Intermittent fasting has emerged as a popular weight-loss strategy in recent years, and new research suggests it may be just as effective as traditional calorie restriction diets – with one method standing out as particularly beneficial.
Intermittent fasting involves limiting the hours in which food is eaten each day, prompting the body to use stored fat for energy after exhausting its glucose reserves. Numerous health experts, including those at Johns Hopkins Medicine, have previously highlighted the health benefits of this dietary approach.
Obesity remains a major public health concern, affecting two in five adults in the United States and costing the American healthcare system around $173 billion annually. Excess body weight significantly raises the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
In a recent study, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and several international institutions conducted an analysis comparing various intermittent fasting methods. Published in The BMJ, the study included data from over 6,500 adults across 99 clinical trials, most of whom were obese and had pre-existing health conditions.
The study found that alternate-day fasting, where individuals fast every other day, provided superior health benefits compared to standard calorie restriction and other intermittent fasting techniques.
Harvard researchers highlighted, “Among all intermittent fasting methods studied, alternate-day fasting – where a person eats normally one day and completely abstains from food the next – was shown to be the most effective.”
Participants practising alternate-day fasting achieved greater weight loss, averaging 2.8 pounds (around 1.3 kg) more than those on traditional calorie-restricted diets. This fasting approach also led to significant improvements in key health markers linked to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk, including reductions in waist circumference, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and inflammation measured by C-reactive protein.
Additionally, alternate-day fasting was associated with lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, reducing risks linked to heart attacks and strokes.
However, researchers noted the observed differences in weight loss were still below the clinically significant threshold – defined as at least 4.4 pounds (2 kg) – for individuals with obesity. Longer trials are therefore required to better understand the long-term effectiveness of intermittent fasting and its clinical implications.
Zhila Semnani-Azad, the study’s lead researcher, emphasised caution, stating, “Intermittent fasting, despite its promising results, may not be suitable for everyone. Before making significant dietary changes, it is essential to consult healthcare professionals and consider personal medical history, lifestyle, social circumstances, and potential for sustained adherence.”
This research contributes valuable insights into how intermittent fasting could help address obesity and associated health risks, though further studies are needed to fully confirm and understand its long-term benefits.
A total of 1052 dogs and 1039 cats from 94 counties (64 rural and 43 non-rural) were examined, with an overall flea infestation prevalence of 33.6% (353/1052) in dogs and 36.5% (379/1039) in cats (Tables 1, 2). No statistically significant difference was observed between dogs and cats in terms of infestation prevalence (χ2 = 2.05, df = 1, P = 0.153).
Table 1 Prevalence of flea infestation in dogs according to host characteristics, environment and insecticide use
Table 2 Prevalence of flea infestation in cats according to host characteristics, environment, and insecticide use
The prevalence of flea infestation did not differ significantly between sexes in either species (dogs: χ2 = 0.36, df = 1, P = 0.550; cats: χ2 = 0.16, df = 1, P = 0.691). In dogs, 32.2% of females (151/469) and 34.0% of males (166/488) were infested. In cats, infestation was recorded in 36.4% of females (177/486) and 35.2% of males (170/483).
A significant association was observed between flea infestation and age group in both dogs (P = 0.015) and cats (χ2 = 21.46, df = 5, P = 0.001). Puppies (age < 6 months; 45.8%, 44/96, ASR = 2.8) and kittens (age ≤ 6 months; 50.0%, 67/134, ASR = 3.6) exhibited the highest prevalence of infestation.
In dogs, fur length was significantly associated with infestation (χ2 = 14.95, df = 2, P = 0.001), with short-haired individuals presenting the lowest prevalence of infestation (28.0%, 151/540, ASR = − 3.8).
Lower body condition scores were significantly associated with higher flea infestation prevalence in both dogs (42.0%, 66/157, χ2 = 7.98, df = 2, P = 0.019, ASR = 2.5) and cats (44.2%, 88/199, χ2 = 11.41, df = 2, P = 0.003, ASR = 2.6).
Geographical origin also influenced flea infestation prevalence, with the highest values recorded in the North (dogs: 45.1%, 143/317, χ2 = 69.74, df = 4, P < 0.0001, ASR = 5.3; cats: 45.0%, 139/309, χ2 = 31.67, df = 4, P < 0.0001, ASR = 3.6) and the lowest recorded in the LMA (dogs: 9.9%, 19/192, ASR = − 7.6; cats: 20.0%, 37/185, ASR = − 5.2). In contrast, no significant differences were found regarding parish type (dogs: χ2 = 0.09, df = 1, P = 0.765; cats: χ2 = 0.75, df = 1, P = 0.387).
Lifestyle was significantly associated with flea infestation (dogs: χ2 = 36.78, df = 4, P < 0.0001; cats: χ2 = 98.77, df = 4, P < 0.0001). Outdoor domestic dogs and cats exhibited the highest prevalence (cats: 78.5%, 51/65, ASR = 7.3; dogs: 50.0%, 42/84, ASR = 3.4), whereas sheltered individuals had the lowest (cats: 27.5%, 100/364, ASR = - 4.4; dogs: 24.5%, 116/473, ASR = - 5.4). Additionally, dogs in contact with outdoor animals had a significantly higher infestation prevalence compared to those without such contact (χ2 = 7.86, df = 1, P = 0.005; 47.8%, 138/289, ASR = 2.8 vs. 30.6%, 26/85, ASR = − 2.8), and those in contact with cats were more frequently infested (χ2 = 14.282, df = 1, P < 0.0001; 39.6%, 91/230, ASR = 3.8 vs. 24.1%, 70/290, ASR = - 3.8).
In contrast to cats, seasonality significantly influenced flea infestation in dogs (χ2 = 16.49, df = 3, P = 0.001), with the highest prevalence observed in summer (39.1%, 106/271, ASR = 2.4) and autumn (39.5%, 90/228, ASR = 2.3), while the lowest infestation prevalence was in winter (25.1%, 44/175, ASR = − 2.5).
Flea species
A total of 1513 flea specimens were collected from dogs (51.8%, 784/1513) and cats (48.2%, 729/1513) (Fig. 1). Ctenocephalides felis was the most frequently identified flea species, accounting for 85.7% (672/784) of fleas in dogs and 98.8% (720/729) in cats (Table 3). Other species identified included C. canis (7.8%, 61/784 in dogs; 1.2%, 9/729 in cats), P. irritans (5.5%, 43/784, exclusively in dogs) and A. erinacei maura (1.0%, 8/784, exclusively in dogs).
Fig. 1
Geographic distribution of flea species detected in infested hosts, by regions classified according to the Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics level II (NUTS II). A Ctenocephalides felis; B Ctenocephalides canis; C Pulex irritans; D Archaeopsylla erinacei maura.
Table 3 Prevalence and mean intensity of flea infestation by flea species in dogs and cats
Mono-infestations were predominant, with C. felis being the only flea species in 85.6% (302/353) of infested dogs and 98.2% (372/373) of infested cats. Co-infestations were observed only in dogs (3.4%, 12/353), most frequently involving C. felis and P. irritans (50.0%, 6/12), followed by C. canis and C. felis (33.3%, 4/12), A. erinacei maura and C. felis (8.3%, 1/12) and C. canis, C. felis and P. irritans (8.3%, 1/12).
Flea intensity ranged from 1 to 17 (mean 2.2) fleas per dog and from 1 to 33 (mean 1.9) fleas per cat.
Molecular characterisation and phylogenetics
A total of 75 cox2 sequences were obtained (100% amplification success) from flea specimens morphologically identified as C. felis (72.0%, 54/75), C. canis (13.3%, 10/75), P. irritans (13.3%, 10/75) and A. erinacei maura (1.3%, 1/75) (Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5).
Fig. 2
Morphological characteristics of Ctenocephalides felis. a Female cephalic capsule with a noticeable acute angle and not very convex front anteriorly (a1); first spine of the genal comb is approximately the same length as the second (a2); occiput area has two setae (a3); lateral metatorax area with one or two setae (a4). b Male front more convex anteriorly compared to the female. c Hind tibia with five groups of setae bearing notches on the dorsoposterior margin (black arrows) with vestigial spiniform setae c1 and developed seta c2. d Female genitalia; spermatheca (d1); sternite VII with two setae, one posterior and one anterior (d2). e Male genitalia, with the manubrium (m) not expanded apically with a constricted apex (white dashed line). Scale bars as shown in the Figure.
Fig. 3
Morphological characteristics of Ctenocephalides canis. a First spine of the genal comb is half the length of the second (a1); occiput area has three setae (a2); lateral metatorax area with three setae (a3). b Cephalic capsule with a convex front anteriorly. c Hind tibia with six to seven groups of setae bearing notches on the dorsoposterior margin (black arrows) with developed spiniform setae c1 and c2. d Female genitalia; spermatheca (d1); sternite VII with two setae on the same level (d2). e Male genitalia, with manubrium (m) expanded apically with a dilated apex (white dashed line). Scale bars as shown in the Figure.
Fig. 4
Morphological characteristics of Pulex irritans. a Pronotal and genal combs absent (a1 and a2); pleural rod of mesothorax absent (a3); rounded front (a4). b Male genitalia, phallosome (tubular and central) (b1) and accessory filaments (ventral) (b2). c Female genitalia, spermatheca. Scale bars as shown in the Figure.
Fig. 5
Morphological characteristics Archaeopsylla erinacei maura (male). a Pronotal comb absent or vestigial, with one or three combs on each side (a1); vestigial genal comb with one or three spines (a2); pleural rod of mesothorax present (a3); cephalic capsule with rounded front (a4); distance from base of spine at tip of genal process to front (DGF). b Whole body. c Phallosome (tubular and central) (c1) and accessory filaments (ventral) (c2); basimere (c3); basimere length (higher in the subspecies A. erinacei maura compared to A. erinacei erinacei) (BL), basimere length equal to DGF. Scale bars as shown in the Figure.
Phylogenetic analysis indicated that C. felis sequences shared a common ancestor. Nonetheless, C. felis felis showed a paraphyletic origin, with sequences obtained from morphologically identified C. felis specimens collected from dogs and cats segregating into a monophyletic cluster with low genetic divergence, composed exclusively of reference sequences of C. felis felis from dogs and cats in Australia, Hungary, Israel, Italy and Spain (Fig. 6).
Fig. 6
Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree inferred from cytochrome oxidase subunit II (cox2) sequences of various flea species and subspecies. Tree reconstruction was performed in IQ-TREE using the K3Pu+F+G4 substitution model, selected as the best-fitting model based on the Bayesian Information Criterion. Node support was assessed using 1000 bootstrap replicates, and values ≥75% are shown at the corresponding nodes. The tree was rooted using Xenopsylla cheopis sequence (outgroup). Reference sequences are labelled with species name and GenBank accession number. Sequences obtained in this study are shown in bold and include specimen identifier and GenBank accession number (LC871646-LC871720). Branch lengths are scaled to the number of substitutions per site. Coloured sectors denote the phylogenetic clusters in which the sequences obtained in this study segregated
Ctenocephalides canis showed a monophyletic origin, with the obtained sequences of C. canis from dogs and cats clustering together with reference sequences of C. canis collected from dogs and cats in China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Iran and Turkey.
The obtained sequences of P. irritans from dogs segregated into a monophyletic cluster composed exclusively of sequences of P. irritans collected from humans and animals, Argentina, China, Croatia, Madagascar and Spain.
Similarly, the obtained sequence of A. erinacei maura collected from a dog formed a robust monophyletic cluster with sequences of A. erinacei maura from hedgehogs in Spain and Portugal.
Flea allergy dermatitis in infested animals
Flea allergy dermatitis was significantly associated with flea infestation in both dogs and cats (dogs: χ2 = 71.81, df = 1, P < 0.0001; cats: χ2 = 16.02, df = 1, P < 0.0001. Infested animals had a higher prevalence of FAD compared to non-infested individuals (dogs: 16.1%, 53/330, ASR = 8.5 vs. 1.8%, 12/653, ASR = − 8.5); cats: 5.4%, 20/367, ASR = 4.0 vs. 1.1%, 7/616, ASR = - 4.0). Host species was also significantly associated with FAD occurrence (χ2 = 16.47, df = 1, P < 0.0001), with dogs showing a higher prevalence of FAD (6.6%, 65/983, ASR = 4.1) compared to cats (2.7%, 27/983; ASR = − 4.1). In addition, flea burden was significantly higher in animals presenting clinical signs compatible with FAD (dogs: U = 15098.00, Z = − 7.95, P < 0.0001; cats: U = 8168.00, Z = − 3.79, P < 0.0001).
Effect of insecticide use
The use of insecticides was significantly associated with lower flea infestation in both dogs and cats (dogs: χ2 = 23.69, df = 1, P = < 0.001; cats: χ2 = 21.78, df = 1, P = < 0.001).
Infestation prevalence was lower in treated animals (dogs: 22.4%, 146/651, ASR = − 4.9; cats: 21.7%, 106/488, ASR = = − 4.7) compared to untreated individuals (dogs: 50.0%, 32/64, ASR = 4.9; cats: 45.8%, 38/83, ASR = = 4.7), indicating a protective effect of insecticide application. Additionally, a significant association was observed between insecticidal use and flea infestation in both species (P < 0.001). Animals treated with fipronil showed the highest ASR (dogs = 6.0; cats = 8.7), compared to all other treatment groups (Additional file 2: Table S1, Table S2).
Multivariable logistic regression analysis of risk factors for flea infestation
The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified NUTS II/seasonality/insecticide use and NUTS II/lifestyle/insecticide use as significant predictors of flea infestation in dogs (G2 = 85.22, df = 8, P < 0.0001) and cats (G2 = 136.12, df = 9, P < 0.0001), respectively (Additional file 2: Table S3, Table S4; Figs. 7, 8).
Fig. 7
Predicted probability of flea infestation in dogs according to NUTS II region, season, and insecticide use.
Fig. 8
Predicted probability of flea infestation in cats according to NUTS II region, lifestyle, and insecticide use.
Regarding infestation according to NUTS II regions in mainland Portugal, compared to the North region, the odds of flea infestation were significantly lower in LMA (χ2Wald = 31.85, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 0.14, 95% CI 0.21–0.69), Alentejo (χ2Wald = 10.35, df = 1, P = 0.001, aOR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.21–0.69) and Algarve (χ2Wald = 8.81, df = 1, P = 0.003, aOR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.27–0.76) for dogs, and in LMA (χ2Wald = 24.73, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 0.10, 95% CI 0.41–0.25), Alentejo (χ2Wald = 10.08, df = 1, P = 0.001, aOR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.13–0.62), and Centro (χ2Wald = 7.08, df = 1, P = 0.008, aOR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.25–0.81) for cats.
The odds of flea infestation in dogs were significantly higher in spring (χ2Wald = 4.60, df = 1, P = 0.032, aOR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.07–4.06), summer (χ2Wald = 8.89, df = 1, P = 0.003, aOR = 2.83, 95% CI 1.43–5.61) and autumn (χ2Wald = 13.85, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 3.72, 95% CI 1.86–7.43), compared to winter.
In cats, lifestyle was a significant predictor of flea infestation (χ2Wald = 53.93, df = 4, P < 0.0001), with domestic cats having outdoor access exhibiting the highest odds of infestation.
Flea infestation was associated with the absence of insecticide use in both dogs and cats. Compared to treated individuals, untreated dogs had nearly a fivefold higher odds of infestation (χ2Wald = 27.57, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 4.87, 95% CI 2.70–8.79), while untreated cats had approximately a fourfold higher odds of infestation (χ2Wald = 17.88, df = 1, P < 0.0001, aOR = 4.02, 95% CI 2.11–8.67).
The adjusted models demonstrated a good fit to the data (dogs: χ2HL = 7.96, df = 8, P = 0.438; cats: χ2HL = 9.72, df = 7, P = 0.205) and exhibited adequate discriminative performance (dogs: AUC = 0.71, P < 0.0001; cats: AUC = 0.77, P < 0.0001).
Sardaar Ji 3 Box Office: Diljit Dosanjh & Hania Aamir Starrer Heading Towards A Major Milestone ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
Sardaar Ji 3, starring Diljit Dosanjh, Neeru Bajwa, Jasmin Bajwa, and Hania Aamir, was embroiled in a controversy before its release amid the political tensions between India and Pakistan. Unfortunately, the film witnessed its theatrical release, excluding India. However, it didn’t stop the film from roaring at the box office, and it is already on its way to becoming a big success. Also, it is less than 17 crores away from a major milestone. Keep reading for a detailed report!
Enjoying the positive reception internationally
Post the Pahalgam terror attack, the situation between India and Pakistan is tense. Due to this, the latest Punjabi horror comedy film faced a ban in India over the casting of a Pakistani actress, Hania Aamir. Overseas, the film has opened to mostly favorable reviews, and even word-of-mouth is good among the ticket-buying audience.
How much did Sardaar Ji 3 earn at the overseas box office?
Despite no support from the Indian market, Sardaar Ji 3 is performing brilliantly at the box office. As expected, it is doing wonders in North America (USA and Canada). Even in Pakistan, it is doing solid business, followed by the United Kingdom and other territories. The film is receiving love and appreciation from the Indian diaspora outside India.
Recently, Sardaarji 3 completed a one-week theatrical run in theatres, and the official collection was posted on social media. It is learned that the Punjabi biggie did a business of 33.6 crore gross at the overseas box office in 7 days. This is superb number and the film is already heading for a big success.
Sardaar Ji 3 to achieve a major milestone soon
Considering positive word-of-mouth, the horror comedy entertainer will continue to attract footfall at least for a couple of weeks. Amid this, it is just 16.4 crores away from the 50 crore milestone at the box office. For a Punjabi film, touching the milestone of 50 crores is a big thing, and Diljit Dosanjh’s biggie will get there very soon.
The Diljit Dosanjh starrer is reportedly made on a budget of 35 crores. Considering the cost, the film is doing fantastic business internationally. If it releases in India, it’ll definitely reach the 100 crore milestone at the worldwide box office.
More about the film
Directed by Amar Hundal, Sardaar Ji 3 was theatrically released on 27 June 2025. It was produced by Gunbir Singh Sidhu, Manmord Sidhu, and Diljit Dosanjh. It was written by Dheeraj Rattan and Manila Rattan.
Stay tuned to Koimoi for more box office updates!
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On Monday, the director of the new Jurassic Park movie explained his aim for the seventh film in the series. Innovation it was not. Rather, said Gareth Edwards, it was karaoke. To prepare, he binged Steven Spielberg clips on repeat, hoping to accomplish genre cloning.
“I was trying,” he told BBC’s Front Row, “to make it feel nostalgic. The goal was that it should feel like Universal Studios went into their vaults and found a reel of film, brushed the dust off and it said: Jurassic World: Rebirth.
“And they’re like: ‘What’s this? We don’t remember doing this!’ I wanted it to feel like a film they’d discovered from the early 90s.”
Time travellers from that period to the present day would be forgiven for wondering whether their DeLorean was on the blink. Not only are Oasis and Pulp soundtracking the summer with hits from Britpop’s golden years, but film-makers, too, are – to paraphrase another mid-90s cultural touchstone, the Ferrero Rocher ads – really spoiling us.
In a fortnight, we return to the scene of the crime of 1997’s ripe slasher sensation I Know What You Did Last Summer for a new movie boasting exactly the same title, as well as key cast Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr – whose very names act as a Smash Hits madeleine. The 2025 film continues the events of 1998’s I Still Know What You Did Last Summer but – purists take note – ignores 2006’s now non-canonical I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. Mind your adverbs.
The 2025 version of I Know What You Did Last Summer will be in cinemas later in July. Photograph: Sony Pictures
August brings The Naked Gun, with Liam Neeson slipping into the Swiss army shoes vacated by Leslie Nielsen’s bumbling police lieutenant in 1994, as well as a remake of 1989’s The War of the Roses, this time called The Roses, with Olivia Colman locked in marital battle with Benedict Cumberbatch.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan return for a very belated sequel to their 2003 bodyswap comedy Freakier Friday, while currently marauding through cinemas is 28 Years Later, Danny Boyle’s reanimation of the zombie horror series he started in 2002.
Still hanging on strong across multiplexes, meanwhile, is Final Destination: Bloodlines, the first new instalment for 14 years of the franchise that’s been confirming people’s worst fears about tanning beds, log trucks and acupuncture since the turn of the century.
Also on offer during the holidays are a rebooted Superman, a new Fantastic Four movie and assorted anniversary reissues including The Goonies (which turns 40), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (20), Human Traffic (26), Sense and Sensibility (30) and Spinal Tap (41).
Hollywood, it appears, is stuck on repeat, sucked with an ever-more deafening gurgle into a death cycle of creative bankruptcy desperately presented as comfort food. That this packaging strategy works is thanks in part to the dire state of the world beyond the cinema; audiences are really eager for escape.
It is 40 years since The Goonies, directed by Richard Donner, was released. Photograph: Warner Bros/Allstar
“It makes me think of that Gil Scott Heron quote,” says the veteran film journalist Steven Gaydos. “‘Americans want to go back as far as they can, even if it turns out to be only last week. Not to face now or the future, but to face backwards’.”
That they seem to be spending a lot of time in 1994 is because those people making decisions in Hollywood, and commissioning others to execute them, came of age around this time (Edwards turns 50 next weekend). They are therefore particularly keen to relive a more innocent pre-smartphone era – as well as introduce it to their offspring.
Cinemas actively encouraging this sort of indulgence is not new. George Lucas’s breakthrough, American Graffiti (1973), harked fruitfully back to his own youth, just as Back to the Future (1985) – which Spielberg executive produced – lucratively teleported parents to their mid-50s heyday. The difference is that those movies were developed in an entertainment ecosystem with sufficient ambition and capacity to support them. Both films advanced cinema accordingly.
There is no way Back to the Future would be made today, said its writer, Bob Gale, on Thursday. Not just because of the colossal cost and reams of theoretical physics. “We’d go into the studio and they’d say, what’s the deal with this relationship between Marty and Doc? They’d start interpreting paedophilia or something. There would be a lot of things they have problems with.”
Small wonder studios today are so risk-adverse. This is an industry in freefall, clutching at the surest things in sight as it scrabbles to regain footing after Covid – which closed about 8,000 screens worldwide, half of them in the US – and the nearly six-month strikes of 2023 and subsequent dearth of content. Both these moments proved huge opportunities for streamers to stake a yet greater claim on the marketplace.
Bo Hopkins, left, and Richard Dreyfuss in American Graffiti – the 1973 film was director George Lucas’s breakthrough. Photograph: Lucasfilm/Coppola Co/Universal/Kobal/REX/ Shutterstock
Says Robert Mitchell, director of theatrical insights at Gower Street Analytics, playing safe is simply good business sense: “Look at this year’s biggest hits to date. [Chinese animation] Ne Zha 2, Lilo & Stitch, A Minecraft Movie. All are either sequels or based on a massive IP.”
As Andrew Cripps, head of theatrical distribution at Disney, acknowledged at the CineEurope convention last month, the top 15 US releases of last year – including Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Moana 2 and Despicable Me 4 – clearly indicated “the market reality of what consumers are looking for. On the other hand, you can’t generate new franchises without launching original content.”
And here comes the looming problem, as easy to spot and hard to dispatch as a hillside of zombies. Barrels can only be scraped so far – and many feel they long ago spotted the bottom. Original concepts strong enough to spawn spin-offs are not only costly, they are rare as hen’s teeth. In the 15 top-grossing films of all time, only two non-sequels make the list: Titanic and Avatar, both by James Cameron and both today unthinkable to finance (“Everybody knows the ship sinks!” “A paraplegic marine mind controls a CGI blue alien …”).
Studios are in a bind, says Charles Gant of Screen International. “They need fresh stories and characters to launch franchises and create new sequel opportunities – but landing that plane can be hard. It doesn’t look like Elio is going to be creating much financial value for Disney, or yielding any sequels.”
The long-awaited new Pixar innovation, Elio defied friendly reviews last month to be a hideous commercial bust, so far recouping just half of its (conservatively estimated) $150m production budget. Other high-end attempts to break new ground have suffered similar fates: Black Bag, Steven Soderbergh’s glossy spy thriller with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, made back just two-thirds of its costs.
Christopher Lloyd, left, and Michael J Fox in Back to the Future Part III from 1990. The film’s co-writer, Bob Gale, says there is no way the films would be made today. Photograph: Moviestore collection Ltd/Alamy
Mickey 17, Bong Joon-ho’s sci-fi cloning thriller with Robert Pattinson, has done slightly better, but given its production budget was $120m, there’s little chance it will end up in the black. These “original disappointments from big name directors”, says Mitchell, meant “the mood music was: it’s going to be even harder to tell original stories on a big or even medium budget”.
The past tense is important. Since that pair of flops, new hope has glimmered: Brad Pitt’s motor-racing drama F1: The Movie finished last weekend’s box office race in top position, earning back $167m of its $300m budget. And don’t forget that in April, Sinners, a supernatural horror directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B Jordan, took $365m from a $90m budget. These numbers, says Mitchell, “demonstrate a clear desire among audiences for an original story”.
Others are less upbeat. “Describing either of those films as original is a red herring,” says Gaydos. Sinners was marketed as the latest reunion for the team behind Black Panther and Rocky spin-offs Creed. It was also, thinks Gaydos, “highly derivative of From Dusk Till Dawn, and of Crossroads” – the 1986 Robert Johnson drama, not the 80s soap set outside Birmingham.
Michael B Jordan and Omar Benson Miller in the Ryan Coogler-directed Sinners. Made for $90m, the film took $365m. Photograph: Warner Bros Pictures/AP
F1 was bankrolled in part by a big, pre-existing brand, while its fittings stick rigidly to the template of a 90s action film, just as new release Heads of State is an unapologetic throwback to the White House thrillers of the same period, which generally starred Michael Douglas and half a ton of shoulder pads.
Both F1 and Sinners, says Gaydos, have more in common with the latest Mission: Impossible and Avengers movies than they have differences. All are “huge budget diversions: amusement-park procedurals, gigantic and colourful and built like video games.
“Whether the IP is fresh, reworked or recycled, they all conform to the same formula. The big change is in the indie and mid-market sector. Truly original, provocative mainstream drama which deals in recognisable human dilemmas no longer has a place in cinemas.”
Instead, it has shifted to TV, where the success of Adolescence and Baby Reindeer, as well as boundary-pushing series such as The White Lotus, Severance and Black Mirror, seems to tell a more edifying story to that being offered by the big screen. At home, at least, dramatic engagement with the real world appears to be exactly what people want.
“Once upon a time,” says Gaydos, “Adolescence would have been a hit movie. But imagine pitching it today: ‘It’s about the penal system and the desensitisation of kids.’ The sound of crickets would be deafening.” Insulated from the brutality of weekly box office returns, their business model propped up by subscriptions rather than ticket stubs, streamers have scope to stretch the remit. Jesse Armstrong’s urgent tech-bros satire Mountainhead was to all intents and purposes a film, but it was never in cinemas: backed and distributed by HBO and Sky and out just in time for contention at the Emmys – not the Oscars.
Cory Michael Smith, Steve Carell, Ramy Youssef and Jason Schwartzman in Jesse Armstrong’s tech-bros satire Mountainhead. Photograph: HBO
Hoping there’s a lesson for Hollywood in such successes is academic, says Gaydos. No notes will be taken, “because there is nothing called film culture left in Hollywood”.
This may be overegging the wake. They may not be megabudget, but there are still a handful of genuinely original movies in cinemas this summer to divert those weary of spandex and explosions. Celine Song’s Materialists – a romcom starring Dakota Fanning, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans – leads the UK counter-programming push, as does Bring Her Back, a horror starring Sally Hawkins that has had early audiences alternately in raptures and retching.
Eddington, Ari Aster’s Covid western, also stars Pascal, alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, and tackles social media misinformation in an age of self-appointed messiahs. Some critics at Cannes were unconvinced, but studio A24 is nonetheless proceeding with a costly campaign – and no one could accuse the film of failing to offer audiences something chewier than the usual slop.
Plus, sequels do not always result in inferior films – just ask The Godfather Part II director Francis Ford Coppola. “I don’t think it’s fair to call all franchise films creatively bankrupt,” says Gant. “28 Years Later did feel something different from the two previous films, and I was ready to re-enter that world. I had a good time watching it – a better time than watching Black Bag or Mickey 17.” There may even be some fun to be found in the tumbleweed; the title of the forthcoming Spinal Tap sequel is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
Twenty years ago, Gaydos said he believed the new economics of the blockbuster meant Hollywood was as close as it had ever come to being in the packaged goods industry. Nothing, he says, has happened since to reverse that assessment – lending a strange validity to Donald Trump’s perception of the industry, as outlined in his tariffs plan.
By the end of the weekend, Jurassic World: Rebirth will have been exported to 82 territories and taken about $260m. At the cinema, anyway. Once you add the Nintendo games and Lego kits, official “power devour” T-Rex toys and dad-targeted skin survival kits, special-edition “big gulp” Slurpee cups and limited-release peanut butter M&Ms, the numbers start to really snowball. The future of cinema isn’t just the sequels. It’s the Slurpees, stupid.
After early success with ties, Patrick Dudley-Williams branched out with his Reef Knots brand.
In late 2012, Patrick Dudley-Williams was three months away from being a director at Morgan Stanley (MS) and two days from his wife giving birth to twins when he was made redundant. One year later he was standing in his former employer’s canteen selling ties at a gift fair.
“My wife looked at me bizarrely when I said I was going to start a tie company,” muses Dudley-Williams, founder of men’s lifestyle brand Reef Knots.
Even if he had a business “with the most unpopular clothing item of all time”, he recalls meetings in nondescript offices and remembering people’s names who had standout ties.
Colourful character clearly goes a long way and with his headstrong mantra that consumers have more ties than jeans in their wardrobe, the former stock broker turned entrepreneur also knew he would be operating in an uncompetitive British market.
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Thus, Dudley-Williams stood behind a table at gift fairs for nearly three years to get the business up and running.
“It helps that it hasn’t been all plain sailing,” he admits. “There was a phase when I first started, you turn on your website and hope people will come and it will all happen. Very quickly you realise that no one cares and you will have to generate interest, create a great product and persuade a consumer to spend £70 with you and not with every other brand in the world.
“It’s a hyper competitive industry but people will always revert to who they know and that they will get value for money and quality.”
Dudley-Willams sold more than 50 ties and made £4k over two days at one of his first gift fairs.
Production started with a UK manufacturer before unforeseen issues saw a move to the tie mecca of Como, Italy — handmade from screen-printed silk and where Reef Knots remains to this day.
His first website sale outside of family and friends came via human interaction when Dudley-Williams plucked up the courage to go up to a Hermès tie wearer in a pub with his business card. “It reminded me that if you tell people about it they will come,” he says. The next morning he purchased three ties.
Eighteen months after launching and a desire to keep selling after the gift fair season, Dudley-Williams teamed up with a business partner who made socks after a pop-up shop success in Putney.
Following a £20,000 crowdfund, the pair found an old launderette with a bell on the door in Leadenhall Market. Online stock was kept in the basement while his office had a low roof where sitting down was the only option.
When COVID hit, Reef Knot’s business was 40% ties while 30% came from its London shop. The subsequent 70% revenue decline accounted for a “traumatic period” but accelerated Reef Knot’s pivot into a wider menswear brand.
Read More: Meet Britain’s ‘king of billboards’ who sold his business for £1bn
“I realised the creative side should come out of one brain and it isn’t the vast majority of my year,” he says. “It was part of the process of learning the business from scratch, a second degree via YouTube, packaging and Google (GOOG) advertising.”
Despite the change from the City to the risk of a tie venture, entrepreneurship has been etched into his family’s DNA and he figured that the corporate world would never be his final calling.
While working in finance 20 years ago, Dudley-Williams had looked into buying some mirrored aviator sunglasses. He was soon earning more than his monthly salary after finding a distributor in China and selling via eBay. Other sellers soon latched on and he called it a day.
Reef Knots founder turned redundancy into an opportunity with his handmade printed silk ties venture.
“When I was working in finance I travelled to the US a lot and saw how ties were branded differently,” he says. “In the UK, it was a symbol of the corporate grind, heritage and stuffy brand messaging. I felt we could do something fresh and fun.”
In 2014, ocean-inspired Reef Knots partnered with the Blue Marine Foundation which, says Dudley-Williams, has opened doors for the sustainability brand. With early tie designs featuring fish and sailing boats, the likes of Prince Harry and Richard Branson, the latter briefly to support the brand, have been seen wearing Reef Knots ties, while its swim shorts are made using recycled ocean plastic.
A board member for seven years at the UK Fashion & Textile Association, Dudley-Williams says Reef Knots has sometimes been accused of not being a British brand, with its lifestyle products also made in Portugal.
Read More: ‘Why we set up a sustainable mobile operator to save people money’
“People could look a little closer at independents and realise the jobs they do for the economy in the UK,” he argues. “The reality is that we don’t have the developed manufacturing industry that we require to make things as British as we would like them.
“We always do things right and try to put the customer first and I will put our product in front of almost anyone in terms of quality and the way it is produced.”
Today, Reef Knots has one store in Salcombe, headquarters in Chippenham and a staff of six. From revenues of around £350,000 in 2015, Reef Knots is currently a mid seven figure business.
Reef Knots produces sustainably-focused fabrics.
“We run a lean ship,” he adds. “I sometimes look at these businesses and I don’t know what these people do. We make products, we have operations and marketing. If you have good people with enthusiasm to learn you can get an awful lot done.”
After 12 years, Dudley-Williams has also packed a lot in to survive and thrive as an independent clothing firm, a world away from having three children under the age of three and walking back to his old office to sell ties to former colleagues.
“I said to myself that if this was what I was going to do for a living then I can’t be embarrassed to go back,” he says.
“There were moments where I asked myself if I had done the right thing. But I had to be all in on it.”
Managing cash flow
We are never surprised by pitfalls. Investors we speak to have been surprised at the level of detail in our cash flow numbers. The clothing business is a difficult game to manage with upfront costs for stock and cash flow is the number one thing to make you grow, as well as the returning customer base.
Powering up growth
I spent three hours looking at our Google Ads campaigns recently. I have used many agencies over the years, all have promised to turn water into wine and none have. To grow the fastest there are certain things as a founder that I need to master and understanding what drives our growth is a key part.
Telling our story
For a long time on social media we’ve had models walking in slow motion with their tops off. There is a place for that for a certain customer, but people also want to know what’s behind the company. The best performing ads are ones where I am discussing our journey and challenges. It has been really valuable.
Consumer promise
Our job is to always over deliver for customers. We tell people our returns are processed in a week but we make sure it’s done in a day. That way we are always beating customer expectations and that’s how they become loyal. Ultimately that’s what we are creating as a business.
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2025 No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe slams home 2 of a game-high 28 points at the 2025 Salt Lake City Summer League.
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• Jazz 93, 76ers 89: Box Score | Game Detail
SALT LAKE CITY – A wire-to-wire affair between two teams replete with promising young talent, including 2025 No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe – who provided a game-high 28 points – culminated in a 93-89 win for the Utah Jazz over the Philadelphia 76ers in a 2025 Salt Lake Summer League battle at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.
The first half unfolded in somewhat deceptive fashion, considering the Jazz had built a 52-43 lead by intermission that seemed to portend an eventual comfortable win. However, the 76ers’ defense stepped up in the third quarter, limiting Utah to 14 points during the period to shave five points from their deficit heading into the final period. Ultimately, the Jazz were able to squeeze out a win in a game during which they were outscored in the paint by a 48-30 margin and committed 15 turnovers, as a rushed fadeaway 3-point attempt by Edgecombe with 6 seconds remaining failed to find the net.
Edgecombe complemented his aforementioned game-high point total with 10 rebounds, four assists, a steal and two blocks. Adem Bona registered 16 points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block. Rookie second-round Johni Broome and Justin Edwards generated matching 13-point tallies while also pulling down five and three rebounds, respectively.
Kyle Filipowksi paced the Jazz with 22 points while also supplying six rebounds, two assists and a block. Brice Sensabaugh followed with 19 points – powered by 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range – and also supplied seven rebounds and two blocks. Cody Williams cobbled together 14 points, five boards, one steal and one block. No. 18 overall pick Walter Clayton Jr. paced the second unit with nine points, supplementing them with three rebounds, six assists and one block.
Both teams return to the floor Monday night, with the 76ers facing off with the Oklahoma City Thunder (7 ET, ESPN) and the Jazz tangling with the Memphis Grizzlies (9 ET, NBA TV).
Rehman wrote, “Today, I learned that Microsoft is officially closing its operations in Pakistan… an era ends.”
Responding to Dawn, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the closure and said the company will continue to serve customers through its regional offices and strong partner network, following a model it already uses in several countries.
Shift to cloud, AI and global restructuring cited
According to Dawn, Microsoft’s decision is part of its global restructuring efforts and its increasing focus on cloud computing, AI, and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). This week, Microsoft also announced nearly 9,000 global job cuts, representing 4% of its workforce, following earlier layoffs in May.
Not a full exit, says Ministry of IT
Pakistan’s Ministry of IT and Telecommunications clarified that this should not be interpreted as Microsoft exiting Pakistan entirely. Instead, it is a strategic move towards a cloud-based, partner-led model, consistent with international tech trends.
Experts say closure reflects global SaaS shift
Tech analyst Habibullah Khan told Dawn that as companies move away from on-premise models to cloud and SaaS, maintaining physical offices in smaller markets becomes less necessary. He stressed this is part of a global trend and not a reflection of Pakistan’s market potential.
Khan also noted that while other multinationals like Careem have scaled back operations in Pakistan, Microsoft’s move is more about cost-efficiency and strategic realignment.
Former Microsoft head: ‘This is more than a corporate exit’
Jawad Rehman, in his post, expressed disappointment, stating:
“This is more than a corporate exit. It’s a sobering signal of the environment our country has created—one where even global giants like Microsoft find it unsustainable to stay.”
He added that the strong foundation Microsoft had laid in Pakistan was not effectively built upon by subsequent leadership.
Former President Arif Alvi calls it a ‘troubling sign’
Former President Dr. Arif Alvi also weighed in on X (formerly Twitter), calling the shutdown a “troubling sign for our economic future.”
Multinationals continue to scale back in Pakistan
In recent years, several multinational companies across different sectors have either shut down their operations in Pakistan or sold them to local entities. Just last month, Careem announced it would discontinue its ride-hailing services in Pakistan starting July 18.
Careem’s exit follows Uber’s earlier withdrawal
Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem, posted the update on LinkedIn, calling it an “incredibly difficult decision.”
“It is with a heavy heart that I share this update: Careem will suspend its ride-hailing service in Pakistan on July 18,” he wrote.
Careem Rides had entered the Pakistani market after Uber withdrew its services in 2015, filling a major gap in the ride-hailing space at the time.