Amazon's documentary about Melania Trump saw a significant drop in its second weekend at the box office, while Crypto.com made a record-breaking $70 million purchase of the domain AI.com. Meanwhile, a march supporting California's billionaires drew a small crowd, and Waymo, the self-driving company, is expanding its robotaxi services with a $16 billion investment.
The documentary "Melania," which Amazon acquired for $40 million and spent $35 million marketing, grossed an estimated $2.37 million in its second weekend, a 67% drop from its opening. The film has earned a total of $13.5 million so far, primarily in the United States, making it unlikely to break even. According to TechCrunch, before the film's release, a former Amazon film executive questioned the high price tag, suggesting it might be motivated by factors other than the film's merits.
Crypto.com's founder, Kris Marszalek, made the most expensive domain purchase in history, acquiring AI.com for $70 million. The deal, paid entirely in cryptocurrency, is intended to launch a new Super Bowl ad. Marszalek plans to debut the site during the big game, offering consumers a personal AI agent. "If you take a long-term view – 10 to 20 years – AI is going to be one of the greatest technological waves of our lifetime," he told the Financial Times.
In San Francisco, a march supporting California's billionaires drew only around three dozen attendees, with another dozen counter-protesters. The event, organized by Derik Kauffman, aimed to protest the Billionaire Tax Act. According to Mission Local, journalists nearly outnumbered demonstrators at the event, where marchers carried signs with messages like "We ❤️ You Jeffrey Bezos."
Waymo, the Alphabet-owned self-driving company, is expanding its robotaxi services with a $16 billion investment. The company currently operates in six markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area and Phoenix, and plans to expand to more than a dozen new cities internationally, including London and Tokyo. Industry watchers are divided on whether the investment is sufficient for profitability.
In other news, a startup is working on recreating lost footage from Orson Welles' classic film "The Magnificent Ambersons" using generative AI. The project, led by Edward Saatchi, stems from a genuine love of Welles and his work, according to an in-depth profile by The New Yorker.
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment