IBM: International Business Machines, or Incredible Breakthroughs in Medicine?
IBM may need to tweak its moniker in light of recent news, because its recent work in quantum computing, in partnership with Moderna, could lead to potentially explosive breakthroughs in the medical field.
The companies’ recently published research showed promise using a combination of both quantum and classical computers to predict mRNA secondary structures, which may make it easier to develop and design new mRNA-based medicines and treatments. Until now, this wasnt possible due to the amount of computing power needed to calculate potential complex interactions at a molecular level. But quantum computing, which is being used in similar ways such as materials design, is giving scientists the extra computational firepower they need to do it.
The results? More, better drugs, developed on much shorter time frames.
One of the biggest challenges when identifying the best candidates for mRNA-based medicines is determining how they will instruct mRNA to fold in the bodya challenging optimization problem that gets harder and harder to solve for larger mRNA sequences, ultimately pushing the limits of even the most advanced classical computers, says Sarah Sheldon, Senior Manager of Applied Quantum Science at IBM. By applying an approach that leverages the strengths of both quantum and classical computing, the Moderna and IBM team has set a new record in the scale of mRNA structure problems that quantum computers are able to solve.
In effect, utilizing quantum computers on a large scale could transform life sciences, she says.
Quantum computing holds the promise to help streamline the design of new medicines, while reducing the time and cost scales of bringing new therapies to market,” explains Sheldon. “As quantum computers continue to expand their computational power and new algorithms emerge, they could accelerate drug discovery and enable more precise and effective medicines.
While thats obviously exciting news, its worth noting that some in the tech field have tried to throw cold water on the hubbub surrounding quantum computing. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, for instance, said earlier this year that he thought quantum computers were still decades awaya notion that was rejected by others in the space. Some companies already do have commercially available quantum computers on the market, and others are working on their own, such as IBM.
One thing we do know, at this point, is that the promise of quantum computing, when pointed at existing research bottlenecks, has many researchers excited.
Were already seeing promising early results, says Sheldon. We expect to make meaningful progress with our partners across global industries to scale algorithms capable of running increasingly more complex quantum circuits with greater accuracya critical step toward realizing practical and industry-relevant applications in fields such as life sciences, materials, chemistry, optimization, and more.
With its complex web of travel perks, airport lounges and points, the premium credit card scene is more competitive than ever.
But if the competition is heating up, luxury card stalwart American Express isnt feeling it. The credit card company just beat profit expectations in its second quarter earnings, a feat powered by strong spending that shows Amex cardholders arent jumping ship for rivals.
With markets unstable and tariffs flying, Amexs laser focus on wealthy customers likely provides a buffer against financial forces that can put a drag on lower income spenders. We saw record Card Member spending in the quarter, demand for our premium products was strong,and our credit performance remained best in class, American Express CEO Stephen Squeri said.
The companys billed business for the quarter was $416.3 billion, besting analyst estimates of $412.8 billion in card member spending. Total revenue was up 9% to $17.9 billion, an increase the credit card issuer attributed to more customer spending, card feed growth and higher income from revolving loan balances.
Fending off the competition
American Express is the old guard among premium rewards cards, but the company knows it needs to keep things fresh to stay competitive. The company recently announced its biggest card refresh to date, with reimagined perks designed to court the Gen Z and millennial cardholders who make up more than a third of its U.S. consumer spending.
Were going to take these Cards to a new level, not only in what they offer in travel, dining and lifestyle benefits, but also in how they look and feel, to meet the evolving needs of our customers, American Express Group President of U.S. Consumer Services Howard Grosfield said.
Amex isnt sharing the specifics of its Platinum Card revamp yet, but other changes on the way soon reveal the companys preference for bespoke perks designed to smooth air travels many jagged edges.
As Fast Company reported, Amex will roll out a pair of luxe updates that exemplify how the company plans to bolster its premium strategy. First, its Centurion Lounges will soon be revamped with rotating menus from James Beard Award-winning chefs, part of its new Culinary Collective. All 15 Centurion Lounges in the U.S. will feature the new menu items starting at the end of the month.
Youd be lucky to get into each of their restaurants on a normal day, American Express Travel President Audrey Hendley told Fast Company. Now, you can try them all in one trip.
Amex will also launch Sidecar, a new kind of lounge tailored to the needs of travelers seeking a short-term sanctuary, next year in Las Vegass Harry Reid International Airport. The lounge will offer small plates and table-side service designed to fit into a limited time slot.
Were seeing a significant segment of travelers who only spend 30 to 45 minutes in the lounge, Hendley told Fast Company. Sidecar is our way of honoring that time with the same level of care and service.
In the battleground of premium perks, everyone is vying to offer a little something special. Chase recently revamped its famed Sapphire Reserve card with a set of new travel credits and a higher annual fee. Citi is launching its own new premium card, the Citi Strata Elite, later this year to lure affluent customers away from the competition.
If those challengers pose a real threat to Amex, you wouldnt know it. “Bring it on,” AmEx Chief Financial Officer Christophe Le Caillec told Reuters. “We’ve been in that space for decades and we have built assets that our competitors do not have.
If youre a fan of Trader Joes, there is some good news: The company says it will open 30 new locations across America soon. Heres what you need to know about the beloved (but controversial) grocery store chains latest openings.
30 new Trader Joes locations to open soon
Back in April, Fast Company reported that Trader Joe’s was set to open 22 new stores soon. Now the retailer has expanded that list. As of today, the chains store locator tool shows that it has 30 new locations listed as coming soon.
Those locations span 17 states and the District of Columbia. (Some of this list was reported earlier by USA Today.) The states with the most new openings are California, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas, all with three new stores listed as coming soon. Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Utah all have two store openings each.
According to an announcement on the companys website, the next Trader Joes location to open will be its Northridge, California, store at 9224 Reseda Blvd. That store will open on Monday, July 21, at 9 a.m.
Here is the full updated list of upcoming Trader Joes stores, according to the companys store locator tool.
Arizona
N Bullard Ave & McDowell Rd, Goodyear, AZ 85395
California
9224 Reseda Blvd, Northridge, CA 91325
2330 Foothill Blvd, La Verne, CA 91750
31545 Yucaipa Boulevard, Yucaipa, CA 92399
Colorado
9350 Sheridan Blvd, Westminster, CO 80031
Connecticut
801 Bridgeport Ave, Shelton, CT 06484
District of Columbia
5335 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20015
Florida
1511 Cornerstone Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32117
Georgia
258 City Circle, Peachtree City, GA 30269
Louisiana
2428 Napoleon Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115
2501 Tulane Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119
Massachusetts
1999 Centre St, Boston, MA 02132
1165 Needham St, Newton, MA 02464
Missouri
201 N Stadium Blvd, Columbia, MO 65203
New Jersey
675 US-1, Iselin, NJ 08830
New York
6400 Amboy Rd, Staten Island, NY 10309
388 Feura Bush Rd, Glenmont, NY 12077
302 NY-25A Miller Place, Miller Place, NY 11764
Oklahoma
1451 E Hillside Dr, Broken Arrow, OK 74012
6920 Northwest Expy, Oklahoma City, OK 73132
2083 NE Burnside Rd, Gresham, OR 97030
Pennsylvania
125 West Lincoln Hwy, Exton, PA 73132
550 Lancaster Ave, Berwyn, PA 19312
South Carolina
115 SayeBrook Pkwy, Myrtle Beach, SC 29588
Texas
12812 Shops Pkwy, Bee Cave, Bee Cave, TX 78738
8101 Eldorado Pkwy, McKinney, TX 75070
11745 I-10 W, San Antonio, TX 78230
Utah
1895 East Rodeo Walk Dr, Holladay, UT 84117
4060 Riverdale Rd, Suite B, Riverdale, UT 84405
Virginia
220 Constitution Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Trader Joes will soon cross the 600-store threshold
Trader Joes opened its first store in 1967 in Pasadena, California. In the nearly sixty years since, the company has expanded across America. As of April 2025, the company had 581 stores across 42 states and the District of Columbia.
Once the company opens the stores on this list, it will cross the 600 store threshold.
Yet despite being an increasingly popular national grocery store chain in America, not much is known about Trader Joes financials, which does not publicly disclose its earnings. Trader Joes is privately owned and so not traded on any stock exchange.
Transportation can be affordable or even free (to the user) if we rethink the assumptions baked into our infrastructure and business models.
The prevailing belief in the US is that roads, buses, bikes, and other forms of mobility must be either government-funded, directly paid for by customers out of pocket, or a combination of the two. Government subsidies are certainly one way transportation is made accessible (e.g. fare-free circulator bus), but with rising deficits at all levels of government, its risky to stake the future of mobility on public coffers alone. Theres another path: mobility as an amenity, a service, or a bundled offering.
The illusion of ‘free’ is everywhere
When people scoff at the idea of free transit or free bike share, what they really mean is, I dont want to pay for someone elses ride. It seems like a reasonable complaint, but misses a basic reality of how economies distribute costs. You already pay for roads youll never drive on. Roads cost millions to plan, build, and maintain, and that cost is distributed through taxes, fees, and even inflationnot usage-based tolls. Your gas taxes dont come close to covering the bill. You’re effectively financing road access for strangers in distant cities, and theyre doing the same for you.
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Take a quick step away from transportation.
When Verizon offers a free phone with a contract, its not philanthropy. The cost of that $1,000 Samsung Galaxy is baked into your $80/month service plan. Verizon gets bulk discounts from Samsung, pays less than retail, and recoups the cost (plus profit) through your two-year commitment. You get access to the benefits of a cell phone without paying $1,000 upfront.
Now apply that model to transportation. What if access to a bike, bus, or car was bundled into a housing lease, a university tuition plan, or a neighborhood improvement district fee? You wouldnt buy the vehicleyoud pay for what the vehicle enables: connection, access, freedom.
Youve seen this principle in action every time you ride a tram between airport concourses. You dont feed coins into a farebox to ride the train. Youre not asked to prove you paid a transportation fee. The cost of that train is baked into the operations of the airport, funded by airline gate fees, parking fees, tenant rents, advertising, retail partnerships, and who knows what else.
Transportation as an amenity
We can design mobility systems to be just as seamless. For example, an apartment complex could bundle access to shared e-bikes or shuttles into monthly rent. Employers could subsidize multimodal passes instead of parking. Retail centers could provide free local shuttle service to the light rail or bus rapid transit station as a way to boost foot traffic and sales. A neighborhoods residents could get access to a shared mobility hub through a Parking Benefit District.
These ideas are only unconventional because weve been conditioned to believe mobility should follow a different financial model than every other major service in our lives.
The belief that every transit system must be isolated from every housing development, commercial center, or public service is a legacy of outdated policy, not a law of nature. Transportation does not have to be a standalone product with a turnstile or toll. It can be a layer of accessa benefit embedded in the things we already value.
Weve done it before. We already live in a world of subscription bundles, shared platforms, and embedded costs. Lets get past those old limiting beliefs about how we pay for getting around town.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that two groups of travelers will now be able to get through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoints at airports a whole lot faster: families traveling with kids, and members of the military.
It’s yet another win for travelers, who can now keep their shoes on through TSA security checkpoints before boarding their flights. Here’s what to know.
What are the new TSA airport security rules for families with kids?
TSA is adding a dedicated lane for families with children at security checkpoints called Families on the Fly,” based on a pilot program in Orlando, Florida, which was chosen for its proximity to Disney World.
We are implementing new measures that will streamline hospitality for families that travel,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at the Nashville International Airport on Thursday. “There will be expanded areas that will give them the benefit of recognizing that they have children with them, and will help make sure that we have the ability to take care of them and their families as they go through this expedited process with their kiddos.
Noem added that families will also get a $15 discount if they enroll in TSA pre-check, and promised, in her words, “less pat downs.” The family lanes will first roll out at airports where families often travel with children. She did not specify which ones.
What are the new TSA airport security rules for military members?
Last month, Homeland Security implemented a special security checkpoint lane for uniformed military members called the “Honor Lane.” Those lanes are currently available at 11 airports and will be expanded nationwide, particularly near military bases.
Noem also said Gold Star familiesfamily members of military servicemen and women who died while in service to their countrywill get free enrollment in TSA pre-check.
When you become a parent, your concept of free time gets redefined in the most brutal way. You start fantasizing about solo grocery runs. You get excited when a dentist appointment means sitting in a chair in silence. And dont even get me started on the thrill of closing (and locking) the bathroom door.
Parenting swallows every spare minute like a hungry hippo. Between permission slips, dinner planning, bedtime negotiations, and locating whatever oddly specific object your kid needs for school tomorrow, your own needs dont make the list. Add in the demands of a job or trying to keep a career from flatlining while your toddler wipes yogurt on your Zoom shirt and suddenly me time feels like a myth.
But heres the thing no one tells you: carving out time for yourself isnt selfish. Its survival. And it doesnt mean you love your family any less. It just means you also love yourself, whichfun factyour kids need to see more of.
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Step One: Ditch the Martyr Act. Its Not a Good Look
Somewhere along the line, we were sold the idea that the best parents sacrifice everything. They pour every ounce into their families and never, ever ask for a refill. But lets be real. Exhausted, resentful parents are not fun to live with. They dont make great partners. They dont make patient caregivers. And theyre one burnt pancake away from a breakdown.
What actually helps our kids? Seeing us take care of ourselves. Seeing us value our time, our dreams. Seeing us rest. Yes. Rest. Its not lazy. Its necessary. You cant run on empty and function like a human being.
Step Two: You Have to Take the Time. No Ones Handing It Out
Time wont tap you on the shoulder and say, Hey! Heres an hour to write/take a nap/go on a walk. You have to go after it like its the last slice of pizza and everyones pretending not to be hungry.
You may have to get up a little earlier (I know, but hear me out). Or coordinate with a partner or fellow parent for a kid-swap. And yes, that might mean blocking off your work calendar with an appointment thats really just you taking a sanity stroll around the block or sitting in your car to eat a croissant in peace. Thats okay. Weve all done it. No guilt.
Step Three: Redefine What Self-Care Means for You
Not everyones version of self-care involves face masks or golf. For some, its a quiet workout. For others, uninterrupted time on a passion project. Maybe its updating your résumé or watching something without talking animals.
Sometimes self-care is messy. Its writing one paragraph with a baby monitor on one side and laundry on the other. It might mean finishing a work project with a hot coffee and zero interruptions because work can be fulfilling too (when youre not doing it under duress). Its texting a friend, I need an hour. Can we trade off next week? Its choosing yourself again and again.
Step Four: Guilt is Lying to You
Lets talk about guilt. That ever-present gremlin whispering, Youre missing quality time, or You should be organizing the closet. Guilt isnt your inner compass. Its your inner saboteur. Doing something for yourself doesnt mean youre neglecting your family. It means youre showing up as a more grounded, fulfilled version of yourself. Even if that fulfillment comes from finishing a presentation in silence or eating lunch without someone asking for a bite. And if your kids miss you for an hour? Theyll survive. More importantlytheyll see what it looks like to honor your own needs.
Step Five: Let Them See You Do It
Kids dont just listen. They watch. If we constantly run ourselves ragged and call it love, theyll think thats what theyre supposed to do too. Let them see you say no. Let them hear, Im doing something for me right now. Let them know work matters to you too, whether its because you love it or because it pays for the chicken nuggets. Thats not abandonment. Thats modeling emotional intelligence and boundaries which are two things theyll thank you for. Well, probably much, much later, but still.)
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OpenAI should continue to be controlled by a nonprofit because the artificial intelligence technology it is developing is too consequential to be governed by a corporation alone.
That is the message from an advisory board convened by OpenAI to give it recommendations about its nonprofit structuredelivered in a report released Thursday, along with a sweeping vision for democratizing AI and reforming philanthropy.
We think its too important to entrust to any one sector, the private sector or even the government sector, said Daniel Zingale, the convener of OpenAIs nonprofit commission and a former adviser to three California governors. The nonprofit model allows for what we call a common sector, that facilitates democratic participation.
The recommendations are not binding on OpenAI, but the advisory commission, which includes the labor organizer Dolores Huerta, offers a framework that may be used to judge OpenAI in the future, whether or not they adopt it.
In the commission’s view, communities that are already feeling the impacts of AI technologies should have input on how they are developed, including how data about them is used. But there are currently few avenues for people to influence tech companies who control much of the development of AI.
OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, started in 2015 as a nonprofit research laboratory and has since incorporated a for-profit company with a valuation that has grown to $300 billion. The company has tried to change its structure since the nonprofit board ousted its CEO Sam Altman in Nov. 2023. He was reinstated days later and continues to lead OpenAI.
It has run into hurdles escaping its nonprofit roots, including scrutiny from the attorney generals in California and Delaware, who have oversight of nonprofits, and a lawsuit by Elon Musk, an early donor to and founder of OpenAI.
Most recently, OpenAI has said it will turn its for-profit company into a public benefit corporation, which must balance the interests of shareholders and its mission. Its nonprofit will hold shares in that new corporation, but OpenAI has not said how much.
Zingale said Huerta told the commission their challenge was to help make sure AI is a blessing and not a curse. To grapple with those stakes, they envision a nonprofit with an expansive mandate to help everyone participate in the development and trajectory of AI.
The measure of this nonprofit will be in what it builds, who it includes, and how faithfully it endures to mission and impact,” they wrote.
The commission toured California communities and solicited feedback online. They heard that many were inspired by OpenAIs mission to create artificial intelligence to benefit humanity and ensure those benefits are felt widely and evenly.
But, Zingale said many people feel they are in the dark about how its happening.
They know this is profoundly important whats happening in this Age of Intelligence, but they want to understand better what it is, how its developed, where are the important choices being made and whos making them? he said.
Zingale said the commission chose early on not to interact with Altman in any way in order to maintain their independence, though they quote him in their report. However, they did speak with the companys senior engineers, who they said, entered our space with humility, seriousness, and a genuine desire to understand how their work might translate into democratic legitimacy.
The commission proposed OpenAI immediately provide significant resources to the nonprofit for use in the public interest. For context, the nonprofit reported $23 million in assets in 2023, the most recent year that its tax filing is available.
The commission recommend focusing on closing gaps in economic opportunity, investing in AI literacy and creating an organization that is accessible to and governed by everyday people.
For OpenAIs nonprofit to fulfill its mandate, it should commit to more than just doing good – it should commit to being known, seen, and shaped by the people it claims to serve, they wrote.
The commission suggested opening a rapid response fund to help reduce economic strains now. Zingale said they specifically recommended funding theater, art and health.
We’re trying to make the point that they need to dedicate some of their resources to human to human activities, he said.
The commission also recommended setting up a requirement that a human lead the nonprofit, which Zingale said is a serious recommendation and a sign of the times.”
Thalia Beaty, Associated Press
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
Wall Street is drifting on Friday toward the finish of its third winning week in the last four, as more big U.S. companies deliver stronger profits for the spring than analysts expected.
The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in morning trading after setting its all-time high the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 107 points, or 0.2%, as of 10:05 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.2% after coming off its own record.
Norfolk Southern chugged 3% higher after an AP source said its talking with Union Pacific about a merger to create the largest railroad in North America, one that would connect the East and West coasts. Any such deal, though, would likely face tough scrutiny from U.S. regulators. Union Pacifics stock fell 1%.
Netflix, meanwhile, dropped 5.7% despite reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than Wall Street expected. Analysts said its not a surprise the stock was sluggish after it had already soared 43% for the year so far, coming into the day. Thats six times more than the gain for the S&P 500. It was the single heaviest weight on the S&P 500.
Stronger-than-expected profit reports for the spring helped several other stocks rally. Charles Schwab climbed 3.1%, Regions Financial rose 4.5% and Comerica added 1.7%.
Chevron climbed 0.5% after saying it had completed its acquisition of Hess. The buyout got its go-ahead following a favorable arbitration ruling for Chevron about some of Hess assets off Guyanas coast.
In the bond market, Treasury yields eased after a report suggested U.S. consumers may be feeling less fearful about coming inflation. They’re bracing for inflation of 4.4% in the year ahead, down from last month’s projection of 5%, according to preliminary results from the University of Michigan’s survey.
That’s important because expectations for high inflation can feed into behaviors that create a vicious cycle keeping inflation high. Overall sentiment, meanwhile, was a hair better than economists expected but still well below its historical average.
Consumers are unlikely to regain their confidence in the economy unless they feel assured that inflation is unlikely to worsen, for example if trade policy stabilizes for the foreseeable future, according to Joanne Hsu, the survey’s director.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury sank to 4.43% from 4.47% late Thursday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with its short-term rates, also dropped. It fell to 3.87% from 3.91%.
A top Fed official, Gov. Chris Waller, said late Thursday that the Fed should cut its overnight interest rate as soon as its next meeting in a couple weeks. That follows sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who has been castigating the Fed for holding interest rates steady this year instead of cutting them, as it did late last year.
Lower rates could give the economy a boost, and Trump has also implied they could help the U.S. government save money on its debt payments, though thats uncertain. The interest rates Washington has to pay on its longer-term debt can depend more on what bond investors think than on what the Fed does, and they can even move in opposite directions.
The chair of the Fed, meanwhile, has been insisting that he wants to see more data about how Trumps tariffs will affect the economy and inflation before the Fed makes its next move. The downside of lower interest rates is that they can give inflation more fuel, and prices may already be starting to feel the upward effects of tariffs.
Traders on Wall Street still think its much more likely that the Fed will resume cutting interest rates in September, rather than later this month, according to data from CME Group.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia. Hong Kongs Hang Seng jumped 1.4%, but Tokyos Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2% ahead of an election for the upper house of parliament on Sunday that could wipe out the ruling coalitions upper house majority.
Stan Choe, Associated Press
AP Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.
The business model for movie theaters has been under threat since at least the 1980s with the widespread adoption of the VHS. DVDs, streaming, and the COVID-19 pandemic have only compounded the issue.
According to Octane Seating, 63% of Americans watch movies at home, which isnt happy news for big chains such as AMC, Cinemark, and Regal. This is in addition to video games, smartphones, prestige TV, and every other form of media that competes for your attention in the 21st century.
Popular movie chains have been forced to get creative to stay afloat. Tactics such as luxury reclining chairs and top-shelf alcohol havent been enough. A new controversial way to bring in needed revenue is to add additional non-trailer advertisements in the preshow, increasing the length from 1520 minutes to 30. So if you want to see a summer blockbuster flick, plan accordingly.
Lets take a look at the timeline for this change and if it has impacted audience behavior.
Cinemark and Regal lead the way
In 2019, Cinemark and Regal reached an agreement with National CineMedia to add additional commercials in the preshow slot. One of these was dubbed a platinum spot and would play right before the attached trailers. The movie chains reportedly received 25% of the revenue collected from these prominently displayed ads.
National CineMedia CEO Tom Lesinski promised that this would not deter audiences, as a similar practice was already standard in Europe. We dont believe it will be a significant issue for exhibitors or consumers, he explained in an interview with Deadline at the time.
AMC jumps on the longer preshow bandwagon
AMC initially rejected the idea, but six years later is changing its tune. On July 1, AMC joined Cinemark and Regal. The chain also made sure its patrons were aware of the change by emphasizing it in a disclaimer for ticket buyers.
When news of AMCs change of policy broke, the movie chain issued a statement explaining the decision. AMC claims this change will not keep audiences away from theaters but doesnt explicitly say anything about watching trailers.
While AMC was initially reluctant to bring this to our theatres, our competitors have fully participated for more than five years without any direct impact to their attendance, the statement explained. This is a strong indication that this NCM preshow initiative does not negatively influence moviegoing habits.
How has this impacted the audience?
While theater chains may claim the practice hasn’t impacted attendance, the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic and entertainment industry strikes make it difficult to isolate the exact reason for any changes in audience behavior.
Thanks in part to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon of two summers ago, 2023 was the best summer box office since all of this drama came about, bringing in $13.6 billion globally. Last year, meanwhile, saw a 10.3% decline domestically over 2023, according to Comscore.
In June of this year, as reported by Deadline, Gower Street Analytics predicted the summer season would make around $12.4 billion in global box office revenue. Moviegoers appear to be holding steady.
However, even though audiences are still showing up, they are starting to skip the trailers. According to Steve Bucks firm EntTelligence, only 60% of audiences were present for them this year. The numbers get lower in the movie-centric cities of Los Angeles and New York. Only 42% of Angelino cinephiles were present for every trailer, down from 55% last year. Only 42% of New Yorkers saw each trailer, down 5% from the previous year.
These statistics to reveal a potential catch-22. While theater chains have to stay open to new sources of revenue, they may risk repeat business as fewer audience members are exposed to their full slate of coming attractions.
What if a trailer plays in a movie theater and no one sees it? What good does it do? Tom Rothman, Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman and CEO, mused to Deadline. Its incredibly self-defeating and shortsighted. Since the beginning of the movie business, the single best inducement to see movies is trailers in movie theaters. And now, nobody sees them.
Only questions remain. Will the skipping the trailers trend continue and even grow? Will this lead to opting out of going to the movie theater altogether? Time will tell. For now, be armed with the knowledge that you have extra time to get your popcorn without missing the movie should you so choose.
My dedication was questioned.
Managers or upper management have looked down upon taking time off.
People think that maybe youre not as invested in the job, that youre shirking your duties or something.
These are just a few of the responses to questions I asked during a study I conducted on vacation guilt among American workers.
More than 88% of full-time, private sector workers in the U.S. receive paid time off. This benefit is ostensibly in place to improve employee morale and well-being.
Yet a 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half of American workers dont take all the vacation days theyve been allotted. And many of them feel as if theyre discouraged from using their time off. Ironically, whats supposed to be a source of relaxation and restoration morphs into a stressor: As vacations approach, feelings of doubt and guilt creep in.
Im from Singapore. Upon moving to the U.S. in 2016, I was surprised at how pervasive vacation guilt appeared to be.
Compared with many of the other countries where Ive lived or worked, American culture seems to prioritize mental health and wellness. I assumed these attitudes extended to the American workplace.
Surprisingly, though, I noticed that many of my American friends felt guilty about taking time off that theyd earned. So as a scholar of tourism and hospitality, I wanted to understand how and why this happened.
Vacation guilt
To carry out the study, I collaborated with tourism scholar Robert Li. We interviewed 15 workers who had experienced feelings of guilt over taking time off. We also administered an online survey to 860 full-time employees who received paid time off from their employers.
We wanted to know whether employees felt less respected or believed that their bosses and colleagues saw them in a worse light for taking time off. Maybe they feared being seen as slackers or, worse, replaceable.
We found that 1 in 5 respondents to our survey experienced vacation guilt, and these concerns made them think twice about following through with their vacation plans. For those who eventually did take a vacation, they often tried to ease their guilt by going for fewer days. They might also apologize for taking a vacation or avoid talking about their vacation plans at work.
Some of the people we interviewed had pushed through their hesitation and taken their vacation as planned. Yet all of these employees believed that theyd been penalized for taking time off and that it led to poor performance reviews, despite the fact that their paid vacation days had been a clearly articulated, earned benefit.
The U.S. is an outlier
The U.S. is the only advanced economy that doesnt legally mandate a minimum number of vacation days. On top of that, only a handful of states require workers to be compensated for their unused vacation days.
Meanwhile, the law in other advanced economies entitles employees to a minimum amount of annual paid leave. The EU, for example, mandates at least 20 days per year on top of paid public holidays, such as Christmas and New Years Day, with a number of EU member countries requiring more than 20 days of paid vacation for full-time employees. Even in Japan, which is notorious for its workaholic culture, employees are entitled to a minimum of 10 days of paid leave every year.
Throughout much of the U.S., whether paid vacation time is offered at all depends on an employers generosity, while many employees face a use-it-or-lose-it situation, meaning unused vacation days dont roll over from one year to the next.
Of course, not all workers experience vacation guilt. Nonetheless, the guilt that so many workers do feel may be symbolic of broader issues: an unhealthy workplace culture, a toxic boss or a weak social safety net.
For paid time off to serve its purpose, I think employers need to provide more than vacation days. They also need to have a supportive culture that readily encourages employees to use this benefit without having to worry about repercussions.
Karen Tan is an assistant professor of tourism and hospitality management at Middle Tennessee State University.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
