Despicable Me 1st Animated Franchise To Skip $5 Billion Mark

Jul 15 2024

“Despicable Me” has become one of the most successful animated franchises ever. Following the release of “Despicable Me 4,” which gained significant traction at the international box office, the series has become the first animated franchise in history to surpass the $5 billion USD mark.

The fourth installment brought back Steve Carell as the reformed supervillain Gru and introduced Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal, Gru’s former schoolmate turned evil rival.

The Universal and Illumination film is currently playing in nearly 80 foreign markets, earning $11.8 million USD in China alone, where it debuted on 35,000 screens across 11,000 locations.

“Despicable Me 4” competes with Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” which has grossed $777.5 million USD globally, making it the fifth highest-grossing animated film of all time.

“Inside Out 2” surpasses “Despicable Me 3” and is expected to be the only 2024 release to join the $1 billion USD club. To date, “Inside Out 2” has earned $1.36 billion USD worldwide.

“Despicable Me 4” is now showing in theaters globally.

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Heinz To Release Deadpool & Wolverine Collectibles

Jul 15 2024

In anticipation of Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & Wolverine” release on July 26, fans and stars have noted the resemblance between the film’s title characters’ red and yellow suits and HEINZ Ketchup and Mustard bottles.

HEINZ is launching limited-edition collectibles that let fans dress up their ketchup and mustard bottles to look like Deadpool and Wolverine. The Deadpool set includes his mask, suit, and katanas for HEINZ Ketchup bottles, while the Wolverine set features his claws, suit, and mask for mustard bottles.

Lizzy Goodman, Brand Communications Manager for HEINZ U.S., explained that the collaboration was inspired by social media conversations highlighting the similarities between Deadpool & Wolverine and HEINZ Ketchup & Mustard.

Goodman noted that while one is sweet and the other zesty, both are better together and are iconic at both movie theaters and cookouts.

The campaign includes a short film with a custom voiceover by Ryan Reynolds, who plays Deadpool.

The film starts as a promo for the movie but morphs into an ad for HEINZ Ketchup & Mustard, with Reynolds humorously acknowledging their visual similarity.

A limited number of these collectibles will be available in the U.S. through HEINZ’s social media in the coming weeks. Fans should watch the HEINZ Instagram for details on how to obtain a set.

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1 Out Of Only 2 SEC Latin Students Passed

Jul 15 2024

According to statistics released by the MATSEC Examinations Board, it was revealed that only 1 out of 2 students who had Latin as a Secondary Education Certificate subject passed, with a 4.

The other student received a ‘U’ – and they were the only two students this year.

Meanwhile, for the Matriculation Level Examinations, there was only one student for Advanced Latin and another student for Intermediate.

Neither of these students attended the exam.

#MaltaDaily

Former F1 Driver Ralf Schumacher Comes Out As Gay

Jul 15 2024

Former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher, the younger brother of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, announced on Sunday that he is in a same-sex relationship.

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A post shared by Ralf Schumacher (@ralfschumacher_rsc)

“The most beautiful thing in life is having the right partner by your side to share everything with,” he wrote on Instagram, posting a photo of himself and another man with their arms around each other, watching a sunset over the ocean.

Ralf Schumacher, 49, who won six grands prix during an 11-year career ending in 2007, is one of the few openly gay drivers in Formula One history. The only other known male gay driver was the late Briton Mike Beuttler, who raced from 1971 to 1973 and died in 1988.

Ralf was previously married to Cora, with whom he has a 22-year-old son, David. David expressed his support on Instagram, saying, “I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you feel very comfortable and secure… I am 100% behind you, dad, and wish you all the best and congratulations.”

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A post shared by Carmen Geiss 👑 (@carmengeiss)

German actress Carmen Geiss, a close friend, identified Schumacher’s partner as Etienne and shared a photo of the couple on Instagram. She praised Ralf’s decision to come out, calling it an act of liberation and self-acceptance. “His outing is a personal triumph and a sign that he can now live and love his true identity without fear or shame,” she said.

#MaltaDaily