Bwig week for the chronically online!

Happening off-campus: Disney’s “Zootopia 2” achieved a massive $556 million in global box office sales over the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend, marking a strong start to Hollywood’s holiday season. Nearly half of the film’s revenue came from China, where it earned $272 million and became Hollywood’s highest-grossing animated movie in that market, surpassing the original 2016 film’s record. The sequel collected $156 million domestically in the U.S. and Canada, topping the box office charts. Meanwhile, Universal’s “Wicked: For Good” added $92.2 million worldwide in its second weekend, bringing its total to $393.3 million, as theater owners hope the momentum will continue through Christmas to help recover from pandemic-era losses. (Reuters)

Happening near campus: Peter Hedges’ 2002 indie film “Pieces of April”nearly didn’t get made. The film, which features a young woman hosting Thanksgiving for her estranged family in a Lower East Side walkup, was inspired by a story he heard years earlier. While caring for his cancer-stricken mother, Hedges rediscovered old notes for the project and realized the script’s central character also had a mother with cancer, and then his own urged him to make the film. Despite attracting A-list talent like Katie Holmes and Patricia Clarkson (who earned an Oscar nomination), Hedges struggled to secure financing and ultimately shot the quintessential Thanksgiving in New York film for just $300,000 in 16 days using a handheld camcorder. Though his mother passed away before the film’s completion, she had purchased props for it during one of her last outings, and Hedges considers the film a form of eulogy for her. (Gothamist)

Happening on-campus:  This Tuesday, December 2 from 5 to 6 pm, a panel discussion titled “Digital Innovation in Reducing Fashion Waste” will take place in Room 410 of the International Affairs Building at 420 W. 118th St. The event, cohosted by Impact Fashion and the Fashion, Energy and Climate Network of Columbia Climate School, features industry experts exploring how emerging technologies are transforming waste reduction in the fashion industry and will be followed by an interactive Q&A. Moderated by Sally Qiu the Senior Research Associate at Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy, the panel will include Tatee Sakr (Professor, Parsons School of Design), Evelyn Mora (Founder, VLGE), and Nancy Rhodes (Founder and CEO, Alternew). You can find more information here. 

Rewatching: Regretfully, I have officially given up on my rewatch of Grey’s Anatomy. I pushed through the plane crash, and the Bailey OCD storyline, and even made it through the Cristina and Mer fight, but once Cristina left and Japril started fighting, and then Derek got a call from the president I had to throw in the towel. I just know it’s all downhill from here, and I can’t watch McDreamy get hit by a bus amidst him being the absolute worst. Not to mention, there was so much new media to consume this week. I watched the first volume of  Stranger Things season 5, Wicked: For Good, and the DWTS finale (justice for Alix Earle, I don’t care). All to say, currently searching for a new series to rewatch!

Header image via Flickr