Pixar's 'Elemental' dethrones 'The Flash' at the international box office!

The Warner Bros. comic book film, starring Ezra Miller as the titular, time-traveling speedster, has grossed $210.9 million worldwide, with a disappointing $87 million at the US box office. It's significantly less than what a picture of its size and breadth — it cost $200 million to make and another $100 million to sell — needs to break even in theatres. China leads the international territories with $23.6 million, followed by Mexico ($14.4 million) and the United Kingdom collection with $8.5 million.

Swati Bhat

Image: Pixar Officials - Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie at the U.S. premiere of 'Elemental' in Los Angeles

Word of mouth isn't working. "The Flash" is suffering in part because it is seen as a relic of a soon-to-be-defunct comic book universe. As a result of DC Studios' new CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran's plans to retool the interconnected world of Justice League members, moviegoers don't appear to care about the mega-budget superhero tentpoles that are on the line. That's bad news for the two remaining DC titles, "Blue Beetle" (Aug.18) and Jason Momoa's "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" (Dec. 20).

"The Flash" is trailing Pixar's "Elemental" at the foreign box office. The animated film "Elemental" earned $31.3 million over the weekend and expanded to 40 regions. With $11.1 million, China is the highest-earning market, followed by Korea with $9.6 million and Mexico with $4.6 million.

"Elemental" has earned a total of $121 million worldwide, including $65.5 million at the domestic box office. The only problem is that "Elemental" cost $200 million to produce, so it must continue to draw family crowds far into summer to break even, let alone climb out of the red.

Jennifer Lawrence's filthy R-rated "No Hard Feelings" opened at $9.5 million from 48 territories. It's a promising turnout because broad comedies typically have limited international appeal. According to Sony, the picture is outperforming two previous R-rated comedies, "Cocaine Bear" by 17% and "Good Boys" by 33% in comparable regions at current currency rates. With $1.5 million, the United Kingdom led all markets, followed by Australia with $1.3 million and Germany with $1.1 million. Globally, “No Hard Feelings” stands at $24.5 million.

Artificial Intelligence in Tourism and Hospitality Raises Data Privacy Concerns!

The impact of artificial intelligence on our daily lives is already being felt; yet, there has been little investigation into the ethical implications, which could be concerning. The Tourism and hospitality area holds a unique array of stakeholders that are central to human values. Systems with Artificial Intelligence in Tourism and Hospitality use vast amounts of personal and confidential type data which raises privacy concerns.

Dr. Jassim Haji, Bahrain

With technologies playing a vital role in multicultural interaction it is imperative that applied research is paid attention to. The Tourism and hospitality area holds a unique array of stakeholders that are central to human values. A conceptual framework would include ‘Human-human-AI’ interaction levels, direct and indirect stakeholders, and the macro environment overall. There are several reasons why the importance of Artificial Intelligence ethics in Tourism and Hospitality is important, firstly AI in this field can learn to make decisions on complex and big data easily, and managers have already transferred some of this decision-making process. Questions of control and accountability are raised when such action is taken so quickly. In parallel, AI systems in Tourism and Hospitality use vast amounts of personal and confidential type data which raises privacy concerns. The use of AI in companies within this field is also influenced directly by many stakeholders whose interests and security could be affected (Airlines, Hotels, Tour Operators, Museums, Restaurants, etc.).

An example would be when an AI system might decide to increase prices for the fare for flights for some passengers and decrease them for others, based on the willingness to spend, but by doing so the AI system could violate not international or governmental laws, but the fairness of the airline’s revenue management practice due to the unequal basis of proportions. A pricing strategy could influence the revenues of a company, and therefore undermine its competitiveness and impact the intermediaries such as a travel agency which would on a commission-based model AI will continue to advance and there is no exception within the Tourism and Hospitality industry.

However, the adoption of AI technologies needs to be implemented ethically to ensure that human values are respected and designed for. Theoretically, there is a fundamental realization that AI systems that are ubiquitous and pervasive can cause detrimental impacts and those impacts could be crossing national boundaries and impact different societies and cultures. Given these impacts, a conceptual approach that centralizes all affected stakeholders plus their values must be taken into consideration when designing these systems. Organizations must work with industry partners when developing systems that want to adopt to produce automated decisions based on big data – this will then lead to the adoption of addressing any ethical issues.

A centralized human value chain is required at the design level of any implementation of AI, and not doing this would incur biased and uneven AI systems making decisions that adversely impact the organization and those affiliated with them. The enrolment of stakeholder input at the conceptual stages is the key to the fair ethical use of AI systems within the Tourism and Hospitality sector, and given its growing importance to countries, governments, people and businesses, it should be seen as a vital first step. Those interacting with the technology on a first-hand basis must be in constant contact with the design and widespread impact of the dynamic AI system.

What is the role of AI in the travel and hospitality industry?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has had a tremendous impact on the travel and hospitality industries by automating operations, improving consumer experiences, and delivering personalised recommendations. It is used for customer service chatbots, demand forecasting, pricing optimisation, and virtual assistants for travellers and make decisions based on data

How has AI improved customer experiences in the travel and hospitality industry?

What are the AI applications in the travel and hospitality industry?

How has AI impacted the efficiency and operations of travel and hospitality businesses?

Are there any concerns or challenges associated with AI in the travel and hospitality industry?

How is AI expected to shape the future of the travel and hospitality industry?

#thecommunique #tcn #tc #metatainment #AI #NFT #future #lifestyle #Travel #Hospitality #Tourism

The France-based Annecy International Animation Festival featured India's Creative Economy.

15 June 2023: A delegation from India led by Secretary I&B highlights the ministry's incentives for the AVGC industry and discusses the possibility of holding an international animation festival in India.

Swati Bhat

This year marks India's debut participation in The Annecy International Animation Festival (AIAF). At the AIAF, an Indian delegation headed by the Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, Shri. Apurva Chandra has been displaying India's talent for producing animation and VFX content for audiences throughout the world.

India has lately emerged as a preferred destination for VFX and animation content for global production houses. The animation and VFX market in India was pegged to be valued at Rs 109 billion in 2021, with the VFX business alone amounting to Rs 50 billion. This figure is expected to grow to Rs 180 billion by 2024 according to a E&Y report. India's participation at Annecy, therefore, assumes greater importance as the country showcases its abilities in the sector to international buyers.

Speaking about India's participation, Shri. Chandra said, "The Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects, and Comics (AVGC) Sector in India is making progress with the adoption of world-class techniques and innovative technologies, coupled with a pool of immensely talented professionals. India is one of the few countries providing cash incentives to foreign companies for making AVGC content in India. The incentives are the same as for shooting films in India. This is a huge opportunity for companies to benefit from this. As a country, we are committed to providing incentives to the industry, as well as supporting pre and post-production activities in India."

At the festival, Shri. Chandra spoke with AIAF director Michael Marin about ways to deepen India's participation in Annecy and the possibility of partnering with France to establish an animation film festival in India. Shri. Chandra opened the India Pavilion, which was built around the Saraswati Yantra design theme, and he also spoke with the Indian creative community whose works were chosen as winners of the prestigious Annecy festival competition in 2023. Young artists Arvind Jeena, Nikita Prabhudesai Jeena, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, and Kalp Sanghvi attended the event among veterans of the field such Kireet Khurana, Saraswati Vani Balgum, Biren Ghosh, Anil Wanvari, and Anne Doshi.

Besides, Shri. Chandra interacted with delegates from other countries and the discussions centered around the various initiatives of the Ministry with regard to the AVGC sector, and the incentives given by the Indian Government for ease of business in the sector.

#thecommunique #tcn #tc #event #internationalevent #event2023 #AIAF2023 #animation #art #global #IandB