What was your biggest and best Black Friday pickup? The biggest shopping day on the calendar tallied enormous numbers this year. In the US alone, initial estimates suggest 1.5 billion shoppers participated, spending $9.8 billion and setting a new overall record. Globally, Black Friday sales generated more than $70.9 billion, according to Salesforce. Now, the annual event spans a full week and is on pace to bring in $37.2 billion domestically, accounting for nearly 20% of all holiday spending.

It’s been a quiet fall at the box office. However, a strong performance over the holiday suggests that things are on the up and up for Hollywood heading into the final month of the year. Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snake took the top spot, bringing in $42 million over the five-day weekend. Ridley Scott’s Napoleon took the No. 2 slot, which netted $32.5 million. Disney’s animated Wish underperformed as compared to expectations, totaling $31.7 million in ticket sales over the Hollywood stretch.

Kim Kardashian is taking her talents to Netflix. The entrepreneur and reality TV star will play the lead role in an upcoming film The Fifth Wheel,  written by Janine Brito and SNL alum Paula Pell. The movie landed at the streamer after consideration by several studios. The movie will feature an ensemble cast.

It’s been a historic season for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The Dutch racer secured his 19th win this weekend in Abu Dhabi at the final race of the 2023 circuit. He nudged out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the win. In addition to setting a new single-season record for most wins, Verstappen led Red Bull to the team title.

It is buyout season in college football. Earlier this month, Texas A&M paid Jimbo Fisher an astounding $77 million to void his contract. Indiana is joining the ranks of teams making costly personnel changes. The university parted ways with head coach Tom Allen, enacting his $20.8 million payout. The news comes after three consecutive losing seasons.

Elon Musk wants to read your mind — or at least develop the technology to do so. Musk’s start-up venture Neuralink has closed a $43 million fundraising round to help further its research and development. The company did not disclosed its current valuation, but it was previously valued at over $5 billion eaccording to filings. However, like many things Musk touches, it has not been without controversy. Earlier this month, lawmakers asked the SEC to investigate the company amidst concerns over its treatment of animals amidst testing.