brown University, earlier this week in a New Hampshire storage facility brought closure to two alarming cases. Authorities say they believe Valente, a 48-year-old who recently arrived in Boston, was behind the December 13 mass shooting at Brown University, and the December 16 murder of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro. The identification of Valente brings calm to communities worried about a mass killer on the loose. But it also puts the lie to theories floated by right-wing influencers, including Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire. In recent days, Maguire, acting as a self-appointed digital detective, has shared posts suggesting that an entirely different man was behind the crimesa Palestinian student at Brown University. On December 16, in a post on X that has subsequently been deleted, Maguire speculated that it seems very likely that the student was behind the shooting, pointing to the fact that Brown is actively scrubbing his online presence. In fact, the student’s digital footprints were being wiped as a protective measure against rampant, errant speculation about his link to the shootings. Accusations, speculation and conspiracies were seeing on social media and in some news reports are irresponsible, harmful, and in some cases dangerous for the safety of individuals in our community, Brian Clark, vice president for news and strategic campus communications at Brown, told Fast Company in an emailed statement. It is not unusual as a safety measure to take steps to protect an individuals safety when this kind of activity happens, including in regard to their online presence. Clark adds: Its important to make clear that targeting individuals could do irrevocable harm.Neither Maguire, nor Sequoia, responded to interview requests for this story. Natalie Miyake, Sequoia Capitals communications partner, was not available when Fast Company called the firms offices. Still online is a subsequent post by Maguire speculating that MIT professor Loureiro was shot because he was Jewish. As evidence, Maguire points to a Google Gemini chatbot response and a Threads post criticizing Hamas. That Threads post is by a person sharing the same name as the slain man — but not actually the MIT professor. The tenuous attempts to link an innocent man to a mass murder and a subsequent slaying follow months of inflammatory posts by the venture capitalist targeting Muslims and pro-Palestine activists. On July 4, Maguire made inflammatory comments calling New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani an Islamist, which resulted in an open letter calling for his firing that gained more than 1,000 signatures. Maguire subsequently partially apologized for those comments in a video. This tweet did not land the way I thought it would,” he said. Sequoia’s then-managing partner Roelof Botha said in late October that Sequoia is a company to celebrate diversity of opinions, saying the firm needed spiky people within it, while acknowledging it can come with trade-offs. Maguire has previously called DEI policies within companies structural racism.” Maguires comments may have cost the company staff. In October, chief operating officer Sumaiya Balbale stepped down from Sequoia,reportedly because of the firms inaction over Maguires past comments about Muslims. (Balbale did not respond to a request for comment.) Botha himself stepped down in November. One VC figure, who asked not to be named because of the risk of repercussions, says the inaction against Maguire speaks to broader issues about Sequoia. If youre a partner at KKR or Blackstone, you would haveat the very minimumbeen told to stop posting stuff, they say. The fact its allowed to happen is just weird. The VC figure points out that if such words were used about any other minority they would be immediately condemned. If you substitute any of this language, and you remove the word Muslim and put Jews, or you put Italians, or you put Irish, it would definitely not pass the sniff test. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which previously called for Maguires firing over his comments about Mamdani, tells Fast Company that Sequoia should reconsider their position on whether or not its appropriate for him to represent their company in any sort of way. Mr. Maguires rush to indicate that this Muslim student who supports Palestinian human rights was likely responsible for the Brown University shooting was deeply irresponsible and incredibly dangerous,” says Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIRs national deputy director. He believes that every person who fanned the flames of bigotry against this young man without any basis or any justification should apologize and be held to account if they cross the line into illegal defamation.In one post earlier this month, Maguire railed against the mainstream medias slow pace of reporting on the Brown shooting. It’s impossible to shake the feeling that we’re not getting the truth fast enough from law enforcement and our media … when it doesn’t fit their narrative, he wrote. Maguires posts imply which narrative he would have preferred as this story came to an end.
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E-Commerce
Most businesses start with a spark, an idea fueled by hunger, resilience, or grit. But sustaining that energy through scale is the real challenge. Founders and leaders play a defining role in that journey. The same values, authenticity, and style that ignite early momentum can easily crush it. That’s why builders and entrepreneurs are essential to a new business. Think Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, or Sara Blakely. But that style is NOT for everyone, especially those who prefer less out-front leaders. These founders are visionary, pushing their teams to act in the way they want every employee to show up. But leaders at successful companies realize that business and talent need to change when moving from idea to execution to real scale. With growth comes complexity, and with complexity comes the risk of losing what made you successful in the first place. I am a firm believer that it’s possible to scale without losing either the speed or the special energy that makes the early stage so dynamic. Here’s how. BUILD IT RIGHT It’s common for early-stage company culture to revolve around the founder’s values, style, and passion. What actually makes it work? Leaders recruiting like-minded people, aligning around a clear vision, and rallying teams toward a common goal. But whats equally as important are the challengers, those who push them to think and do differently. Success cant be tied to just one person. To manage growth and cultivate innovation, you need two types of people: leaders who provide guidance and trust, and entrepreneurs who move fast and are comfortable with failure. Why is this so important? It establishes both the arena and terms for innovation. AI is shifting innovation to the edges of the organization. That’s a good thing, as long as leaders set the direction and standards, so speed doesn’t turn into waste or redundancy. Trust is equally important. No one takes risks or tries new things in a culture where failure equals termination. Leaders who ask for innovation hold others accountable, and see failure as a learning opportunity that will foster more successful teams and outcomes. MOVE QUICKLY AND DECISIVELY What’s also critical to ongoing entrepreneurship is a functioning feedback loop. We know that not every initiative will be a gamechanger, and that’s okay. The key is to find out quickly. That’s why we help clients build a quick prototype, test it fast, and either double down or shut it down before we’re too far down the line. Doing that effectively requires leaders who can collaborate but not necessarily seek consensus. They need to digest inputfrom customers, employees, and influencersand cut through it to make go/no-go decisions quickly. Wishy-washy or delayed decisions destroy entrepreneurial spirit. Fail-fast cultures become harder to maintain as the stakes get higher. Everyone may understand in theory that the only way to discover breakthroughs is to experiment. But reality hits the moment you’re sitting across from an investor staring at a tough quarter or a revenue dip. Thats exactly why its important to celebrate mistakes (yes, you heard that right), learn from them, and allow them to fuel what comes next. In those moments, “fail fast” can sound like “we’re failing, period.” But the best investors don’t expect perfection. They’re looking for accountability and transparency about why it didn’t work and what you learned. That builds trust. In Airbnb’s early days, an investor advised the cofounders to go door-to-door with a camera to improve listing photos at underperforming properties. It worked on a small scale, but became painful and impossible. So they pivoted, first by hiring others, then expanded by offering photography to property owners. The failure wasn’t the endit was a learning leading to a bigger business opportunity. Another example of this is with the Calm app, which started as a guided meditation platform but quickly hit a ceiling because users needed more variety. They pivoted by expanding into other content types, like sleep stories and mental health resources. What started as a narrow tool evolved and became more impactful because the team learned fast and iterated even faster. REWARD INTENTIONALLY Most technology and services companies rely on strong sales and delivery teams to drive revenue and support customers. Sales professionals are commonly charged with quotas and rewarded on deal size. That model works well, but if the organization only rewards selling and delivery, that’s where the energy and focus will go. In my experience, incentivizing entrepreneurs, innovators, and idea-drivers is equally important. It’s not about delivering a bonus for every idea, but having a system that tracks impact KPIs like success rates, impact on sales and reputation, and time saved. With a clear incentive and KPI framework, plus a space to share stories that highlight both smart failures and big wins, you’ll spark entrepreneurial energy across every level and department. When it’s working, you can see it and feel it: Teams challenge each other productively in meetings, new ideas flow consistently, and careers progress quickly. Speed is not sacrificed with the addition of discipline and relentless prioritization. At West Monroe, we also recognize the importance of celebrating and rewarding a culture of innovation by awarding bonuses to those who bring new ideas to life in ways that drive commercial success. Companies that build this type of cultureand nurture it intentionallywon’t just survive in this era of constant disruption, they’ll create and lead it. Casey Foss is chief commercial officer at West Monroe Partners.
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E-Commerce
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