'Barbie' On Track to Top 'Harry Potter' as Highest-Grossing Film in Warner Bros. History
Barbie may have lost the most recent weekend box office race, but the movie is still set to mark its biggest milestone since its July 21 release. According to Deadline, the film is on track to become the highest-grossing global release in Warner Bros. history, passing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. For context, the Barbie global estimate is $1.34 billion in revenue, meaning just ~$1 million separates it from the 2011 flick. Over the weekend, Gran Turismo raced to a first-place finish in its debut as it won the domestic weekend box office competition with ticket sales of $17.3 million, narrowly edging out Barbie’s $17.1 million profit.
Justin Timberlake, Timbaland Joining ESPN for Monday Night Football Music
ESPN is welcoming a new season of the NFL with a larger-than-life musical collaboration. On Monday, the network announced a partnership with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, revealing the duo will curate music for select Monday Night Football contests throughout the 2023-24 campaign. For the Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets Week 1 game on Sept. 11, Timbaland and Timberlake will start strong with “Keep Going Up,” which also features Nelly Furtado. Dropping Friday, Sept. 1, the single is the long-awaited follow-up to the trio’s first collab, “Give It to Me,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 16 years ago in 2007. The curated music from the Grammy-winning duo will run in ESPN‘s Monday Night Football promotional spots, live telecasts, and pre-game shows for seven weeks this season.
Shakira to Receive Video Vanguard Award, Perform at MTV VMAs
Shakira will make history at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12, becoming the first South American artist to be awarded the Video Vanguard Award. Born in Colombia, the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer will become the second Latina music artist ever to receive that recognition. Jennifer Lopez, who was born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, became the first five years ago. Shakira is also set to perform at the VMAs for the first time in 17 years, likely singing a number of her most popular hits in both Spanish and English. Shakira is a four-time VMA nominee this year. The mother of two is up for Artist of the Year, Best Latin and Best Collaboration for “TQG,” and best Latin again for “Acróstico.”
Mitchell & Ness Announces Former Jordan & Nike Exec as New CEO
Mitchell & Ness has new leadership at the top. On Monday, the vintage and lifestyle sports apparel brand announced the appointment of Eli Kumekpor as its next CEO, effective immediately. Per the company’s release, Kumekpor will be based in Irvine, Cali., and report to the Fanatics CEO of Vertical Brands, Joe Bozich. “I’ve long admired what Mitchell & Ness means to our culture at large, and I look forward to working closely with the team and the broader Fanatics organization to grow our presence and uncover new opportunities to deliver increased value to our fans and partners around the world,” Kumekpor said in a statement. With 20 years of experience to his name, Kumekpor most recently served as Global Vice President and General Manager of the Jordan Brand’s prominent men’s business at Nike.
Boardroom’s Griffin Adams has more details on Eli Kumekpor’s new appointment.
Zoë Kravitz, Steve Lacy & Hailey Bieber Front New YSL Campaign
YSL went all out for its Fall 2023 campaign. The luxury fashion house recently unveiled the images, and the star power certainly matches the French brand’s reputation in the industry. Shot by Gray Sorrenti, the roster of famous faces includes Kate Moss, Dominic Fike, Hailey Bieber, Steve Lacy, Zoë Kravitz, and Mica Argañaraz. A mix of muted and dramatic elegance seems to be the prominent theme for creative director Anthony Vaccarello. For the men, the new styles feature classy bows, chest-bearing chiffon tops, floor-length overcoats, and mid-length tunics in a mostly black color palette. On the women’s side are tailored skirt suits, figure-hugging dresses, silk blouses, wrapped tops, and cotton tanks. The entire YSL capsule is available to shop now.
OpenAI Expanding AI Tiers, Introduces ChatGPT Enterprise
Hoping to capitalize on ChatGPT’s commercial success, OpenAI is launching ChatGPT Enterprise, a business-focused edition of the company’s AI-powered chatbot technology, the company announced Monday. According to CNBC, the software has been in the works for “under a year” and had the help of 20+ companies of varying sizes and industries to help with its execution. OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap says ChatGPT Enterprise can complete similar duties as ChatGPT, like writing emails, drafting essays, and debugging computer code. Open AI also plans to introduce another tier of usage called ChatGPT Business for smaller brands but did not reveal when.