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'Barbie' Approaches $1B in Ticket Sales with Huge Second Weekend
The Summer of Barbie continues. After a history-making opening weekend, the Greta Gerwig-directed film had a huge second weekend, approaching $775 million in global ticket sales. In the U.S., where it made $93 million this weekend, it outpaced Oppenheimer sales by a nearly two-to-one clip, as it brought in a respectable $46.2 million.
X's Twitter Takeover Continues
One week after declaring Twitter as ‘X,’ Elon Musk has gone full tilt on the change. Over the weekend, users noticed that the X logo had taken over for the blue bird. Additionally, Twitter’s headquarters also got a facelift with the new X logo. Michelai Graham has all the details on the most recent in Twitter’s corporate drama in this week’s edition of Boardroom’s Tech Talk.
Max Scherzer Finds New Home with Texas Rangers
The MLB trade deadline is upon us as the hours countdown to Aug. 1. Across the league, teams are looking for the missing pieces to help firm up their playoff hopes. The New York Mets are looking to get some return after a disappointing season so far. Thus. they shipped their ace, Max Scherzer, to the Texas Rangers. The right-hander has gone 9-4 this season with a 4.01 ERA amidst some nagging injuries. Scherzer is tied with Justin Verlander for the highest contract by annual value in the MLB at $43.3 million.
Drake Wins Bid for Iconic Tupac Ring
Drake is no stranger to a statement piece. The Toronto rapper took a break from his busy touring schedule to tune in to Sotheby’s for a very special recent auction. He submitted the winning bid for a ruby-encrusted ring once owned by Tupac Shakur. Insiders revealed that the ring went for $1 million at the final gavel, far exceeding the expected selling price of $200,000. Tupac wore the piece during his last performance before his death in 1996. Last year, Drake picked up an iconic N.E.R.D. pendant from Pharrell’s first-ever Joopiter sale.
Spotify Founder Cashes out $100M in Stock After Strong Q2 Performance
Spotify is in the midst of a season of change. The streaming giant announced last week that it was boosting its premium subscription price by $1 for the first time in several years. Additionally, the company’s most recent earnings report revealed that it added a significant number of new users thus far in 2023. Now, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is selling $100 million worth of stock and netting a nice return after the Q2 report showed a 14% year-over-year increase. However, the 675,000 shares are only a small portion of Ek’s holdings. At the end of 2022, SEC filings revealed that he owned 31.93 million shares (approximately 16% of the company).
Arch Manning One-of-One Trading Card Fetches $103K for Charity
Arch Manning hasn’t thrown his first official pass for Texas, but the Longhorn QB is already garnering some serious attention. As part of his new deal with Panini, the company auctioned off a one-of-one Prizm Black card. It fetched $103,000, 100% of the proceeds benefitting children and their families in Central Texas with support from St. David’s HealthCare and St. David’s Foundation. Additionally, the winning bidder will receive a meet-and-greet with the young star.