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Movie theater owners are still feeling the high from “ Barbenheimer.” The counterprogramming of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” brought audiences to cinemas around with the world, ultimately earning nearly $2.5 billion in combined ticket sales. But, gathered in Las Vegas this week for the annual CinemaCon convention and trade show, they’re also acutely aware that they need more than two movies to survive. “It is not enough to rely solely on blockbusters,” said Michael O’Leary, the president and CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners. “To have a truly successful filmed entertainment industry, a variety of movies that appeal to movie goers is critical.” That means, O’Leary said, “a strong and vibrant market for movies with smaller or medium sized budgets.” At CinemaCon, Hollywood studios, exhibitors and tech companies come…

The California homeless charity that received $53 million over the years from investors who wanted a private lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett has found a new business executive to auction off a meal with. The Glide Foundation said that it will hold an auction on eBay next month for a private lunch with Salesforce Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff. The San Francisco-based charity helps the homeless and those in poverty in the same city where Benioff oversees a software empire. The final auction of a lunch with Buffett two years ago attracted a record $19 million price that isn’t likely to be matched. The revered investor has legions of devoted followers who fill an Omaha arena every spring at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting to listen to Buffett’s insights, and he…

There’s a race underway to build artificial general intelligence, a futuristic vision of machines that are as broadly smart as humans or at least can do many things as well as people can. Achieving such a concept — commonly referred to as AGI — is the driving mission of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and a priority for the elite research wings of tech giants Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft. It’s also a cause for concern for world governments. Leading AI scientists published research Thursday in the journal Science warning that unchecked AI agents with “long-term planning” skills could pose an existential risk to humanity. But what exactly is AGI and how will we know when it’s been attained? Once on the fringe of computer science, it’s now a buzzword that’s being constantly…

POV: You’re on TikTok, and so is your governor — even as your Legislature considers banning the app from state-owned devices and networks. Efforts to ban TikTok over security concerns about China’s influence through the platform have picked up steam in the past year in state legislatures, with an expansive ban even proposed by Congress. In Pennsylvania, forward movement on a bill that first unanimously passed the state Senate last year could send legislation to the Democratic governor’s desk imminently. But even as the app faces scrutiny and bans, governors and state agencies — and even President Joe Biden — are still using the app to promote their initiatives and expand their voting pool. Their target is the youth vote, or the people who largely make up the app’s U.S.…

Warner Bros. isn’t resting on its “ Barbie “ laurels: The 100-year studio has its sights on a record-breaking 2024 as well, with a release slate that includes a new Mad Max film, “ Furiosa,” Kevin Costner’s two-part Western epic, “ Horizon: An American Saga, “ the “ Beetlejuice “ sequel, and “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which brings Lady Gaga to Gotham City. The studio was first up Tuesday night to dazzle theater owners who are gathered this week in Las Vegas for the annual CinemaCon convention and trade show. They came armed with stars, including the likes of Kevin Costner, Michael Keaton, Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, as well as footage and trailers to show. “Joker” director Todd Phillips showed the audience a trailer for “Joker: Folie…

The Biden administration pledged this week to provide up to $6.6 billion so that a Taiwanese semiconductor giant can expand the facilities it is already building in Arizona and better ensure that the most-advanced microchips are produced domestically for the first time. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the funding for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. means the company can expand on its existing plans for two facilities in Phoenix and add a third, newly announced production hub. “These are the chips that underpin all artificial intelligence, and they are the chips that are the necessary components for the technologies that we need to underpin our economy,” Raimondo said on a call with reporters, adding that they were vital to the “21st century military and national security apparatus.” The funding is tied…

Apple is renowned for its innovation and unparalleled quality of its products. From the revolutionary iPhone to the iconic Mac, Apple has set benchmarks that others strive to reach. However, the technology landscape is shifting dramatically, and Apple is venturing into uncharted waters in robotics and AI to maintain its leadership and continue to thrive. THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY There’s no denying that the 2020s have brought about an unrecognizable change in the world of technology, with new players popping up and enjoying billion-dollar success virtually overnight. The successes and advancements of companies like Tesla, NVIDIA, and OpenAI demonstrate the importance of constant innovation and investment. In 2024, we’ll likely see the fruits of Apple’s recent labor come to the forefront. Apple is preparing a strategic pivot towards AI, robotics,…

California can continue to set its own nation-leading vehicle emissions standards, a federal court ruled this week — two years after the Biden administration restored the state’s authority to do so as part of its efforts to reverse Trump-era environmental rollbacks. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit blocked an attempt by Ohio, Alabama, Texas and other Republican-led states to revoke California’s authority to set standards that are stricter than rules set by the federal government. The court ruled that the states failed to prove how California’s emissions standards would drive up costs for gas-powered vehicles in their states. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who often touts the state’s leadership on climate policy, said the court ruling reaffirmed California’s ability to fight the public health and environmental…

Much like nutritional labels on food products, “broadband labels” for internet packages will soon tell you just what is going into the pricing of your service, thanks to new rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission this week. “If you’ve ever shopped for home or mobile internet, you can understand how hard it can be to understand what you’re actually paying for,” said Jon Donenberg, Deputy Director of the White House National Economic Council, on a call with reporters. “The broadband nutrition label is a tool that can help consumers make sure they have a clear, straightforward explanation of home and mobile services before signing up for anything.” Following the design of FDA food labels, these broadband labels will provide easy-to-understand, accurate information about the cost and performance of high-speed…

Margot Robbie has her sights on another toy. The “ Barbie “ producer and star is making a Monopoly movie, with Hasbro and Lionsgate behind it, the companies announced Wednesday at the CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas. Robbie, and her production company LuckyChap, were the ones who got “Barbie” to the finish line after many years in development stagnation. The film topped the box office in 2023 with over $1.4 billion in ticket sales worldwide. And now they’ll bring that vision to the classic board game. Lionsgate is also developing a new “The Blair Witch Project” with the horror experts at Blumhouse, the studio behind “The Purge” and “M3GAN.” It will be the first in a multi-year pact between Jason Blum’s company and Lionsgate, drawing on the studio’s library titles.…

In a significant move within the technology sector, Apple has announced the layoff of over 600 employees across multiple offices in California, marking the company’s first considerable reduction in workforce since the pandemic. This decision, effective from May 27, comes amidst a period of adjustment and cost-cutting efforts observed across the tech industry. The affected personnel, spanning eight offices in Santa Clara, were notified of their job termination on March 28, under the provisions of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN). However, the specific departments or projects impacted by these layoffs remain undisclosed. Apple’s action is a deviation from its previous stance during the pandemic and the post-pandemic period, where it was among the few tech giants that did not resort to workforce reductions. This was a time…

The future of Uber and Lyft in Minneapolis has garnered concern and debate in recent weeks after the City Council voted last month to require that ride-hailing companies pay drivers a higher rate while they are within city limits. Uber and Lyft responded by saying they would stop serving the Minneapolis area when the ordinance takes effect May 1, causing the city to weigh the ordinance it passed. The state could also take action, while riders and drivers are left wondering what could come next. Here is what we know so far: WHAT HAPPENED? The Minneapolis City Council last month overrode a mayoral veto and passed an ordinance that requires ride-hailing companies to pay drivers a minimum rate of $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute — or $5 per…

The United States is crumbling in Alex Garland’s sharp new film “ Civil War, “ a bellowing and haunting big screen experience. The country has been at war with itself for years by the time we’re invited in, through the gaze of a few journalists documenting the chaos on the front lines and chasing an impossible interview with the president. Garland, the writer-director of films like “Annihilation” and “Ex Machina,” as well as the series “Devs,” always seems to have an eye on the ugliest sides of humanity and our capacity for self-destruction. His themes are profound and his exploration of them sincere in films that are imbued with strange and haunting images that rattle around in your subconscious for far too long. Whatever you think of “ Men,” his…

With a compact mirror in one hand and an eyelash curler in the other, Grace Xu told her roughly 300,000 TikTok followers she was likely about to be laid off. She was right, she tells them in a subsequent clip. But she was planning to pursue a different career anyway: as a content creator. “I guess the decision has been made on my behalf,” she tells viewers in the video posted earlier this year. “The universe has spoken.” By all accounts, the U.S. job market is holding strong, with employers adding 303,000 workers to their payrolls in March. The jobless rate has now remained below 4% for 26 straight months, the longest such streak since the 1960s. But that’s of little comfort to the thousands of people who have nonetheless…