The Barbie movie has been out for mere days but it is already making history. The Greta Gerwig directed film scored a US$377m (£293m, A$560m) opening weekend around the world, making it the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman. Now that is the Kenergy we love to see. At the North American box office – combining the US and Canada – Barbie claimed top spot with $155m in ticket sales from 4,243 locations, surpassing The Super Mario Bros Movie and every Marvel film released this year to become the biggest opening of the year. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Internationally, Barbie earned $182m from 69 territories and women made up 65 per cent of the audience, according to PostTrak, with 40 per cent of ticket buyers under the age of 25. “It was a truly historic weekend and continues the positive box office momentum of 2023,” said Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “People recognised that something special was happening and they wanted to be a part of it.” It comes after director Gerwig revealed the scene in Barbie that she refused to cut, despite pressure from the studio. The Academy Award-nominated director said that it was suggested she remove a scene where Barbie meets an elderly woman on a bench and tells her she’s beautiful. “I love that scene so much,” Gerwig told Rolling Stone. “And the older woman on the bench is the costume designer Ann Roth. She’s a legend. It’s a cul-de-sac of a moment, in a way - it doesn’t lead anywhere." "And in early cuts, looking at the movie, it was suggested, ‘Well, you could cut it. And actually, the story would move on just the same.’ And I said, ‘If I cut the scene, I don’t know what this movie is about.'” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The content pile is vast, and you've got the whole weekend to decide how you

As Logan Paul vs Ricochet is shaping up to be a classic, The One and Only's altercation with Paul brings back some thrilling memories

A Taylor Swift fan who messaged the pop star's official Instagram account got the shock of her life when she received a response. The Swiftie named Amina shared her frustration with Swift at the ticket information not being updated in Australia. Frontier Touring was providing updates on ticket availability for The Era Tour, but Amina wrote to Swift saying that updates were not being added to the official website. "Hey Taylor, Australia tickets are on sale at the moment," Amina wrote. "And I don't know if you're aware but there has been promotions on Twitter getting a message out to let people know there is actually limited spaces available in Sydney and only tickets available on the Sunday night." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "But on the actual Ticketek website, it is saying general public is on sale for Sydney, on the website it doesn't say that. "Many of us are missing out on tickets due to this. Just letting you know about this inconvenience," she added and then expressed her excitement to see the singer in Australia. Amina then couldn't believe her eyes as she noticed her message to Swift's Instagram had been opened, and a reply was being typed. She then shared what message she received. "Hey Amina, I can get my team to look into it," the reply began. "I'd like to give every one of my fans an opportunity to see me live - I can see why this would be an issue. "Sorry so-so-so much. Love you, hope to see you in Sydney," the message concluded. @amnxa_18 I made this way to dramatic #taylorswift #taylorswiftedit #taylorswifttok #taylorswifterastour #taylorswiftaustralia2024 #taylorswiftsydney #erastour #fyp #fypシ Since then, the video has gone viral with and 5.1m views 691,000 likes, One person wrote: "I’m sorry but if i ever received a message from mother herself I would go FERAL." "SHE SAID “LOVE U” AND SENT U A HEART YOU WON AT LIFE GIRL," another person said. "This was on IG? Not me checking and she hasn’t read mine from 2013," one added. "NO FREAKING WAY," another wrote. Meanwhile, others weren't so convinced and believe it was edited by the fan. One person said: "There is no way." "This is very much edited," another person added. Someone else wrote: "It’s probably her team who replies." In a follow-up video, she addressed those who accused him of being "fake," by sharing her screen to show that it was Swift's account. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Lionel Messi says he is coming to Inter Miami and joining Major League Soccer

Walking around in her pantsuits and bob-cut hair, Shiv Roy believes that she knows more than everyone around her

The director of the controversial Jennifer Lawrence comedy No Hard Feelings has addressed the criticism aimed at the film, and given a pretty clear response. Gene Stupnitsky has spoken about the age gap between the two main characters, which has attracted some backlash on social media. The sex comedy movie was released earlier this year and has now found a new audience after landing on Netflix. The film focuses on Lawrence's character Maddie who discovers a lucrative job for the summer; dating an introverted 19-year-old, Percy – played by Andrew Barth Feldman, before he goes to college. Social media users have criticised the age gap between the characters – but Stupnitsky shut down the backlash in a series of interviews. The filmmaker spoke about another of Lawrence’s movies, Silver Linings Playbook, which features a similar age gap between the characters played by Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. Speaking at the film premiere in New York, Stupnitsky said: “It goes the other way too. We took great pains to be careful about the ick factor because it could go that way... We took a humanist approach and I think that's all you can ask for." Feldman also spoke during an interview with Vanity Fair, saying: "Because what is a comedy if it’s not at least a little controversial?" He added: "But Percy is an adult. I am an adult, and this is a cringe comedy. It should make you uncomfortable. I’m disinterested in a movie, and specifically a comedy, about people who are perfect and make the right decisions all the time.” He went on to say: "[We were so thoughtful about it throughout. Constantly, every day talking about what it meant and how it would manifest in a truthful way. "And I think people are going to be surprised with not just how funny it turns out to be, and how uncomfortable it maybe makes them, but also how beautiful this relationship is and how heartfelt it is." It comes after Lawrence has left viewers of her new film No Hard Feelings stunned by a fight scene on a beach in the new film where the Oscar-winning Hollywood A-lister is completely naked. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Liam Fender opens up about his debut EP 'Love Will...', his new songs and indie rock star brother Sam Fender.

Olivia Dunne is a prominent star on TikTok with fans eying her every move

Emily Maitlis has reacted to the casting choice of the BBC and Amazon drama 'A Very Royal Scandal' based on her infamous 2019 interview with Prince Andrew. Michael Sheen is set to play the controversial royal and Ruth Wilson is taking on the role of the former Newsnight presenter, with production already underway, Variety reported. The three-part drama, aptly titled “A Very Royal Scandal will follow “Emily Maitlis’s professional and personal journey as a Newsnight journalist, leading up to her acclaimed interview with Prince Andrew.” Back in 2019, the 58-minute programme saw Prince Andrew being put in the hot seat over his relationship with the American convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Following the interview, Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties and in 2022 he paid a financial settlement to his alleged victim and accuser, Virginia Giuffre. When news of the casting broke, Maitlis herself took to Twitter to share her thoughts on the casting choice which she appears to be impressed with. "Blimey. First time I’ve seen this in print. What an exceptional cast," she wrote. "A Very Royal Scandal" comes after the success of previous dramas “A Very English Scandal” starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw and “A Very British Scandal” starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany. Meanwhile, this isn't the only adaptation of the notable interview set to hit our screens in the future. It was announced last year that a film will be made called "Scoop" starring Rufus Sewell and Gillian Anderson, and written by Peter Moffat which is set to be released on Netflix. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Linkin Park are facing a lawsuit over alleged unpaid royalties by their ex-bassist.

Charlize Theron, who turned 48 on August 7, grew up in South Africa during the apartheid era