Rio Tinto Shares Hit Record High After Ending Glencore Merger Talks 
Uber Ordered to Pay $8.5 Million in Bellwether Sexual Assault Lawsuit 
Alphabet’s Massive AI Spending Surge Signals Confidence in Google’s Growth Engine 
Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains 
Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns 
Toyota’s Surprise CEO Change Signals Strategic Shift Amid Global Auto Turmoil 
Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies 
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration After Panama Court Revokes Canal Port Licences 
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate 
TrumpRx Website Launches to Offer Discounted Prescription Drugs for Cash-Paying Americans 
Once Upon a Farm Raises Nearly $198 Million in IPO, Valued at Over $724 Million 
FDA Targets Hims & Hers Over $49 Weight-Loss Pill, Raising Legal and Safety Concerns 
Nasdaq Proposes Fast-Track Rule to Accelerate Index Inclusion for Major New Listings 
AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
One of the most anticipated movies of 2015 is of course, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. Written by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, the movie will hit screens on December 18.
Still almost a month to go and the movie is already ahead of its game. The first full trailer run during halftime on ESPN’s Monday Night Football was viewed by a TV audience of 16 million. This coupled with another 112 million views on YouTube and social networking sites worldwide, totals to 128 million views in the first 24 hours, which is a record in itself.
Exactly a month from release, the number rose to 405 million trailer and teaser views on Facebook and YouTube. That's 87 percent more than this summer's "Jurassic World," which opened domestically with a record $208.8 million in ticket sales and owns the all-time No. 3 spot with $1.7 billion worldwide. No. 2 is "Titanic," at $2.1 billion, Associated Press reported.
The franchise’s official website says that the movie has also set the record of biggest-ever 24 hours for advance sales in numerous countries. In the UK, over 200,000 tickets were sold in the first day. The movie is likely to have the biggest opening, topping "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," which recorded $85 million in the U.S. and Canada on its opening weekend in December 2012, Associated Press reported.
According to Imax, it has sold $18 million domestically, double the previous record. Imax receipts account for a third of pre-release sales for this movie, putting the domestic total at over $50 million, Associated Press added.
“Whether it beats the biggest grosser of all time - "Avatar," with $2.8 billion worldwide - depends on word of mouth and whether fans love it enough to watch it multiple times through the new year”, said Ryan Nakashima of Associated Press.
