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Flu levels low across Wisconsin, health officials urge early vaccination
Health officials saw a small uptick a few weeks ago as students went back to school, but those levels have since come down slightly.
Wichita Police arrest teenagers after stealing candy from local business
Wichita Police have arrested several teenagers for theft after they were caught on camera earlier this week stealing candy from a small business in Delano.
‘Shooting ourselves in the foot’: KIRO hosts call on Seattle to help businesses hurt by construction
Seattle’s construction projects are meant to improve roads and infrastructure, but Angela said the city is hurting small businesses.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur Nurse Educator Receives Award from LeadingAge New York
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur Skilled Nursing Facility announced the recognition of Nurse Educator Jasmin Slater Small, RN as recipient of the 2026
Can agritourism help small family farms in N.Y. survive?
From pick-your-own apples to hard cider and fall activities, farms are finding new ways to bring customers through the gates. But can agritourism help family farms navigate rising costs and labor challenges?
Trump announces diesel deal with Russia in bid to lower prices
The amount is small compared with U.S. demand, but the deal aligns the U.S. with Russia and against Ukraine’s efforts to bomb Russian refineries.
Contest-Winning Microscope Thrown Out for Using Generative AI
Ning Xu's winning entry to Nikon Instruments' Small World in Motion competition was ineligible due to AI, a spokesperson for the contest told Gizmodo.
City of Laurel Encourages Local Businesses to Participate in 2026 Small Business Credit Survey
(LAUREL, MD) The City of Laurel’s Department of Economic & Community Development is encouraging local business owners and key financial decision makers to participate in the Federal Reserve&
Winning Nikon Small World in Motion video disqualified for AI use
New winner is Nguyen Nam Nhat of Vietnam for video of a roundworm and single-celled Dileptus.
Overworld Collectibles aims to build a third space for Denton gamers
At Overworld Collectibles, customers gather around tables to sort through trading cards and discuss their collections, surrounded by shelves of video games and other memorabilia lining the small store.
Nikon microscopic video competition winner disqualified for using generative AI
Nikon says it’s revisiting its competition rules after the original winner’s video was too good to be true.
H-E-B Crowns 2026 Quest For Texas Best Winners
H‑E‑B named the winners of its 13th annual Quest for Texas Best, celebrating five standout small businesses and the Texas-made products poised to become customers’ next favorites. Selected from a record-breaking 978 entries representing more than 500 companies statewide, the five winners shared $110,000 in cash prizes, with the Grand Prize recipient earning the title of “Texas Best” and placement on H‑E‑B shelves.
Cash Flow Is King For SMBs, Relay’s 2026 Small-Business Survey Shows
Small businesses deal with highly variable cash flow, but their finance software often doesn’t help them spot cash-flow problems and opportunities in advance.
Minneapolis Amplified holding concerts at small businesses
Live music and art will be flooding Minneapolis small businesses this weekend with Minneapolis Amplified.
OSHA awards $10.2M in safety and health training grants
Training and education will be aimed at small businesses in high-hazard industries.
Gears of War: E-Day sells 230K copies
Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230K copies since its advance-access launch on October 1 and full release on October 6. Steam accounts for 168K of those, with Xbox (console and PC) selling 62K. But there’s more to this story, as Xbox makes up the bulk of revenue. E-Day is the best-reviewed Gears game in nearly two decades (and the best one ever made, in my opinion). The Coalition has made a banger here (it’s currently in my top 10 of the year). Despite E-Day’s undeniable quality, this is a soft result. And it’s down to the business model, really. E-Day has made $37M so far, thanks to the Premium upgrade On Xbox, Game Pass is cannibalising much of the premium revenue. Our estimates show that 1.7M folks accessed E-Day via their subscription rather than a copy. But Xbox is having it both ways – or having it halfway, at least – via its Premium Edition Game Pass upgrade. Game Pass subscribers could pay $30 (or their local equivalent) for up to five days of early access starting October 1. Our estimates show that of the 1.7M who accessed E-Day through Game Pass, 722K paid for the upgrade. Between the review embargo lifting on October 1 and the full release, E-Day managed to shift another 250K early-access upgrades – no doubt helped by the campaign’s rave reviews. So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26M of the $37M, versus about $11M on Steam). So “230K copies” undersells the paying audience. Including the 722K upgrades, nearly 950K people actually paid something for E-Day. The $30 upgrade is a halfstep from cannibalisation, but will Xbox go all the way? While E-Day is a sublime game, these are soft numbers for a flagship when Xbox badly needs revenue wins. E-Day sold 62K copies on Xbox against 722K Premium upgrades, so for every one copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were sold. The $70 premium SKU is – functionally – dead on Xbox. Normally you can’t see what a Game Pass player would have paid, because the game’s just there in the subscription. But the $30 early-access upgrade estimate shows that 722K people demonstrated they’ll spend real money on this game. In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration. Those 722K willing-to-pay players generated about $21.7M via the upgrade. If three quarters of this group – mostly US and European audiences – bought E-Day outright, that’s nearly $40M. Of course, Game Pass does bring in meaningful recurring revenue, and E-Day is adding value for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. However, Game Pass is no longer growing, so Xbox is at a crossroads. Xbox is reportedly looking to do a Netflix and bolt on an ad-supported tier to pad it further. But that will just set a new floor, and leadership keeps telling us the priority now is revenue growth, which is subscriber-speak for ARPU. Xbox has already pulled Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass after day-one inclusion hammered its sales, with new CoD titles now arriving on the service around a year late. We know that some Microsoft executives believe the service devalues games outright, and rumours (which Microsoft has dismissed so far, to be fair) suggest that day-one releases could be taken off Game Pass. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe When a game this well-reviewed does this softly on its home platform, the model – not the game – gets brought into question. What else E-Day’s early adopters have played (including this month so far) Looking at E-Day‘s players on Xbox, most have played the franchise before (86% have played Gears 5, 76% Gears 4), and every game on the crossover list is either a shooter or a title from an Xbox-owned studio (though Game Pass is inflating those numbers, of course, more on that later): As for what else Xbox’s E-Day players have played this month, the top three are Fortnite (16%), Roblox (7%), and Call of Duty (6%). Another 5% played Minecraft Dungeons II, which is also on Game Pass and launched a couple of days before Gears‘ advance-access date. Many Game Pass players are happy to check out most big new additions. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Over on Steam, the top crossover games are also mostly shooters (slightly more PC-coded ones), including Space Marine 2, which was itself heavily inspired by Gears: Looking at what E-Day‘s Steam players are into this month shows who they are – as subscriptions don’t skew the data. The top three are Wardogs (13%), Deadlock (12%), and CS2 (10%), so you’ve got the restless shooter crowd checking out the new hotness. A little further down are Helldivers 2 and Space Marine 2, your co-op PVE shooter players who’ll feel right at home in Horde mode. Game Pass is skewing the playtime distribution on Xbox Looking at the playtime distribution in our platform, E-Day players on Steam are – relatively speaking – playing for longer: 54% of E-Day players on Xbox have played for five hours or less (versus 32% on Steam) 19% of Xbox players played for over 15 hours (versus 33% on Steam) 14% of Xbox players played for over 20 hours (22% on Steam) The absolute number of people playing for over 15, 20, and 50 hours is, of course, bigger on Xbox, thanks to the sheer volume of folks who came in through Game Pass (upgraders included). None of that is cause for alarm. Game Pass is the reason Xbox playtime skews lower, as when a game is free to try, people try it and bounce without putting in even an hour (17% under an hour on Xbox versus 6% on Steam). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe The subscription brings in tourists alongside the committed, dragging down the average even when the game is excellent (but also perhaps winning over the uninitiated). It’s standard across every subscription-included title, on PS Plus too. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, had 11% of its Xbox players bounce under an hour, versus just 2% on Steam. So, Xbox’s crossroads So there we have it. Gears of War: E-Day is an incredible game whose revenues have been stifled by subscription inclusion and exclusivity. It’s the best-reviewed entry in the series in fifteen-odd years, but it still turned into one of the year’s softer flagship launches, not because players didn’t want it, but because Xbox’s own storefront gave its most willing buyers a reason not to pay. Which leaves Xbox at a crossroads. Will it keep making Gears games when the financial returns are this thin and the margins this low? And if it does, does the next one arrive off Game Pass at day one – the way CoD now does, or even on PlayStation? I think it should. Alright, back to E-Day for me! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
Photo Album: Meet Your Peer Health Educators
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana, United States.
Prize-winning image which sparked backlash was AI-generated, Nikon rules
The camera-maker says it is now re-evaluating the rules and procedures of its Small World in Motion contest.
Ruiz Bill Requiring Social Media Services As Part Of State’s Small Business E-Commerce Program Adv.
TRENTON – To support small businesses, the Senate Economic Growth Committee advanced legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz that would require social media developme
A new defense tech initiative will serve Baton Rouge startups, small businesses
Baton Rouge has been included in a new federally backed defense technology initiative aimed at helping Louisiana startups and small businesses compete for military and commercial work. The U.S. Small Business Administration this week awarded $1 million to Precision Platform Solutions, the legal entity behind Monroe-based Maven Scouts, to launch the Gulf South Defense Tech […]
Every M5 MacBook Air Now $200 Off on Amazon
Prime Day deals have started drying up, but you can still get $200 off every model of the M5 MacBook Air as we head into the weekend. These are the best post-hike prices we've seen on the M5 MacBook Air, and prices now start at $1,099.00 for the 512GB 13-inch model and $1,299.00 for the 512GB 15-inch model. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Singleton’s ‘Downtown Economic Growth Program’ Would Stimulate Business Development in Small Towns
TRENTON – The Senate Economic Growth Committee advanced bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Troy Singleton and Senator Parker Space that would establish the “Downtown Economic
Event aims to connect small business with government, defense contracts
The government and defense contracting forum in Rochester offers small businesses connections with buyers like Lockheed Martin and Micron Technology.
David Ellison expects CBS to be in business with NFL for ‘foreseeable future’
Skydance CEO David Ellison is full speed ahead on a press tour to promote his freshly combined media company, which formally brought together Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery after a lengthy process earlier this week. Since the company’s formal combination, Ellison has fielded questions during a press conference and given a handful of interviews. Most…
How Meta’s Muse AI Agent Is Helping Small Businesses Save Time
Meta’s Muse for Small Business is designed to automate tasks such as marketing, customer communication, scheduling, and business analysis, helping owners focus on growth.
The rideshare era is ending. Small satellites need anchor customers for small launch, now.
The rideshare era is ending. Small satellites need anchor customers for small launch, now.
Owning Less Can Build More: When Small Businesses Should Raise Equity
When and how to evaluate using equity or debt financing
Here are 4 day trips to take from New Orleans this fall: Charming small towns, seasonal events, more
Want to get out of town for a bit? Here are some day trip ideas, plus a few fall festivities to catch while you’re checking out a new-to-you city.
Iowa Stops Hunger recap: A conversation on campus hunger
Mallary Allen empathizes with students who struggle with food insecurity because she used to be one herself. When she was in college, she became a parent and used programs like SNAP and WIC. “It was kind of scary for me,” she said. “It would have been helpful, maybe, to share what I was going through,…
Acton discusses plans for small business during Bexley campaign stop
Dr. Amy Acton promised to “give a voice” to Ohio’s small business community during a Tuesday visit to Fox’s Bagel and Deli in Bexley. The Democratic candidate for governor described several ideas including loans to help new businesses get off the ground, and suggested her plans to bring down household costs could help boost foot-traffic.
These 10 albums have surprising ties to cults and unconventional religions
Every religion has a musical tradition no matter how small the church or strange the belief. Some of this music was recruitment propaganda, some was not. Either way, fringe faiths among musicians is not a new phenomenon.
El-Sayed's Vow to "Uncap the Payroll Tax" Would Impose a 57% Tax Rate on Michigan Small and Midsized Businesses and the Self-Employed
On Thursday night Democrat senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed vowed to drastically raise the payroll tax on Michiganders by removing the payroll tax cap. "We
What rising costs mean for Volusia County small businesses
Rising costs are squeezing Volusia County businesses, while local leaders say resources and lower costs still help entrepreneurs open and grow.
Portland weighs tax hike on big businesses
A proposed tax overhaul could benefit 18,000 small businesses while raising taxes on 410.
Stony Brook Brings AI Expertise to Long Island Small Businesses Through LIA-AI Growth Academy
Artificial intelligence can seem like a big concept for a small business. For 49 Long Island businesses, five months of training with Stony Brook University experts helped turn that concept into a plan. On September 24, the inaugural class of the LIA-AI Growth Academy gathered at Stony Brook’s Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information
City council debates higher taxes on big corporations, expanding small business exemptions
The proposal could exempt 18,000 small businesses from city taxes while generating millions in new revenue, but critics warn it could drive companies away.
Erie County lawmakers approve small business bill, pass resolution
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County lawmakers on Thursday voted to approve the Small Business Utilization Act and passed a resolution that calls for reimbursement from New York State. County L…
The Milky Way is one galaxy — but it used to be thousands, new simulations reveal
A new supercomputer simulation traces how thousands of small galaxies eventually became the Milky Way.
New Gehry concert hall takes shape in downtown Los Angeles
A pet project of architect Frank Gehry, a smaller concert hall to complement his legendary Walt Disney Concert Hall, is taking shape in downtown Los Angeles for an opening next
Markel introduces chemical, oil, gas property cover
Markel Insurance, the insurance business of Markel Group, on Thursday launched a chemical, oil & gas-related energy property coverage for small to midsize, U.S.-domiciled businesses in the chemical…
How do we remember history through 'The Minutes'? Civic comedy tackles small town politics
“The Minutes” hides a misremembered town secret within the records of a typical town council meeting.
Applications reopen for 2026 KOSBE Small Business Awards
The Kingsport Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship has reopened applications for the 2026 KOSBE Small Business Awards until Oct. 23.
A-State ASBTDC to Offer Free ‘Building Your Business Plan’ Workshop in Paragould
The workshop is designed to provide aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners with practical tips and tools for developing a business plan and preparing to start or grow a business in Arkansas.
Ilitch development arm opens first phase of 170-unit apartment restoration near LCA
Olympia formally opens the first phase of the seven-building Henry Street Apartments restoration.
Simple math formula predicts when AI chatbots will go rogue
Most of us now carry in our pockets devices capable of running small AI chatbots. These chatbots have little safety oversight to ensure they don't provide information and answers with the potential to ...
Apple's Cheapest 16-Inch MacBook Pro Just Got a Massive $563 Discount on Amazon
Apple's entry-level 16-inch MacBook Pro has received a massive discount today on Amazon, coming in at $563 off its new price. This is the 18-Core M5 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro with 24GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, available for $2,436.53, down from $2,999.00. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This is why it's so tough to be a small-business owner in WA
Our regional economic realities are quietly and relentlessly squeezing the lifeblood out of small businesses. How we tax businesses must change.
Idaho health insurance premiums see big jump for 2027
The Idaho Department of Insurance (DOI) released its 2027 rates for Individual and Small Group Health Plans on the health insurance exchange, with both going up by an average of 12%. “Despite national pressures and ongoing medical inflation, Idaho’s health insurance market remains highly competitive and stable,” Director Dean Cameron said in a news release. […]
5 Main Street Iowa businesses win $75,000 in state grants
Five small businesses from Main Street Iowa districts were awarded a combined $75,000 in state grants Monday after pitching their expansion ideas in the final round of the 2026 Open 4 Business contest. Open 4 Business is a Main Street Iowa program housed within the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Downtown Resource Center. The live pitch…
Introducing Air Canada Embarq, a New Self-Serve Business Travel Platform for Canadian Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
New Air Canada for Business platform helps companies manage, optimize and reward business travel from one convenient platformAir Canada partnered with ZS, a global management consulting and technology firm and Traverse, powered by ARC, to deliver the technology to support Air Canada EmbarqAir Canada is putting business travel management tools and benefits that have traditionally been used by large enterprise customers directly in the hands of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses and non-pr
Wizards of the Coast Confirms Reprints for Popular MTG Warhammer 40K Commander Decks
In a statement to IGN, Wizards of the Coast has confirmed a new "small" reprint run for the incredibly popular MTG Warhammer 40K Commander Decks.
How the Polls Could Be Wrong Again
Democrats appear headed toward a big victory. But a small polling error could mean a dramatically different outcome.
Prairie City mechanic builds a business on straight talk, skill, small‑town loyalty
Owner of Dodge Garage tries to treat people right and stay community-minded
AI Adoption and Employment Expectations: Evidence from a Survey of Small Business Owners
A look at the 12-month forward employment and revenue expectations of AI users using data from the 2025 edition of the Fed Small Business Credit Survey.
Iran’s Economy in Deep Recession as Businesses Face Empty Malls and Soaring Costs
A new wave of citizen and business-owner videos circulating on social media highlights severe market stagnation across Iran. Merchan ...
After the NFL Draft, Detroit’s small businesses want a bigger piece of the Final Four
Business owners are "cautiously optimistic" about seeing a boost from the upcoming NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four.
Cybersecurity firm, also North Augusta Small Business of the Year, marks 25 years in the CSRA
Founder Russell Wyatt started PC Techware in 2001, fixing home computers across Augusta. Today, the company serves businesses throughout the CSRA as an all-commercial cybersecurity and IT provider.
Small businesses face tough choices as health insurance costs rise
Some businesses are exploring choice arrangements, which allow employers to set a defined benefit amount rather than selecting one carrier and set of plans for all employees.
Janesville News Gazette editor discusses ballot referendums, new city leadership and area business growth
Janesville journalist Neil Johnson discusses ballot referendums, new city leadership and agriculutre growth in the small city of Evansville.
Small businesses face tough choices as health insurance costs rise
Some businesses are exploring choice arrangements, which allow employers to set a defined benefit amount rather than selecting one carrier and set of plans for all employees.
Whipple Consulting Engineers expands offerings
Driven by recurring requests from custom homebuilders and small developers, Spokane Valley-based Whipple Consulting Engineers Inc. has expanded its offerings in an effort to keep costs manageable for smaller projects.
GA-ASI Recognizes Three Small Business Suppliers for Quality Performance
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has launched a new annual Supplier Quality Recognition program intended to recognize small businesses...
‘Survivor 51’ recap: A player quits the game due to a ‘tiny cut’
A ‘Survivor 51’ player quits the game due to a ‘tiny cut’ that is smaller than every cut on every contestant to ever play the game. Read EW’s recap.
Scientists Identify a Small Village in Italy Where Women Live Exceptionally Long Lives
The intriguing mystery of Bolotana.
Scientists Identify a Small Village in Italy Where Women Live Exceptionally Long Lives
The intriguing mystery of Bolotana.
Amazon makes fresh job cuts, mainly in retail division
Amazon confirmed on Wednesday it had cut what it said were a small number of jobs, primarily in its Stores unit which oversees the main e-commerce website.
Small business development center launches four-part workshop series for business owners
Who Won August and September: Original Films or Franchises?
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) I just heard someone say that if you’re reading a pundit or data analyst, and they don’t tell you that they got anything wrong, they’re not a pundit but an “influencer”. I agree with that. You have to tell your audience when you get things wrong, or they won’t (or shouldn’t) trust you as much. Today, we’ve got another edition of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”. In general, I’m patting myself on the back (and patting very hard) about a few things like IP at the box office, LIV golf, horror films, crowdfunding movies, superheroes, and old people going to the theaters. That said, I also made a couple of data mistakes on the streaming bubble popping and HBO’s datecdotes, so I’m not perfect. But first, I need your feedback... Subscribe Follow-Ups: What Should We Call Mid-Budget Movies Which Aren’t Cinematic Enough for Theaters But Are Too Expensive to Make Money on Streaming? After I asked for feedback on what we should call straight-to-streaming films that are too big to pencil out on streaming but not really big enough to resonate in theaters, I got some great suggestions from you all, including... “Moldilocks” from John Aboud “Little Big Indie” from Travis Frick1 “Midflicks” from Jonathan Funke. “Extra-Medium” from Jona Nwuke. (Read the explanation in the footnote.) Between these and Brandon Katz—who suggested “Bermuda Budget Triangle”, “The Platform Gap” and “The Distribution Deadzone”—we’ve got some excellent suggestions. And they’re better than my suggestion, the “Streaming Budget Dead Zone”, so let’s take a poll! The winning entry becomes the new term. Loading... RIGHT: LIV Golf is Fully Bankrupt…Is Anyone Else Next? A few years ago, I was always a bit perplexed at all the articles I’d read praising LIV Golf and their strategy to disrupt the PGA. LIV Golf, a brand new professional golf league, offered PGA stars ten times what they made on the PGA Tour to join their new league. And folks praised this strategy for its initial “success” in that a lot of big names did indeed leave the PGA. Yeah, of course the players came over. LIV Golf paid them so, so, so much more! But LIV Golf hadn’t discovered a way to increase potential revenue. So think about this in basic business terms… They paid much more in costs… …but had no real way to increase revenue. That’s not a strategy! That’s deficit financing. It won’t work unless you bankrupt the competition (and then turn around and pay those same golfers much, much less). It’s not a sustainable strategy and only lasts as long as the company/person/nation backing it decides they’re cool with losing money. For LIV Golf, that meant Middle East oil wealth, in particular Saudi Arabian money. Clearly, the current Iran War has hurt Middle East finances, so they need to trim their more exorbitant spending. And LIV Golf was part of that trimming. This should be a major warning for others. TGL’s parent company, TMRW Sports, just got a $1 billion valuation, despite TGL’s (the indoor golf league) horrible TV viewership of less than half a million viewers per match. Unrivaled, the women’s basketball league, just secured a $650 valuation, despite its horrible TV viewership and a new rival (Project B) entering the scene next year. To relate this to streaming, Hollywood should ask which streamers may have wealthy patrons funding their losses. (Let’s be clear: Google, Amazon and Apple.) Could those patrons lose their appetite? For Amazon, probably not. But Apple has a new boss, so maybe! WRONG: My Analysis of the Streaming Bubble Was Missing a Week I’m going to be congratulating myself a lot today, but I make mistakes too, like this data goof. When I last compiled the data on the decline in TV shows, I was missing one week at the end of June. If you look at the first image, you can see that one week was mislabelled as “July”. Mainly, this image got updated to show a 27% decline, not 29%: This change doesn’t really impact the overall analysis, but it is two percent better. By the way, through the third quarter, the decline increased and it’s now a 30% decrease since 2022. (I’ll write/visualize this in an upcoming article.) But I want you to trust me and my data. Especially these days, when many people are using LLMs that I know are inserting faulty data into their charts, I want to keep earning my audience’s faith. So that’s the accurate data. RIGHT: IP Remains Very, Very Popular In July, I wrote a giant (and I mean giant) article on Backrooms, Obsession, and the box office, going over what we know, what we don’t know about what works in theaters, looking at YouTubers, IP, the horror genre, comic book movies, and a whole lot more. The month of August really tested a lot of my theses and, being honest, mostly supported my arguments. Let’s start with IP. Looking at 8-Aug (the weekend after Spider-Man: Brand New Day came out) to 18-Sep (the weekend that Resident Evil came out, which I think provides a nice bookend to this time period), there were seven films based on pre-existing IP: Resident Evil (2026) ($126 million) Practical Magic 2 ($65 million) _Insidious: Out of the Furthe_r ($65 million) Coyote Vs. Acme ($59 million) Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie ($53 million) Tony ($15 million) Super Troopers 3 ($7 million) Compare those to the notable original films from the past month—I actually could have included more movies, but here are just thirteen, bringing us to an even twenty films—including.... The End of Oak Street ($54 million) Buddy ($26 million) Mutiny ($15 million) By Any Means ($15 million) The Dog Stars ($14 million) Runner ($14 million) One Night Only ($11 million) Hope ($8 million) Spa Weekend ($7 million) The Uprising ($6 million) Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma ($6 million) Onslaught ($3 million) Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man ($2.8 million) Here’s that in chart form: Five of the top six films in this time period were all based on IP. I made a big chart of films that grossed over $200 million at the box office before Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey hit theaters. Let’s update that chart! By the way, if you want to see how I categorized each film—so another bar chart—here it is: I know that many of my fellow critics/pundits/analysts dislike films based on IP and how Hollywood is making so many of them. And I’m sympathetic to this point of view. As I’ve written many, many times before, you need a balance between existing franchises, new IP, and original films. And Hollywood clearly needs to make more films like Resident Evil (a well-made film from a visionary director) and fewer Practical Magic 2’s (which didn’t get critical or customer buzz). But at some point, critics and pundits need to contend with what audiences are telling them: Movie-goers aren’t showing up to original films. Audiences are speaking with their dollars, telling you they want more IP and franchises. You can try to convince studio heads to make fewer IP-based films and franchises, but the data and numbers aren’t there. Instead, critics need to work harder to convince audiences to show up for original films. Aim your ire/concern at the average person, not studio heads.2 Because they’re just making the films that audiences are telling them to make. WRONG: Original Horror Films Didn’t Break Out I’ll be honest, even though I wrote an article casting some skepticism on the horror genre in July, if you asked me to make a prediction, I would have predicted that, in August, a new, original horror film would have blown up. No, seriously, I just assumed that Obsession and Backrooms presaged a change in audience behavior. But none of the buzzy new original horror films from August—Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Onslaught (not an action film in spite of the ads), The End of Oak Street, Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man, or _Buddy—_broke out. To be clear, exactly one of those films (Buddy) had good “ROI”, but again—I try to be specific in my language—none were “popular” in any broad sense of the word. None of them will be “saving” movies theaters like Backrooms or _Obsession_helped save the summer. The new Insidious film and Resident Evil, both based on IP, were far and away the biggest horror films since July. (We’ll see if this changes in October/Halloween season.) RIGHT: Stay Skeptical about Crowdfunding... I’ve long been skeptical about crowd-investing platforms as one of Hollywood’s saviors, mainly because there’s so much hype/buzz. People need to stay more skeptical about more things, explaining both the potential upside but also the downsides. In particular, the media often hypes crowdfunding at the start and never checks in on the actual results after they’ve come in later. And August gave us our first update! _Ice Cream Man—_directed by Eli Roth—grossed $6 million off of a $5.5 million budget. This is a production of The Horror Section, which was one of the first “crowd investing” studios with 2,400 investors, which means that 2,400 investors probably lost money. They certainly aren’t getting as great of returns as if they had just invested their dollars in the stock market. Hopefully Stiletto (Tagline: “Someone’s Going to Make it Rain Blood!”) does better next month. WRONG: Another Data Goof Here’s another data error. When the first episode of House of the Dragon came out, HBO put out that it had 21.5 million viewers in the first three days, and I read that to mean in the US…but no, it was global. So my US-only datecdotes charts shouldn’t have included it. We never got US-only numbers for the first episode, but for the final episode, HBO put out that it had 11 million US viewers. (And that global dropped to 21 million viewers.) Here’s the updated chart (which I’ve since used in the Streaming Ratings Report): Still, this show is absolutely huge. RIGHT: Superhero Films Remain Very, Very Popular After Supergirl flopped, I read a few takes that “comic book movies are going the way of the Western”. Post-Spider-Man: Brand New Day, that take didn’t age well. To be fair, I have a very nuanced take on the superhero genre right now; it’s down right now, for a lot of reasons. But it’s not “dead”. Maybe _Spider-_Man is just a really popular character? I saw that take, and it’s a fair counter-argument. (But pundits arguing that superhero movies were dead should have mentioned this $1.5 billion counter-argument…) But is it just Spider-Man? The next Avengers film already has $50 million in pre-sales (and I was skeptical that that film would do well) and the Avengers: End Game re-release topped the box office two weekends ago (over three original films). And I wouldn’t bet against Batman or Superman. So maybe it’s just Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and the Avengers. Oh, and Deadpool, of course. And Black Panther. And Wolverine. And probably the X-Men. Plus a well-made Wonder Woman or the Hulk film could break out. But that’s it! It’s just those ten characters/teams. Oh, what’s that? Lanterns is also doing well on HBO? (See previous section…) To be fair, I’m actually pretty sympathetic to the argument that more popular characters—like Spider-Man and Batman—anchor more popular films. In fact, I made that exact argument three years ago when I first wrote about the “Marvel-cession”. In many ways, you can blame The Guardians of the Galaxy for fooling Marvel Studios (and the rest of us) into believing that any character could pop. It turns out, the list of iconic characters is probably smaller than most people think. But it’s probably too early to say that superhero films and comic book movies are dead unless “death” means a slight decline over a longtime. RIGHT: Who Killed Theaters? Old People I get frustrated whenever I see headlines or analysis about how young people are “returning” to theaters. As I’ve detailed(for years), young people have always powered the US box office, despite narratives about “kids these days” and their “phones”. Really, what’s changed post-2020/pandemic is that old people aren’t going to the movies nearly as much. This summer, I saw a movie (from an older director) in a theater near a retirement community, and multiple older people at the theater were talking about how this was their first time seeing a movie in years. I dislike personal anecdotes, so YouGov can fill in the data, best summarized by this headline: “Who killed movie theaters? Not the youths”. According to them, 64% of people aged 18-29 have seen a movie in the last year, but only 30% of 65-and-older. 20% of 18-29 have seen a movie in theaters in the last week and 42% in the last month. Here’s the polling data: Most concerning? Many Americans (17%) think theaters are a worse or much worse experience than watching films at home. Slight WRONG: Hadestown Opens Big A live theater capture of the Broadway musical, Hadestown, made $20 million at the US box office, which begs the question: was I wrong to be skeptical about musicals a few years ago? Yes and no. On the one hand, $20 million is a far cry from being “popular”, so yeah, the genre isn’t that popular overall and Hadestown is one of the more popular musicals from recent years (i.e. the “Taylor Swift Data Fallacy” in action). On the other, I doubt filming this cost all that much, and I don’t think that they spent much on marketing, so this is a good source of ancillary revenue. Smaller Updates WRONG: As I mentioned in a Streaming Ratings Report, I underestimated the budget for Enola Holmes 3. It probably cost more like $50 million, if not more. But... I’m not sure that it really matters? At sub-10 million hours, prices have to come down to make this work. WRONG: Netflix is giving Ink a 27-day in theaters! To quote the kids/YouTubers these days, let’s go! Now I might actually have a chance to see Danny Boyle’s latest in theaters. I’d complained about this in a “Coming Soon” section, but I was heartened to read that Netflix is giving multiple films longer theatrical windows this year. RIGHT: Netflix is sending 4-5 films per year to theaters. Netflix is slowly but surely sending more and more films to theaters, as I cautiously predicted earlier this year. For now, it’s just three big films and a number of awards contenders, but still, this is great news. And they’ll be releasing box office grosses! Just this week, Ted Sarandos confirmed that KPop Demon Hunters 2 will come to theaters (and my guess is it performs in the box office top ten at a minimum). WRONG: Angel has 3 million subscribers! How do I know this? Well, they told Deadline, who reported it. I marked this as “wrong”, since they’ve doubled their subscribers in one year but, you know, they don’t really have a hit film to speak of and they’re still losing money. WRONG: Furious was only renewed for one more season. I accidentally wrote “two more seasons” in my latest “Renewals, Cancellations, Un-Orders and Removals Update”. RIGHT: House of David is ending with its third season. In July, Prime Video renewed House of David for a third season, as I just wrote in my latest “Renewals and Cancellations” report. Well, now it’s ending after that third season. Why? As I’ve been writing, its viewership wasn’t great. I got feedback that this show didn’t cost very much, but it cost enough that its limited viewership didn’t save it. WRONG: Adults was a Hulu original! So I missed Adults when it first came out last year; I saw that it aired on FX and just assumed that it was a linear-first program. Turns out, it aired three episodes on FX, but binge-released the rest of its episodes the next day on Hulu. Huh. So I should have covered it last year! But I just wrote about it. 1 “When I was a kid in the 90s, if you wore a t-shirt to school that wasn’t too big and also wasn’t too small, but somehow didn’t quite fit, we’d say you were wearing an “extra-medium” shirt.” 2 As always, a huge exception is Disney, which barely makes anything original anymore.
Hull small business owner out tens of thousands of dollars after storage unit floods
At Black business expo, officials urge owners to speak up
State and federal lawmakers called for more Black small business owners, who disproportionately face economic challenges, to meet with elected officials and ask for support.
Columbia Fire Department responds to fire near Business Loop 70
The Columbia Fire Department responded to a fire Wednesday afternoon at the strip mall on Business Loop 70 West.
Nobel Prize winner was a Carolina postdoc - College of Arts and Sciences
Kenso Soai, who received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for solving a century-old chemical mystery, conducted research in the chemistry department in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Mamdani wants to let New Yorkers sue over unfair business practices, but some biz groups aren’t sold
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is proposing to give workers, consumers, tenants and small businesses a new right to sue companies over unfair and abusive business
Scientists uncover how the world's smallest flowering plant became so tiny
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How to do your own bookkeeping as a small business owner
Learn how to keep accurate records, stay organized and prepare for tax season with accounting software like QuickBooks Free.
Some furloughed Star Wars Zero Company developers are returning to work, studio says
Bit Reactor, the Maryland based company, behind this summer’s well-received tactical combat game Star Wars Zero Company says that “more” of its team is returning to work after being furloughed ahead of the game’s release. This is the studio’s first statement on the matter since Game File’s August report that “most” of the development team had been furloughed—technically kept as employees, but without pay or benefits—a few weeks prior to launch. Some of those furloughs ended this week. “This week, we started the process of returning more of our team back to work at Bit Reactor, an important step forward in our continued support for Zero Company, “ Bit Reactor CEO Greg Foertsch said in a statement. He continued: “Having to ask team members to step away after we navigated unexpected business developments outside of our control and so close to launch was an incredibly difficult decision, but one that was necessary to help us eventually bring as many people back as possible. “This team means a tremendous amount to me, and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together. Thank you to our fans for the incredible response to the game and for supporting us along this journey. We look forward to sharing more updates regarding Bit Reactor and Zero Company soon.” Game File reported in August that Bit Reactor had retained a small team to work on updates for Zero Company. One person familiar with the situation told Game File that the returns announced today bring the studio’s pay-rolled headcount to more than half of what it had been ahead of the furloughs. That means a considerable number of people have been brought back, but that a fair number also remain without pay. While companies in the U.S. are often legally required to publicly disclose how many people they’ve laid off, furloughs can often be kept private, for a time. The United States Department of Labor requires companies to publicly report mass furloughs if they meet specific criteria, including any expectation that they will last more than six months. For those game makers who remain furloughed by Bit Reactor, it’s now been about two months. For more about Bit Reactor, the furloughs, the studio’s back-story and the ongoing lawsuit that brought this to light, read my August report. [ ‘Most’ of Star Wars Zero Company studio Bit Reactor was furloughed ahead of launch ](https://www.gamefile.news/p/star-wars-zero-company-bit-reactor-furloughs-lawsuit) Stephen Totilo · Sep 1 Last week was meant to be a moment of triumph for Bit Reactor, the Maryland-based game studio founded in 2021 with ambitions to create a great new tactical combat game. [ Read full story ](https://www.gamefile.news/p/star-wars-zero-company-bit-reactor-furloughs-lawsuit)
Editorial: Bend small business program challenged by being new
Bend’s new grant program for small businesses is a challenge for the city because it is new and because the city has to be careful when it is giving away […]
Accel Entertainment, Inc. to Report Third Quarter 2026 Results, Host Conference Call and Webcast on November 3
CHICAGO, Oct. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Accel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: ACEL) (“Accel” or “the Company”), a leading locals-focused gaming op...
DOE Science Committee Draws Concerns Over Limited Expertise
DOE’s smaller scientific advisory committee may not be equipped to plan the future of the physical sciences, scientists say.
You Can Get Up to $149 Off Every New Mac Mini During Prime Day
Prime Big Deal Days sales have hit Apple's brand new Mac mini and Mac Studio computers, and we're tracking up to $149 off every model of the M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini during this year's event. You'll also find $199 off the M5 Max Mac Studio below. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
At Black business expo, officials urge owners to ‘speak up’
Black small business owners are facing economic conditions similar to those they dealt with as a result of COVID-19. And to help, state and federal lawmakers are calling on more Black business owne…
The Best Anker Prime Day Deals: Score Big on MagSafe Chargers and More
Anker's Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station has dropped to $94.74 on Amazon during Prime Big Deal Days, down from $149.99. This is a new all-time low price that beats the previous low by about $5, and it's accompanied by dozens of other Anker discounts this Prime Day. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Trump admin to get $100M in compute credits for AI science initiative
The credits are intended to give Genesis Mission researchers access to computing power that smaller labs and companies struggle to secure.
Prime Day Offers Best TV Prices of the Year From Samsung, Sony, and More
Prime Big Deal Days is in full swing this week, offering massive savings on everything from AirPods to MacBook Pro and much more. We've been keeping an eye on these Apple-related Prime Day discounts all week, but now we're also tracking great sales on other categories, including TVs. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Ikea closing Bolingbrook location for small-format Naperville store
Ikea is replacing its Bolingbrook location with a smaller-format store in Naperville in 2027, part of the Swedish furniture retailer's shifting strategy.
Ways and Means Promotes Tax Law to Small Businesses in Tennessee
At a Tennessee hearing, House Ways and Means lawmakers touted the One Big Beautiful Bill’s tax benefits for small businesses. Read what the measure means.
New local effort begins to help small businesses grow
A new business has opened at Edison Mall in Fort Myers to help smaller enterprises grow. It's called the Business Growth Gallery.
At Black business expo, officials urge owners to 'speak up'
Black small business owners are facing economic conditions similar to those they dealt with as a result of COVID-19, Black Economic Council of Massachusetts CEO and President Nicole Obi said
Chase for Business Expands Its Integrated Digital Experience with Chase Payroll, Powered by Gusto
NEW YORK, October 07, 2026--Small business owners increasingly want the tools they use to run their businesses to work together and be managed in one place. In recent Chase research, 89% of business owners said they would find it valuable to manage payroll within the same platform they use for business banking and payments, highlighting growing demand for a more connected business experience. Additionally, 37% said meeting payroll put pressure on cash flow over the last six months, underscoring
Stripe taps FedEx data to expand small business access to financing
FedEx Dataworks is helping Stripe vet small businesses for working capital.
Main Street Iowa businesses win $75k in Open 4 Business pitch contest
Five small businesses located in Main Street Iowa districts – including two in Eastern Iowa – have won a combined $75,000 in state grants after successfully pitching their business expansion ideas Monday night, Oct. 5, in the finals of the 2026 Open 4 Business Competition. The annual contest, housed within the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s […]
Purdue, Elanco, partners celebrate One Health Research Institute groundbreaking
INDIANAPOLIS — Leaders from Purdue University, Elanco Animal Health Inc., the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana gathered Tuesday (Oct. 6) to formally break ground on the new One Health…
News | Biggest retail property in Chicago's Loop business district finds new owner
Edwards Realty Group buys five-level Block 37 mall from CIM Group for $30 million
Nashville city council passes ‘small business incentives’ bill. Here’s what that means
The legislation creates a “suite of business incentives, designed to support Nashville companies,” helping them grow in Nashville.
Ankeny council approves agreement for Accumold expansion; groundbreaking today
The Ankeny City Council has approved the development agreement with Accumold for the company’s expansion of its facility in Ankeny. Accumold, which makes small plastic parts for the medical, microelectronics, and optics industries, plans to build a 50,000-square-foot addition to its campus at 1711 SE Oralabor Road. Company officials have said the expansion, the second…
Small Business Administration head visits Howell defense contractor
The administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Kelly Loeffler, was in Livingston County Tuesday to check out a government contractor. As Russ McNamara reports, the stop was well-received.
Guernsey break-in has 'real human impact' on small business
Mim's World says an attempt was made to force entry into their kiosk in the early hours of Tuesday.
Trump admin to receive $100 million in compute credits for AI science initiative
The credits are intended to give Genesis Mission researchers access to computing power that smaller labs and companies struggle to secure as major AI firms lock up capacity.