💰 Odyssey needs a big jump to top Universal's hits

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is performing well at the North American box office, holding strong against other new releases. The film has collected over $519.56 million across 35 days, making it Universal's third highest-grossing film. To surpass Jurassic World, it requires a 26% jump in domestic collections to hit the $580-$600 million range. Currently, Jurassic World leads with $653.4 million, while The Super Mario Bros. Movie earned $574.9 million. Globally, The Odyssey has earned $1.367 billion since its July 17 release.

🎬 Batwara 1947: Low India Haul, Still Best Collab

The period drama Batwara 1947 is facing a box office slump despite high initial expectations for the 120-crore budget. In India, the film earned only 75 lakh on Day 8, marking a 44% drop from the previous day. Cumulatively, the film has gathered 33 crore net in the Indian market after 8 days. Despite the domestic dip, it stands as the highest-grossing film for Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi together. The film is currently aiming to cross the 50 crore mark globally. 📉

📉 Khalifa sees huge drop in box office collection

The Malayalam thriller Khalifa experienced a sharp decline in its box office performance on Day 2. Starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film grossed 2.3 crore on Day 2 compared to 5.35 crore on Day 1. Overall, it has earned 7.78 crore net across two days. This drop is attributed to mixed audience word-of-mouth and competition from Bethlehem Kudumba Unit. The film is expected to remain under the 15 crore net mark for the extended weekend. 📉

🎬 Suriya's Vishwanath And Sons hits big on Day 8

Vishwanath And Sons continued its strong run into the second week with a solid performance on its eighth day. The film, starring Suriya, is currently Suriya’s second highest-grossing movie in India post-COVID. As of Day 8, it has earned a total of 86.1 crore net at the Indian box office. This total surpassed Kanguva's 70.37 crore to secure the second spot among Suriya's releases. The film is directed by Venky Atluri and stars Mamitha Baiju, Radhika Sarathkumar, and Raveena Tandon.

🕷️ Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits top 3 box office

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has officially surpassed Spider-Man: No Way Home in the North American box office. This achievement happened over 21 days ago, making it the biggest Spidey movie ever domestically. The film has reached $815.9 million in North America, placing it third all-time in the US. It is now inches from the $820 million mark and is trending as a major success. The movie, released on July 31, is setting a new benchmark for superhero films. 🚀

📉 Khalifa's Box Office Drop Hits Hard on Day 2

Prithviraj Sukumaran's action drama Khalifa saw a massive drop in its box office performance on the second day. The film, featuring Prithviraj Sukumaran, is performing in India amidst competition from Nivin Pauly's Bethlehem Kudumba Unit. On Friday, August 21, Khalifa earned between 2.3–2.5 crore, a nearly 50% drop from its 5.35 crore opening day. This decline suggests mixed word-of-mouth is impacting the film's weekend collections. The movie urgently needs a strong surge on Saturday and Sunday to stabilize its run.

💥 Irumudi hits big with Ravi Teja's strong opening

Ravi Teja's latest film, Irumudi, made a huge splash at the box office on its first day. The film was released in India, marking a significant performance for the actor. On Friday, August 21, Irumudi earned between 14.8 and 15.2 crore, showing 76.9% occupancy across 2,603 shows. This opening is the second-biggest for Ravi Teja post-COVID, though not matching Waltair Veerayya's 29.6 crore. The movie also secured the fifth-biggest opening for any Tollywood film in 2026.

😟 Iran faces economic crunch amid US sanctions

Iranians are reportedly finding it difficult to afford essential daily necessities due to escalating US economic pressure. This struggle is impacting the general populace across Iran. The sanctions have been intensifying over recent periods, creating significant financial strain. This economic warfare tactic by the US is severely affecting the local economy and citizens. The situation suggests continued instability as the tensions remain high between the two nations. 😟

💣 Myanmar military bombing hits monastery, 14 dead

A military air strike tragically killed 14 people at a Buddhist monastery in central Myanmar. The attack took place in Swel Le Oh village, Myaung township, located near Nway Oo. According to reports, the fighter jet dropped two bombs, resulting in 14 fatalities and 20 injuries. Over 100 people were at the monastery for a weeklong Buddhist Lent retreat when the incident occurred. This violence is part of the ongoing civil war since the army took power in February 2021. 😔

📰 Military paper editor fired under Trump's watch

The editor-in-chief of the US military newspaper, Stars and Stripes, was reportedly fired alongside its Middle East reporter. This happened on Friday after the newspaper spoke publicly about defending its editorial independence. The terminations followed pressure from the Trump administration, which has been restricting press access. Slavin claims he was fired for mentioning hypothetical censorship in a CBS interview. Concerns are rising among press groups about the future of independent reporting at the publication. 📰

🚋 Madras tram history: from horses to failure

Madras first used horse-drawn trams in the 1870s, before launching an electric system in 1895. Simultaneously, T. Namberumal Chetty proposed a monorail system based on the Ewing patent design. This monorail saw its first line between Poonamallee and Avadi by 1907. However, the tramway operation ultimately never made a profit, leading to its shutdown in the early 1950s. The service ceased completely on April 13, 1953, with government buses taking over passenger transport. 🚋