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Amazon's 'Melania' Documentary Exceeds Expectations, While Indonesia Lifts Ban on Grok
Amazon's documentary "Melania," about former First Lady Melania Trump, earned an estimated $7.04 million on its opening weekend, exceeding pre-release projections, according to Sunday estimates. Meanwhile, Indonesia conditionally lifted its ban on xAI's chatbot Grok, following similar moves by Malaysia and the Philippines.
The "Melania" documentary, acquired by Amazon for $40 million with an additional $35 million allocated for promotion, came in third overall for the weekend. It trailed behind "Send Help," directed by Sam Raimi, which grossed $20 million, and "Iron Lung," a video game adaptation from YouTuber Mark Fischbach (Markiplier), which earned $17.8 million. Despite outperforming initial estimates of a $3 to $5 million opening, the film is unlikely to turn a profit in theaters, TechCrunch reported. Amazon's bid for the documentary was $26 million higher than Disney's, leading some critics to suggest the deal was not solely based on the film's potential.
In other news, Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs lifted its ban on Grok after X (formerly Twitter, now a subsidiary of xAI) outlined steps to prevent misuse of the platform. The ban was initially imposed after Grok was used to generate approximately 1.8 million sexualized images of women, including images of real women and minors, between late December and January, according to analyses by The New York Times and the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Alexander Sabar, the ministry's director general of digital space monitoring, confirmed the lifting of the ban, according to TechCrunch.
These developments occurred as Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino engaged in a media campaign, including interviews with Reuters, Bloomberg, Fortune, and TechCrunch. This coincided with Tether's launch of USAT, a U.S.-regulated stablecoin issued through Anchorage Digital Bank, designed to comply with new federal rules and compete with Circle's USDC. Fidelity Investments also launched a competing stablecoin, joining JPMorgan Chase and PayPal in the expanding market.
Separately, the virtual reality fitness program Supernatural, once a breakout sensation, faced closure, leaving many users, particularly women, disappointed. Sherry Dickson, a 69-year-old retired teacher, used the Meta Quest headset five days a week for fitness, highlighting the program's appeal to a diverse demographic, according to The Verge.
Also making news were AI-powered notetaking devices. Physical notetakers, such as the Plaud Note and Plaud Note Pro, transcribe audio and provide summaries and action items of meetings using AI. These devices range from wearable pins to credit card-sized recorders with dedicated mobile apps, with some even offering live translation, according to TechCrunch.
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