Ceasefire Status Update; Are Rom-Coms Making a Comeback?

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Good morning and happy Monday!

The female-focused film is back. ‘It Ends With Us’ soared passed the $100 million mark at the global box office in its first week, exceeding all expectations.

In its first weekend, the audience was 83% female.
As PUCK notes: “The romantic comedies, melodramas, and cat-and-mouse thrillers that once provided starring vehicles for Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, and Ashley Judd have since famously gone the way of the Western.”
Half of the weekend’s ‘It Ends With Us’ audience comprised infrequent moviegoers (consumers who go to theaters two times or less a year), suggesting many of them went to see this specific film.
- The off-camera drama between co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni may have also helped.
But, the recent success of Barbie, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, the Mean Girls musical, and Inside Out 2 also suggest that studios may want to make more movies women want to watch.

🐥 🥚 It leads to a chicken/egg question: Did this weekend’s infrequent moviegoers stop showing up because Hollywood stopped making female-focused bestsellers for theaters, or did Hollywood stop because those once-regular theatergoers became infrequent?

Have a good one! And cheers to the rom-com 🍿

Mosheh and Jill

PS: Use our 20% MoNews code to subscribe to Puck for their newsletters covering everything from Hollywood to politics to tech to Wall Street.

📌 WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DNC

All eyes will be on Chicago this week as Vice President Harris will formally accept the Democratic nomination just weeks after President Biden’s withdrawal from the race.

Over the course of the next four days, Democrats will look to capitalize on their base’s newfound enthusiasm for their (new) nominee. Polling is showing a surge of support for Harris, making this a competitive race with former President Trump going into November.

🎤 Mo News will be reporting on the ground in Chicago. Monitor our Instagram feed for 24/7 updates.

🗓️ WHAT / WHO IS ON THE AGENDA:

MONDAY: President Biden will deliver the keynote address. There will be the symbolic passing of the torch with Harris expected to join him on stage. First Lady Jill Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also speak.
TUESDAY: Former President Barack Obama, Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
- Democrats will hold a ceremonial roll call of states to formally Harris and Walz.
WEDNESDAY: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Former President Bill Clinton, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, VP Nominee / Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
THURSDAY: VP Kamala Harris will make her acceptance speech.
Other confirmed convention speakers: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul

WHAT’S THIS ALL ABOUT?
Similar to how Republicans used their convention last month to highlight themes they believe will help Trump win in November, Democrats hope to leverage the attention and media coverage over the next four nights to hit on issues they think will help Harris and Democrats win.

Expect to hear a lot about:

Biden administration achievements (CHIPS Act, Inflation Reduction Act, student loan forgiveness etc.)
Reproductive rights
Gun safety (first bipartisan bill in decades)
Voting rights

The last convention in 2020 was a COVID affair featuring zooms and social distancing. Here is how Harris’s speech ended in 2020. This year will be a four-day party with tens of thousands of people.

AND THEN THERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING OUTSIDE THE CONVENTION Tens of thousands of protesters from various progressive, pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel groups. The US Palestinian Community Network is calling Harris “Killer Kamala” for her support for Israel, and is pushing for an Israeli arms embargo — something that a top Harris adviser has said she doesn’t support.

There are at least six major protests planned on the streets of Chicago during the DNC.
Organizers are busing in protesters from across the country.
A Harris campaign spokesperson tells POLITICO: “The vice president believes making your voice heard and participating in our democracy is fundamental to who we are as Americans.”
- Harris has met with protest groups in recent weeks. They still intend on demonstrating, saying she hasn’t accepted their demands. [Her current views are in line with recent polls of Americans and Democrats.]
Harris may also face sporadic protests INSIDE the arena, where she will make her acceptance speech on Thursday night. About 30 delegates who represent the “uncommitted” protest vote from several state primaries will be in attendance.

THE DNC CHALLENGE:
In a new poll out Sunday, one out of three American voters say they still don't yet know what Harris stands for. Most voters think her views are similar — but not entirely the same — as Biden's. For the Democrats this week, the job will be to define Harris before Trump and his team can define her first.

✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: There are some comparisons being made to the 1968 Democratic Convention, which also took place in Chicago amid protests.
Bottom line: This is not 1968. Back then, the party was very divided about its platform, there were millions of young Americans protesting the military draft and the Vietnam War, and Chicago had a mayor willing to use police violence to quell protests. Gen Z, check in with your resident Boomer for some additional context.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Blinken travels to Israel amid push for Gaza cease-fire. (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 Tropical Storm Ernesto's swells turn fatal along Atlantic beaches; death toll at 3 (USA TODAY)

📌 Harris holds slight national lead over Trump, Post-ABC-Ipsos poll finds (NY TIMES)

📌 Some California cities will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote for school board this year (LA TIMES)

📌 Extreme heat takes a toll at Colorado airshow: Over 100 people fall ill. (USA TODAY)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Elon Musk closes X operations in Brazil over fight with judge (NY TIMES)

📌 Russians tell BBC they are worried and angry at Ukraine incursion (BBC)

📌 Hamas rejects US hostage-ceasefire proposal as PM said to warn chance for deal ‘not high’ (TIMES OF ISRAEL)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 The hotelification of offices, with signature scents and saltwater spas (NY TIMES)

📌 OPINION: The times demand serious economic ideas. Harris supplies gimmicks.(WASHINGTON POST)

📌 To fix Starbucks, incoming CEO Brian Niccol will have to tackle its mobile app problem (CNBC)

📌 You won’t want to miss August’s rare super blue moon. Here’s how and when you can see it (TIME)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Taylor Swift brings in Ed Sheeran as surprise guest at Eras London show (ET)

📌 ‘Alien: Romulus’ ends ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’s’ three-week box office reign with $41.5 million debut (VARIETY)

📌 Anti-aging enthusiasts are having stem cell injections in their knees — at more than $16K a pop. (NY POST)

📌 Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling among stars tapped to serve as DNC hosts (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: AUGUST 19

1953: CIA‑assisted coup overthrows the government of Iranian Premier Mohammad Mosaddeq and reinstates the Shah.
1964: The Beatles kick off first “official” US tour at San Francisco’s Cow Palace. It had to be stopped multiple times as people threw jellybeans on stage.
2003: ‘Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica’ starring Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey premiered on MTV.
2005: ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ starring Steve Carell opened in theaters.