As if leading a pink wave around the world wasn’t enough, cashing in a billion dollars from your first month in cinemas alone would be perfect. Warner Bros Pictures announced on Sunday that the Greta Gerwig directed film has broken records to make more than $1 billion dollars at the global box office, making Gerwig the first female director to accomplish this. The studio revealed that the movie took $459 million from North American theatres, and an extra $572 million from overseas screening, making a total of $1.0315 bn. Their final figures were confirmed by the media analytics firm Comscore:
“As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water,” said Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps, who oversee domestic and international distribution for the studio.
The film, which was written and directed by the Oscar-nominated Greta Gerwig, stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in leading roles, as Barbie travels from her fantasy world to the real world in an attempt to understand the recent unravelings happening to her.
Oppenheimer, meanwhile, has officially become the highest grossing World War II film ever made, by crossing the $550 million mark at the global box office.
Mohammad Hassan, a 27-year-old Pakistani porter, lay severely injured just 1,300 feet from K2’s summit, a peak known for its unforgiving nature. Shockingly, as he battled for survival, fellow climbers allegedly chose to prioritize their ascent records over extending a helping hand. Drone footage captured at the grim scene reveals climbers navigating around Hassan on the precarious ledge, effectively leaving him to his fate.
The incident has ignited controversy, centering on Norwegian climber Kristin Harila and her team, who were captured passing by the injured porter. Accusations have been leveled against them, claiming that their pursuit of a new world record took precedence over providing aid to Hassan. Adding to the outrage, reports said that a celebratory party followed shortly after the team achieved the record of conquering 14 of the world’s highest peaks in just over three months—despite the tragic loss of Hassan’s life, Daily Mail has reported.
Kristin Harila has defended her actions, stating that she and her team attempted to assist Hassan. However, the treacherous conditions on K2 made any rescue attempts perilous.
Austrian mountaineer Philip Flämig, who was climbing alongside Wilhelm Steindl, has drawn attention to footage captured by their drone. The footage allegedly depicts a grim sequence of climbers stepping over the stricken body of Mohammad Hassan rather than offering assistance.
Flämig described the scene in Austria’s Standard newspaper, highlighting the heart-wrenching footage. He expressed dismay, pointing out that while one person tended to Hassan, others surged onward toward the summit. Flämig criticized the absence of an organized rescue operation despite the presence of Sherpas and guides who could have acted.
Flämig denounced the incident as a “disgrace” and compared the stark contrast to practices in the Alps, highlighting the ongoing debate regarding the treatment of Sherpas in the Himalayas. He asserted that if Hassan were a Westerner, immediate rescue efforts would likely have been deployed. The tragedy, he lamented, highlighted the callous disregard for human life in favor of record-breaking pursuits.
In response to these claims, Harila defended her actions and decisions, countering accusations of inaction. She refuted the notion that no effort was made to help Hassan, stating that her team attempted to lift him for over an hour. She also explained the hazardous conditions on the mountain, particularly on the treacherous part where Hassan fell.
Drone footage of the incident revealed individuals climbing over Hassan as he lay helpless in the deep snow. The video offered a glimpse of the thin air at such high elevations, as climbers wore oxygen masks to combat the thin atmosphere.
Despite differing accounts of the incident, the unsettling scene has prompted renewed debate about the ethics of mountaineering and the value of human life in extreme circumstances. Steindl, who had to retreat to base camp due to perilous conditions, expressed his disgust at fellow climbers’ inaction, stressing the importance of lending aid.
Update: According to the police, the man who was arrested for harassing actress Srha Asghar has walked free while the FIR against him will be dismissed due to non-cooperation of the complainant.
Geo News reports that Inspector Javed Babar has said that when the harasser was produced in court on Friday, he denied the allegations. The actress was summoned to appear in court by the female judge, but she didnt arrive, nor was any evidence of the incident produced.
“Even the clothes torn during the incident or eyewitnesses of the incident requested by the police and the court were not produced,” he said.
TRIGGER WARNING: discussion of harassment
In a horrifying case, actress Srha Asghar reportedly filed a First Information Report (FIR) against a man, Asim, when he allegedly tried sexually assaulting her outside her home in Karachi. The FIR was registered at Shah Faisal Police Station on the complaint of Srha’s husband, Umar Murtaza.
According to Police officials, the incident took place in August when the actress left her house to go to the nearby market to get groceries. A man kept following her back home and cat-called her. Asghar’s statement further revealed the man tried groping her which resulted in her clothes getting torn.
The actress then rung the doorbell after which her husband came outside, which led to a fight between him and the assaulter. After which, the assaulter was taken to the police station by Umar and their neighbors.
Srha and her husband have refused to give comments to media, but the actress did post a note on her Instagram stories where she slammed media organisations for including personal information on their news to get ratings, telling them to stop calling her:
“I want every media person to stop messaging me about the incident, shame on them for calling me and my husband continuously for an interview for your ratings! And shame on the news channel who attached all the personal info with the incident! We ae safe Alhumdulillah!”
Other than his witty remarks, the Bollywood Badshah had to commemorate some of his iconic films like ‘Chak De! India’ by praising the female actors who helped make the film so memorable
I remember how lovely the girls were. Aditya and Jaydeep and Sumit were so helpful to make this really beautiful film. One of my all time happy place…. https://t.co/ILFaqftN7d
On Wednesday, the internet was blown away when Excel Entertainment announced that the next actor to play the iconic villain ‘Don’ jis ko 11 mulkoon ki police dhoond rahi hai will be Ranveer Singh.
The thriller icon was previously played by Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan- leading to incredibly high expectations about who would be the next person to fill in such big shoes.
Taking to his Instagram account, Ranveer celebrated the announcement by sharing some throwback pictures of his childhood when he used to pretend to play the villain, calling this something he had been dreaming about for a long time:
“As a child I fell in love with the movies, and like the rest of us,” gushed the ‘Rocky and Rani ki prem kahani actor. “Watching and worshipping Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan – the two G.O.A.Ts of Hindi Cinema . I dreamed of growing up to be like them. They are the very reason I wanted to become an actor and a ‘hindi film hero’. Their impact and influence on my life cannot be overstated. They’ve shaped the person and actor that I am. Taking their legacy forward is a manifestation of my childhood dream “
Addressing some of the critics who were aghast by the announcement, Singh went on to say:
“I understand what a great responsibility it is to be a part of the ‘Don’ dynasty. I hope the audience gives me a chance and showers me with love, the way they have for numerous characters over the past so many years. “
Taylor Swift really knows how to keep cruising. On Wednesday she announced that her next rerecorded album will be 1989, on the sixth L.A show of the Era’s tour at SoFi Stadium.
The new rerecording comes after Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version)- in an effort to own the original masters of her own albums after she spoke publicly about cutting ties with her own record label when they sold it to Scooter Braun.
Swift said the album will be released internationally on October 27, calling it a dream to own her music:
“Since I was a teenager, I wanted to own my music and the way to do it was to re-record my albums and call them Taylor’s Version. And the way that you have embraced that, the way that you have celebrated that, you really decided that it was your fight, too, and that you were 100% behind me and that if I cared about it, you cared about it,” the ‘Anti-Hero’ singer. “I will never stop thanking you for that. It was so generous. And so now here we are at the last night of the US leg of the Eras Tour in the eighth month of the year, on the ninth day of the month.”
“There’s something that I’ve been planning for a really, really long time… and I think instead of just like telling you about it, I think I’ll just sort of show you,” and Swift gestured to the screen which showed the album artwork for 1989, along with the release date.
Along with a post on her social media account, Swift called this her ‘FAVOURITE re-record’ and said that the 5 From The Vault tracks are ‘insane’.
Surprise!! 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is on its way to you 🔜! The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways, and it fills me with such excitement to announce that my version of it will be out October 27th. To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done… pic.twitter.com/JFYOWhBxhj
Released in 2014, the album featured critically acclaimed tracks like ‘Blank Space’, ‘Style’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’, and had gone on to win Swift’s second Album of the year award at the Grammy’s.
Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Rameez Raja’s effusive praise for Babar Azam during his commentary at the Lanka Premier League (LPL) has set the internet abuzz. Raja expressed his admiration for Babar Azam in a rather unique manner after the latter scored a century in a LPL match on Monday. Rameez Raja’s comment, “I want to marry Babar,” has gone viral on social media, garnering considerable attention and sparking discussions.
Notably, Babar Azam delivered an exceptional century while representing the Colombo Strikers against the Galle Titans at the Paley Kale International Cricket Stadium. This outstanding achievement not only created a buzz within Pakistan but also captured the attention of cricket enthusiasts in Sri Lanka.
In the match, the Galle Titans set a target of 189 runs for the Strikers. Babar Azam, partnering with Pathum Nissanka, opened the Strikers’ innings and together, they established an impressive 111-run partnership with the Sri Lankan batsman. Babar Azam’s stellar performance included 8 boundaries and 5 sixes, allowing him to reach a total score of 104 runs off just 59 balls.
It is worth noting that Ramiz Raja resumed his role as a commentator during the recently concluded Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Raja had been absent from the commentary box since September 2021, following his election as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a three-year term.
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira spoke to ET Times about how she came to recognize her bad mental health, stating that it was her parents’ divorce that triggered the episode. The actor and his first wife, Reena Dutta, divorced amicably in 2002, however, Ira revealed that both Aamir and Reena made her feel that it “was not a big deal”.
The mental health activist went on to say that because of Aamir and Reena’s divorce, she had mental misunderstandings but never found the courage to discuss them with anyone. Hence, she “blames herself’ for suffering from depression, believing erroneously that one had to be sad to get love from others. On a positive note, she said that now she is working on making herself happy, and has a better relationship with her parents.
Ira revealed she is in a group chat with her parents and reaches out to them every time she is in need, while her fiance Nupur Shikhare is one of her strongest supporters.
Ira recently made national headlines when she revealed to a publication that mental health disorders run in her family:
“Every 8-10 months I will have a big crash. It’s partly genetic, partly psychological, and partly social. It took me a while to figure it out. But I have mental health disorders in my family. I also did not make healthy choices and I systematically walked into depression.”
The country’s media has decided that the average citizen is not raging inflation but whether a fully grown woman has decided to convert from Christianity to Islam or not.
In an interview with Youtuber and journalist Maliha Rehman, actor Hassan Ahmed, Sunita Marshall’s husband, was asked about how he deals with the negative comments, especially regarding his marriage to the ‘Sar-e-rah’ actress. The actor responded that it is his deepest desire that his wife converts to Islam, but understands that these things do take time. He further went on to say that Sunita will only come towards Islam when she notices the positive inside him.
But newsflash for the two of you, Sunita isn’t special just because she ‘could’ convert to Islam. She’s a fully grown human being who can dress how she wants and follow what religion she chooses. It is shameful how this is a topic that needs a 10 minute long discussion.
The discussion arose just a few weeks after Sunita was questioned by controversial Youtuber Nadir Ali about her religious beliefs. She calmly handled the situation saying that it was her choice whether she chooses to remain a Christian or convert to Islam. But the fact remains, Sunita’s religion is not something to debate, and it’s shameful that her husband is commenting on personal matters in the public sphere.
What's wrong with Nadir Ali? Didn't know he'll become so immature and problematic after becoming famous. pic.twitter.com/TxhNKdwy1z
We were incredibly happy to witness how a flood of celebrities and social media users applauded the ‘Khuda Aur Mohabbat’ actress for bravely handling Ali’s misogynist remarks, but it doesn’t mean she needs to be subjected to this kind of questioning time and time again. This is the Islamic Republic Of Pakistan, where under the law, people from all kinds of faiths are allowed to practice their religion without any fear.
It’s the year 2023, you have people leaving the country because they’re unable to make a decent living, so obsessing over whether Sunita Marshall will become a Muslim or not is irrelevant. Celebrity tabloids, please do better and let her live without feeling like her religion is in the spotlight all the time.
Are rishta aunties looking for a suitable woman for men or do they want Miss Universe to become their bahu?
Rishta proposals that come to light are getting increasingly absurd. A tweet is going viral on the internet in which a woman shared a list of demands by an aunty. Included among the ludicrous list are demands that the girl must not have curly or short hair, must have completed her bachelors at the age of 22, as well as have no scars on her face or hands.
She should also have a “rosy glow” and light coloured eyes, with a concession made for hazel eyes.
Are you looking for a wife or for a robot, maam? And the sheer audacity of demanding unachievable perfectionism in a woman, while this man couldn’t even find a woman on his own? Twitter was in fits on how unabashed and demanding the rishta circus was for women.
I hate these rishta lists. Whoever makes them should go to hell. A woman is NOT a robot that you need to build to craft the perfect bride like my god we are humans! To judge us and toss us if we don’t fit your mold before getting to know is is cruel! https://t.co/WwqYxQAmUJ
— Mihrimah|FS |🪬🆓🇵🇸🇱🇧🇦🇲🇨🇩🇾🇪🇮🇷🇭🇹 (@Mihrimah_FS) August 7, 2023
girl needs to be 10/10 nobel prize winner euro centric features and the family themselves r just decent at best https://t.co/2mjH3hdmRX
— mariam shahid shady facts (@ghostfweak) August 7, 2023
