Wicked has become the first show on Broadway to gross over $5 million in one week. For the last week of 2024, the show earned $5,037,392. Lion King took second place that week with $4.2 million in receipts.
Wallethub has ranked Florida as the second-least affordable state in the U.S. That is an improvement from the previous year, when Florida ranked last. Florida also improved its health and safety ranking and is now 41st in the nation.
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The Hollywood box office was down three percent in 2024, to about $8.75 billion. That is also down 23 percent from pre-pandemic totals. There were fewer films released in 2024, and movie-watchers have been shifting to seeing films as digital rentals or on streaming platforms rather than going to the theater. Animation was the highlight of the 2024 box office, with films grossing more than $2 billion.
NBCUniversal, Fox, Warner, and Comcast have joined forces to form Universal Ads. The venture is meant to help compete with Google and Meta for advertising dollars from small and medium businesses by making ad space during premium video more widely available to more than just big businesses.
Global music streaming rose 14 percent in 2024, to 4.8 trillion streams. Domestic on-demand audio streams rose 6.4 percent. The streams were dominated by Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, and Ariana Grande.
Netflix now has over 300 million subscribers. Netflix smashed expectations last quarter, with an increase of subscribers of 15.9 percent over the previous year, to a total of 301.63 million.
symphonic
The National Labor Relations Board has overturned a lower ruling and determined that the Southwest Florida Symphony illegally declared impasse during contract negotiations in 2020. The orchestra has been ordered to reinstate the terms of its previous agreement and make musicians whole for any losses. The orchestra has filed an appeal.
The Charlotte Symphony is presenting an immersive audio experience at Blume Studios, an immersive entertainment venue. Become Ocean, written by American composer John Luther Adams, will include 360-degree spatial audio, custom lighting, and spatially divided musicians. The orchestra has partnered with the North Carolina Aquarium Society to include activities that highlight the link between the oceans and humanity.