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  • CT colonography outperforms stool DNA screening for colorectal cancer  Labmate Online

    CT colonography outperforms stool DNA screening for colorectal cancer  Labmate Online


    Computed tomography (CT) colonography has been shown to be both cheaper and clinically more effective than multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) testing for population-level colorectal cancer screening, according to peer-reviewed research published in the journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

    Colorectal cancer is the world’s second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Routine examination of the colon and rectum enables early removal of precancerous polyps, thereby reducing the need for late-stage therapies and their associated higher costs and greater risk to patients. In response to rising incidence among younger adults, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, and several professional bodies, have now recommended that screening programmes commence at 45 years of age.

    “Conventional optical colonoscopy remains the dominant screening test in the United States, yet it is the most expensive and invasive option,” said lead author Dr Perry J. Pickhardt, John R. Cameron Professor of Radiology and Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.

    Dr. Perry emphasised that recent Medicare coverage expansions have improved access to less invasive modalities, including mt-sDNA testing – which analyses stool for cancer-specific biomarkers – and CT colonography, which employs imaging technology to render non-invasive visualisation of the colon polyps and tumours.

    Using a Markov model, the investigators simulated colorectal disease progression in 10,000 individuals aged 45 at baseline, assuming perfect adherence to recommended screening and follow-up until 75 years. Without screening, 7.5 per cent of the cohort developed colorectal cancer.

    Both strategies substantially lowered disease incidence versus no screening, but CT colonography achieved a 70–75 per cent reduction, compared with 59 per cent for mt-sDNA. Cost-effectiveness was measured in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Mt-sDNA yielded an incremental cost of nearly US$9,000 per QALY gained, well below the accepted US$100,000 threshold; CT colonography, by contrast, was cost-saving relative to no screening.

    Because advanced polyps ≥10 mm pose the greatest malignant risk, the authors evaluated a hybrid CT-based pathway: three-year CT colonography surveillance for small polyps (6–9 mm) and colonoscopic referral only for lesions ≥10 mm. This approach offered the best balance of cost and clinical benefit. Referring all polyps ≥6 mm for colonoscopy was not cost-effective, owing to higher procedural expenses and minimal QALY gains.

    “Among safe, minimally invasive options, CT colonography prevents and detects colorectal cancer more effectively – and at lower overall cost – than stool DNA testing,” Dr Pickhardt said.

    “Furthermore, CT colonography can simultaneously screen for extracolonic conditions such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.”

    The findings bolster the case for wider adoption of CT colonography within national screening programmes, particularly where resource allocation and patient comfort are paramount.


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  • How Superman started out as a radical rebel

    How Superman started out as a radical rebel

    All the same, few comic characters were as militant as Superman. In one early issue, he demolishes a row of slum homes in order to force the authorities to build better housing (a risky strategy, that one). In another, he takes on the city’s gambling industry because it is bankrupting addicts. And in another, he declares war on everyone he sees as being responsible for traffic-related deaths. He terrifies reckless drivers, he abducts the mayor who hasn’t enforced traffic laws, he smashes up the stock of a second-hand car dealer, and he wrecks a factory where faulty cars are assembled. “It’s because you use inferior metals and parts so as to make higher profits at the cost of human lives,” he informs the owner. Were Superman’s direct-action protest campaigns strictly legal? No, but they were riotous, boldly political fun – and almost 90 years on, they stand as a fascinating street-level account of US urban life in the 1930s.

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  • Today’s Wordle Hints for July 5, 2025 – The New York Times

    1. Today’s Wordle Hints for July 5, 2025  The New York Times
    2. Wordle today: The answer and hints for July 3, 2025  Mashable
    3. Today’s Wordle Hints for July 4, 2025  The New York Times
    4. Today’s Wordle Hints and Answer for Puzzle #1476, July 4  TODAY.com
    5. Today’s ‘Wordle’ #1477 Hints, Clues And Answer For Friday, July 4th  Forbes

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  • South Korea celebrates the transformative power of ‘Squid Game’

    South Korea celebrates the transformative power of ‘Squid Game’

    The third and final season of Netflix’s “Squid Game” broke viewership records on the streaming platform following its release on June 27, marking a fitting close for what has arguably been the most successful South Korean TV series in history.

    Although reviews have been mixed, Season 3 recorded more than 60 million views in the first three days and topped leaderboards in all 93 countries, making it Netflix’s biggest launch to date.

    “Squid Game” has been transformative for South Korea, with much of the domestic reaction focused not on plot but on the prestige it has brought to the country. In Seoul, fans celebrated with a parade to commemorate the show’s end, shutting down major roads to make way for a marching band and parade floats of characters from the show.

    In one section of the procession, a phalanx of the show’s masked guards, dressed in their trademark pink uniforms, carried neon-lit versions of the coffins that appear on the show to carry away the losers of the survival game. They were joined by actors playing the contestants, who lurched along wearing expressions of exaggerated horror, as though the cruel stakes of the game had just been revealed to them.

    At the fan event that capped off the evening, series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk thanked the show’s viewers and shared the bittersweetness of it all being over.

    “I gave my everything to this project, so the thought of it all ending does make me a bit sad,” he said. “But at the same time, I lived with such a heavy weight on my shoulders for so long that it feels freeing to put that all down.”

    Despite the overnight global fame “Squid Game” brought him (it’s Netflix’s most-watched series of all time), Hwang has spoken extensively about the physical and mental toil of creating the show.

    Visitors take photos near a model of the doll named “Younghee” that’s featured in Netflix’s series “Squid Game,” displayed at the Olympic park in Seoul in October 2021.

    (Lee Jin-man / Associated Press)

    He unsuccessfully shopped the show around for a decade until Netflix picked up the first season in 2019, paying the director just “enough to put food on the table” — while claiming all of the show’s intellectual property rights. During production for the first season, which was released in 2021, Hwang lost several teeth from stress.

    A gateway into Korean content for many around the world, “Squid Game” show served to spotlight previously lesser-known aspects of South Korean culture, bringing inventions like dalgona coffee — made with a traditional Korean candy that was featured in the show — to places such as Los Angeles and New York.

    The show also cleared a path for the global success of other South Korean series, accelerating a golden age of “Hallyu” (the Korean wave) that has boosted tourism and exports of food and cosmetics, as well as international interest in learning Korean.

    But alongside its worldly successes, the show also provoked conversations about socioeconomic inequality in South Korean society, such as the prevalence of debt, which looms in the backstories of several characters.

    A few years ago, President Lee Jae-myung, a longtime proponent of debt relief, said, “‘Squid Game’ reveals the grim realities of our society. A playground in which participants stake their lives in order to pay off their debt is more than competition — it is an arena in which you are fighting to survive.”

    In 2022, the show made history as the first non-English-language TV series and the first Korean series to win a Screen Actors Guild Award, taking home three in total. It also won six Emmy Awards. That same year, the city of L.A. designated Sept. 17 — the series’ release date — as “Squid Game Day.“

    Although Hwang has said in media interviews that he is done with the “Squid Game” franchise, the Season 3 finale — which features Cate Blanchett in a cameo as a recruiter for the games that are the show’s namesake — has revived rumors that filmmaker David Fincher may pick it up for an English-language spinoff in the future.

    While saying he had initially written a more conventional happy ending, Hwang has described “Squid Game’s” final season as a sobering last stroke to its unsparing portrait of cutthroat capitalism.

    “I wanted to focus in Season 3 on how in this world, where incessant greed is always fueled, it’s like a jungle — the strong eating the weak, where people climb higher by stepping on other people’s heads,” he told The Times’ Michael Ordoña last month.

    “Coming into Season 3, because the economic system has failed us, politics have failed us, it seems like we have no hope,” he added. “What hope do we have as a human race when we can no longer control our own greed? I wanted to explore that. And in particular, I wanted to [pose] that question to myself.”

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  • 5 Standout Shows to See at Small Galleries in July 2025

    5 Standout Shows to See at Small Galleries in July 2025

    Art

    Maxwell Rabb

    In this monthly roundup, we spotlight five stellar exhibitions at small and rising galleries.

    Verduyn, Moregem, Belgium

    Through Sep. 20

    Bao Vuong fled Vietnam by sea when he was only one year old, crammed into a boat with his parents and 200 others seeking refuge from the Vietnam War. None of the individuals he traveled with, nor the boats that carried them, appear in his oil paintings on wood and canvas. Instead, the sea and sky—the perilous, indifferent backdrop of his family’s journey—are rendered in thick, meditative layers of black paint. A selection of these paintings, from his “Crossing” series, is the subject of a solo exhibition at Verduyn, titled “Retenir.”

    In these works, Vuong uses the titanic nature of the ocean and its sweeping vistas to communicate the feeling of exile at such a young age. Laguna Nera I (2023), a grayscale painting of rippling open water, portrays the expanse in nightmarish detail, with a darkening sky. Still, some of these paintings evoke tranquility, such as The Crossing 158 (2023), where the artist uses gold leaf to portray the sunrise over the horizon.

    In January, the Brussels-based artist mounted another solo exhibition at BAILLY GALLERY in Geneva, titled “Wave.”

    ARDEN + WHITE GALLERY, New Canaan, Connecticut

    Through July 13

    During a visit to Indonesia, Australian artist Heath Wae witnessed firsthand how flowers were used as living offerings. There, he observed how flora played a participatory role in ceremony and functioned, in some cases, as a bridge between humans and nature. That understanding of the flower—as sacred and spiritual—forms the basis of Wae’s debut U.S. solo show. In “School of the Flower,” on view at ARDEN + WHITE GALLERY, his layered compositions depict hazy, color-soaked petals.

    In Bloom 4 (2025), Wae depicts what appears to be a blooming orchid, with blurred purple petals against an orange background. In many of the works, a ghostly floral form is adorned with a halo of light in the center of the canvas. Golden Deity (2025), in particular, features a prominent orange ring circling the pistil of the flower, underscoring Wae’s spiritual engagement with nature.

    Based in Mullumbimby, Australia, Wae graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art from the Sydney College of the Arts. His previous solo exhibition, “Devotions,” was staged by The Dot Project in London last year.

    TAMARA KREISLER Gallery, Madrid

    Through July 19

    British photographer Nick Brandt shot his series “The Day May Break” in Zimbabwe and Kenya in late 2020 to explore how climate change impacts the environment and humans alike. He builds on those themes in a group exhibition he curated at TAMARA KREISLER Gallery, which showcases four other photographers. “Four Chapters” features the work of Lebanese artist Rania Matar, Australian photographer Morganna Magee, and Lima-based artist Alessandro Cinque. A particular highlight is the work of Saidou Dicko, a self-taught artist from Burkina Faso who has exhibited across art fairs in the U.S. as well as at the Dakar Biennale in Senegal. Each of these artists brings their distinctive photographic eye to communities and places impacted by our changing planet.

    Cinque’s black-and-white photographs intimately document the lives of Indigenous communities across Latin America. Meanwhile, Magee’s monochrome images take a closer look at life and death in nature, through images of albino peacocks or dying trees under the night sky. Matar’s portraits focus on women in urban and natural spaces, often evoking a sense of strength within lonesome settings. And Dicko’s painted photographs feature silhouetted figures set against vivid, patterned backdrops. These faceless human forms are inspired by his experience tracing the shadows of animals while working as a shepherd. “A shadow makes its objective-self disappear,” he said in an interview. “A person’s shadow suggests a human being and nothing else. This is what drew me to shadows.”

    Sorondo, Barcelona

    Through July 24

    As a child, Mexican artist Luis Renteria watched his grandmother write a wish on a piece of paper, wrap it around a candle, and tie it with a string. To him, this simple act transformed these household items into “objects that cease to occupy the space for which they were made and begin to inhabit a symbolic space,” he said. This idea—of everyday materials turned into spiritual vessels—inspired “Un puñal en un pañuelo” his solo show at Sorondo. The exhibition features a series of textiles stitched from cotton, horsehair, feathers, and metal, all grounded in familial ritual and spiritual intent.

    One standout work is Casa (2025), a hanging sculpture made from cochineal-dyed cotton, rabbit hair, feathers, pearls, and wood. Handwoven panels hang like the walls of a house, held together by a curved textile band that loops through the form. The delicate structure evokes a home without a base, capturing the show’s central paradox: how beauty and softness can still carry the trace of danger. The exhibition’s title, which translates to a “dagger in a handkerchief,” takes on further resonance in a series of three works all titled “Armadura.” Here, bands of color and thread are shaped into rectangular forms and framed in wooden boxes, forming quiet, protective enclosures that nod to the work’s title, which translates to “armor.”

    Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1991, Renteria earned his MA in production and artistic research at the University of Barcelona.

    Night Café, London

    Through July 25

    “Ouverture” is a duet of opposing forces: Katrina Cowling’s kinetic sculptures hum and twitch, while Dwayne Coleman’s paintings rust and deteriorate. Their materials range from wheat stalks and concrete slabs to rusted steel and discarded clothing. While the artists’ practices are wildly different in approach, they share a theme: Each artwork is meant to symbolize something on the verge of changing.

    In don’t go chasing waterfalls (2025), Cowling animates a trembling row of wheat stalks mounted on concrete slabs and powered by a small motor. The kinetic sculpture creates dissonance between its materials: industrial and agrarian, fragile and mechanical. The sculpture’s movements make it appear to be alive, and this connection is emphasized by its resemblance to typical diagrams of DNA. Meanwhile, Coleman’s Surface of a star (2025) embeds a painted textile behind a gridded steel frame, allowing only partial glimpses of color through the rusted barrier. In contrast to Cowling’s lively sculptures, Coleman’s works appear tarnished, if not actively aging.

    This is the first time that the two London-based artists are presenting work with Night Café. Cowling is currently working on her three-year postgraduate diploma at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Coleman graduated with a bachelor’s in mixed-media fine art from the University of Westminster in 2011.

    MR

    MR

    Maxwell Rabb

    Maxwell Rabb is Artsy’s Staff Writer.

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  • Oasis is back but band reunions are often short-lived

    Oasis is back but band reunions are often short-lived

    “Don’t Look Back in Anger” is good advice for the Britpop band Oasis, who launch their surprising reunion tour today in Cardiff, Wales.

    Led by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, the reunion marks the end of the siblings’ long-held feud, one that led to Oasis disbanding in 2009. For many fans, this news is almost too good to be true. They’re anxiously awaiting whether the Gallaghers will indeed make it through the entire run of international dates and even perhaps extend the reunion.

    Whether they’re in it for the long haul or will call it quits at some point sooner (hopefully not before they reach the Rose Bowl Sept. 6 and 7), here’s a look at a few other very famous — but very brief — band reunions.

    The Beach Boys

    DISBANDED: Technically, they never broke up. Read on.

    HOW LONG THE REUNION LASTED: A few months in 2012.

    WHAT HAPPENED: There is no linear history when it comes to the Beach Boys, but here’s the abridged: Band members came and went, and the band’s visionary, the late Brian Wilson, retired from touring in 1964 following a breakdown caused by stress and exhaustion. His place was soon filled by Bruce Johnston, who remained with the group for decades. Wilson also infamously feuded with his cousin and bandmate Mike Love over songwriting credits for years.

    The question here is: Can a band that never broke up reunite? In this case, yes: The band — with both Wilson and Love — got together for a new album, “That’s Why God Made the Radio,” and world tour in 2012, celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary. It wasn’t the whole original lineup, however: Drummer Dennis Wilson died in 1983, and guitarist Carl Wilson died in 1998.

    CHANCES OF GETTING BACK TOGETHER: The force behind the band, Brian Wilson, died last month at age 82, but Love continues to tour under the Beach Boys name.

    Led Zeppelin

    DISBANDED: 1980

    HOW LONG THE REUNION LASTED: Good question. The band played a few one-off events in the mid-1980s throughout the ’00s, never embarking on a reunion tour. So, a few days? A few hours?

    WHAT HAPPENED: Led Zeppelin disbanded immediately following the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, reuniting only for a select few events in the decades that followed. Most notably, their first show back was a complicated set at Live Aid in 1985 in Philadelphia. Lead singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones’ last performance together was in 2007 at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert held in London’s O2 Arena. There, Bonham’s son Jason Bonham played the drums. Page and Plant had a separate band together that released a couple of albums in the ‘90s.

    CHANCES OF GETTING BACK TOGETHER: Highly unlikely. The band has successfully evaded reunion requests in the past, including one from President Bill Clinton. In 2013, Clinton asked the British rock greats to get back together for the 2012 Superstorm Sandy benefit concert in New York City. He asked; they said no.

    Nirvana

    DISBANDED: 1994

    HOW LONG THE REUNION LASTED: A series of one-off performances in the 2010s and 2020s.

    WHAT HAPPENED: Nirvana disbanded following the death of frontman and principal songwriter Kurt Cobain. Its members pursued other projects — most notably, drummer Dave Grohl founded the Foo Fighters. But two decades after Cobain’s death, in 2014, Nirvana was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so bassist Krist Novoselic, touring guitarist Pat Smear (of the Germs) and Grohl got together for a short set — joined by Lorde, St. Vincent, Joan Jett and Kim Gordon on vocals for a reunion dubbed “Hervana.”

    CHANCES OF GETTING BACK TOGETHER: Maybe there could be a few more gigs here and there? Novoselic and Grohl reunited for a few one-off performances in the years that followed, most recently coming together for the Fire Aid benefit concert in Los Angeles and the 50th anniversary celebrations for “Saturday Night Live,” both this year. At the latter, Post Malone took over vocal duties.

    Oasis

    DISBANDED: 2009

    HOW LONG THE REUNION IS SUPPOSED TO LAST: If the band makes it through their full run of reunion shows, July through November. So, five months.

    WHAT HAPPENED: Good question. The band — and in particular, the Gallagher brothers — have not released a public statement giving specific reasons for the reunion. But the initial tour announcement did seem to allude to past tensions. “The guns have fallen silent,” Oasis said. “The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”

    In 2019, Liam Gallagher told the Associated Press he was ready to reconcile.

    “The most important thing is about me and him being brothers,” he said of Noel. “He thinks I’m desperate to get the band back together for money. But I didn’t join the band to make money. I joined the band to have fun and to see the world.”

    Fans had long theorized a reunion might be on the horizon, too: In the wake of the 2017 bombing that killed 22 at an Ariana Grande concert in Oasis’ hometown of Manchester, Liam Gallagher performed at a benefit concert. He criticized his brother’s absence, but a spokesperson said Noel Gallagher couldn’t attend because of a long-standing family trip. Benefit organizers said Noel Gallagher approved the use of Oasis’ music and donated royalties from “Don’t Look Back in Anger” to the British Red Cross’ One Love Manchester fund.

    CHANCES OF GETTING BACK TOGETHER: It’s happening. A better question is: What are the chances of a new album? That’s impossible to know.

    Outkast

    DISBANDED: They never officially disbanded, so call it a hiatus. They never released another album after 2006’s “Idlewild,” and 2007 is frequently cited as the year they officially took a break.

    HOW LONG THE REUNION LASTED: A few months in 2014? They announced reunion dates in January 2014, played their first in April, and ended that October.

    WHAT HAPPENED: At the top of 2014, Outkast — the innovative Atlanta-based hip-hop duo consisting of Big Boi and André 3000 — announced they would tour festivals around the world to mark 20 years of their band, following a near-decade-long hiatus. The dates began at Coachella, where the duo headlined both Friday night shows. Then they made their way to their home state of Georgia for the CounterPoint Music & Arts Festival, which the AP described as “an energetic show that kept the crowd jamming in the late hours.”

    Once the reunion shows were done, so was Outkast. Big Boi continued to release solo records, and André 3000 would follow suit … almost 10 years later, when he released his debut solo full-length album, the flute-forward “New Blue Sun,” in 2023.

    “New Blue Sun” has “no bars,” he joked to AP shortly after it was released. It’s a divergence from rap because “there was nothing I was liking enough to rap about, or I didn’t feel it sounded fresh.”

    CHANCES OF GETTING BACK TOGETHER: When asked about new Outkast music, André 3000 told AP, “I never say never. … But I can say that the older I get, I feel like that time has happened.”

    The Velvet Underground

    DISBANDED: 1973, more or less.

    HOW LONG THE REUNION LASTED: A few months in 1993.

    WHAT HAPPENED: Here’s another opaque one for you, as band reunions so often tend to be: John Cale was ousted in 1968, Lou Reed left in 1970 and the Velvet Underground slowly dissolved from there, releasing their final album, “Squeeze,” in 1973. In 1990, Cale and Reed joined forces to release an album in homage to Andy Warhol, “Songs for Drella,” opening the door for a future reunion. There were a few one-off performances, and then the band toured Europe in 1993, including a performance at Glastonbury.

    CHANCES OF GETTING BACK TOGETHER: It is pretty much impossible. Reed died in 2013. Guitarist Sterling Morrison died in 1995. And Nico died in 1988.

    Sherman writes for the Associated Press.

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  • ‘Minecraft,’ ‘Sinners’ Boost Box Office 16% From Last Year

    ‘Minecraft,’ ‘Sinners’ Boost Box Office 16% From Last Year

    Topline

    “A Minecraft Movie” has led this year’s domestic box office to a total of $4.1 billion in U.S. ticket sales for the first six months of 2025, a marked improvement from last year—though the biggest global film success was the Chinese blockbuster “Ne Zha 2,” which earned a staggering $1.9 billion on its own.

    Key Facts

    There’s just over $4.1 billion in total gross at North American theaters between January 1 and June 29, according to data shared with Forbes by Comscore.

    The box office total for 2025 so far is 15.5% higher than the $3.5 billion grossed at this point last year, according to Comscore data, thanks largely to a strong spring moviegoing season (April and May 2025 grossed 90% more than April and May 2024).

    The ever-growing “Hunger Games” franchise propelled Suzanne Collins’ “Sunrise on the Reaping,” released in March, to the top of this year’s best-selling fiction books lists, according to data shared with Forbes by Circana BookScan.

    This year’s best-selling nonfiction book so far, according to Circana, is John Green’s “Everything Is Tuberculosis,” the second nonfiction work by Green, known for novels like “The Fault in Our Stars.”

    Of all the songs released in 2025 to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year so far, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” appears to be the biggest, boasting more than 126 million Spotify streams.

    Top Fiction Book Sales Of 2025

    (From Jan. 1 – June 26, according to Circana BookScan)

    1. “Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)” by Suzanne Collins: 1,667,012 books sold
    2. “Onyx Storm (Deluxe Limited Edition)” by Rebecca Yarros: 1,614,239 books sold
    3. “The Crash” by Frieda McFadden: 410,225 books sold
    4. “Great Big Beautiful Life” by Emily Henry: 335,020 books sold
    5. “Fearless” by Lauren Roberts: 320,759 books sold

    Top Nonfiction Book Sales

    (From From Jan. 1 – June 26, according to Circana BookScan)

    1. “Everything Is Tuberculosis: the History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection” by John Green: 162,621 units sold
    2. “The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More” by Jefferson Fisher: 137,003 units sold
    3. “Abundance” by Ezra Klein: 135,558 units sold
    4. “The House of My Mother: a Daughter’s Quest For Freedom” by Shari Franke: 101,432 units sold
    5. “Careless People: a Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism” by Sarah Wynn-Williams: 97,632 units sold

    Top 10 Movies Of 2025 (domestic)

    According To Box Office Mojo

    1. “A Minecraft Movie”: $423,941,548
    2. “Lilo & Stitch”: $400,019,803
    3. “Sinners”: $278,036,257
    4. “Captain America: Brave New World”: $200,500,001
    5. “How To Train Your Dragon”: $200,250,960
    6. “Thunderbolts*”: $189,796,527
    7. “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning”: $186,001,201
    8. “Final Destination: Bloodlines”: $136,739,975
    9. “Mufasa: The Lion King”: $126,423,748
    10. “Dog Man”: $97,970,355

    Top 10 Movies Of 2025 (worldwide)

    According To Box Office Mojo

    1. “Ne Zha 2”: $1,899,639,136
    2. “A Minecraft Movie”: $954,441,548
    3. “Lilo & Stitch”: $945,919,803
    4. “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning”: $562,001,201
    5. “How To Train Your Dragon”: $456,084,960
    6. “Captain America: Brave New World”: $415,101,577
    7. “Thunderbolts*”: $381,670,701
    8. “Sinners”: $364,536,257
    9. “Final Destination: Bloodlines”: $283,239,975
    10. “Snow White”: $205,679,463

    Biggest Billboard No. 1 Songs Released In 2025

    According to Spotify streams

    1. “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter: 126,823,256 streams
    2. “4×4” by Travis Scott: 121,802,187
    3. “What I Want” by Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae: 97,143,569 streams

    How Does This Year’s Box Office Compare To Previous Years?

    Paul Dergarabedian, a box office analyst for Comscore, told Forbes that 2025 could be the best year for movies since the industry was rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Hollywood labor strikes of 2023. Though this year’s box office is performing better than 2024, it is still behind the 2019 box office by about 26%, according to Comscore data. Dergarabedian said the first quarter of 2025 was slightly underwhelming because of the lack of blockbusters released in December that could have carried over into this year. He said the box office has had built up momentum since April, when “A Minecraft Movie” overwhelmingly beat box office expectations and “Sinners” became a word-of-mouth hit, which he noted is an original movie not connected to an existing franchise, unlike most other box office hits this year. Dergarabedian said the second half of the year is stacked with potential blockbusters, including “Jurassic World Rebirth,” “Superman” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

    Tangent

    “Sunrise on the Reaping,” a prequel novel to the “Hunger Games” book series written by Collins, has had a film adaptation in development since before the book was released. Film studio Lionsgate has already been working to build hype for the film, slated to release in 2026, by revealing the cast one at a time in social media posts since April. Australian actor Joseph Zada stars as a younger version of Haymitch Abernathy, the protagonist of “Sunrise on the Reaping” who participates in the 50th Hunger Games. Other cast members include Elle Fanning as a younger Effie Trinket, Ralph Fiennes as President Snow and Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman.

    How Did “ne Zha 2” Become A Smash Hit Overseas?

    The Chinese film “Ne Zha 2” became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time this year—with little help from the United States. The animated film is a sequel to “Ne Zha,” a box office hit released in 2019, and its main character is based on the Chinese mythological character Nezha. “Ne Zha 2” became an immediate smash hit in China upon release in January, and about a month later, took the crown from “Inside Out 2” as the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Only about $20 million of “Ne Zha 2”’s total gross is from U.S. theaters, according to Box Office Mojo, which lists “Ne Zha 2” as the eighth highest-grossing film of all time. Much of its gross comes from Chinese theaters, and multiple outlets reported more than 300 million tickets have been sold in China, a staggering total equaling about one-fifth of China’s population. The film was helped with its release coinciding with the Lunar New Year period, when people had time off from work, and China’s effort to build more movie theaters, Deadline reported, adding that support for the film became a source of national pride. Government subsidies helped fund about $80 million in movie tickets, Deadline reported, adding some companies gave employees the day off to go see the movie. The film’s basis on a traditional Chinese story and its appeal to all generations helped the film connect with audiences, Chinese film critic Raymond Zhou told the New York Times. The success of “Ne Zha 2” comes as Chinese interest in Hollywood films wanes, with only “Godzilla x Kong” ranking in the top 10 at the Chinese box office last year, CNBC reported.

    Further Reading

    ‘Sinners’ Will Barely Drop From Opening Gross In Its Second Weekend As Movie Continues To Defy Projections (Forbes)

    Who’s Who in ’The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Cast (The Hollywood Reporter)

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  • Benjamin Arthur and Julian Eyestone promoted to Brentford’s first-team squad | Brentford FC

    Benjamin Arthur and Julian Eyestone promoted to Brentford’s first-team squad | Brentford FC

    Defender Benjamin Arthur and goalkeeper Julian Eyestone have been promoted to Brentford’s first team.

    They will be part of Keith Andrews’ squad from the beginning of the 2025/26 season and have both signed new long-term deals until the summer of 2031. The club has the option to extend Arthur’s contract by a further year and Eyestone’s stay by two years.

    Arthur joined Brentford B from Peterborough United in August 2023 and has been a regular across the past two campaigns.

    The 19-year-old centre-back made 19 appearances in the U21 Professional Development League last term. The young Bees beat Bournemouth 3-2 in a scintillating final at Vitality Stadium.

    Arthur made a further eight outings in cup competitions, while also being included in first-team matchday squads on five occasions.

    He scored a towering header in the Premier League Cup final loss to Queens Park Rangers and contributed two assists across a campaign which saw him named Under-21s Player of the Year.

    “Winning Player of the Year is a great accolade for Benjamin individually and being promoted to the first team is fully deserved for his hard work and performances throughout the season,” said Brentford B head coach Neil MacFarlane.

    “He has been a big presence in defence this year. Playing very consistently and confidently throughout the year, he and his team-mates got the success they deserved by winning the PDL national title.

    “He will now look forward to joining the first team and hopefully continuing to show his very high potential as a young defender.”

    Eyestone, a USA Under-20 international, signed for Brentford B from Duke University in June 2024 and quickly established himself in the starting line-up.

    A graduate of FC Dallas Academy, Eyestone started in 16 PDL games and six cup fixtures, while he was also named amongst the substitutes for the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Newcastle United and Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

    The 19-year-old shot-stopper kept seven clean sheets during 2024/25 and played a pivotal role as the young Bees enjoyed a successful campaign across all competitions.

    “Julian is a very high potential young goalkeeper who improved as the season went on. He settled in so well after his move from America,” said MacFarlane.

    “His infectious energy, character and willingness to improve his game saw him play a big part in our successes this season.

    “Julian should be very proud of his season, making many big saves throughout, and he now has even more exciting times ahead with his well-deserved promotion to the first team.”

    Watch interviews with the young duo below


    Arthur: A great feeling

    Benjamin Arthur reacted to the news that he has been promoted to Brentford’s first team and provided some insight on what he is like as a centre-back.

    “It’s a great feeling,” said the young defender.

    “A lot of faith has been put in me and I think I’ve come off the back of a good season, so I’m very happy.

    “I’m quite solid and strong, but I’m also composed on the ball and like to play with the ball at my feet.”

    Looking ahead to the upcoming campaign, he added: “I want to make my debut. I’m just going to work hard and see what comes my way.”

    Eyestone on first-team promotion and Kelleher

    Goalkeeper Julian Eyestone reflected on his first year at Brentford, which saw him regularly train with the first-team goalkeepers, and looked ahead to the 2025/26 season when he will be a permanent member of Keith Andrews’ squad.

    “It was a big goal of mine coming into my first year in the B team to get that promotion so to get it is a big accomplishment and I’m very happy,” said the USA Under-20 international.

    “Being able to be that close with the first team as a B-team player was a big step for me and it made me feel a lot more comfortable. Now going into this year, I feel like I’ve been around these guys and I’m not a stranger.

    “It’d be a dream to make my debut so I want to push for that, but also just getting better every day and working hard is my goal.”

    On training with Caoimhín Kelleher, who joined the club from Liverpool on a permanent deal in June, Eyestone continued: “I’m really excited. I think it’ll be great to have a new face in the goalkeeper set-up. It’s always fun getting to know new guys and it’ll be fun getting to compete with him.”

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    NASA astronauts (from left to right) Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain and Jonny Kim deliver a July 4 message from the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)

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