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North America
CNBC Finance

'The Odyssey' extends stay in 70 mm Imax theaters as shows sell out weeks in advance

Universal and Imax have extended the availability of 70 mm screenings of Christopher Nolan's retelling of Homer's epic into mid-September, but that might not be enough to meet demand. Tickets are selling out as quickly as they are being released to the public as moviegoers seek to see Nolan's film in the aspect ratio that it was shot in and on physical film. While Imax offers a variety of screen options, including digital versions of the 70 mm aspect ratio, these viewings are often cropped to fit the auditorium in which they are being shown. There are only 25 screens in the U.S. that can play physical film reels of Nolan's "The Odyssey" and only 41 locations in total globally. Those screens are limited in number because the majority of movies are filmed and screened digitally. As demand for "The Odyssey" soars, Imax has introduced late night and early morning screenings. As of the weekend, Imax ticket sales for "The Odyssey" have surpassed $140 million worldwide. That's a little more than 20% of the $652 million the film has tallied globally. Yet, the Imax locations represent less than 1% of total screens. The theatrical industry saw a similar phenomenon in 2023 when Nolan released the Oscar-winning biopic "Oppenheimer." Overall, "The Odyssey" has dominated at the box office, with second-week ticket sales dropping just 27% from its domestic opening weekend. Typically, a Hollywood blockbuster will see ticket sales fall between 50% and 70% each week after its debut. A smaller decline often indicates strong word of mouth and repeat viewings. "The Odyssey" has also benefitted from audiences booking tickets in advance. Some screenings of the film became available for purchase in July 2025, a year before the movie's release. For the past three weeks, "The Odyssey" has run in theaters with relatively low competition. However, with Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" arriving this Friday and the filmed-for-Imax features "The End of Oak Street" and "Resident Evil" on the horizon, "The Odyssey" will soon have to share screen time with others. However, Imax's next 70 mm commitment isn't until Dec. 18, when Warner Bros. and Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Three" hits theaters. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis.

'The Odyssey' extends stay in 70 mm Imax theaters as shows sell out weeks in advance
Europe
The Guardian

New survey reveals fears of US farm workers amid Trump’s immigration raids

Farm workers harvest strawberries on 31 March 2026 near Oxnard, California. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenFarm workers harvest strawberries on 31 March 2026 near Oxnard, California. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesUS farm workersNew survey reveals fears of US farm workers amid Trump’s immigration raidsVast majority of farm workers say raids and deportations have affected their jobs and 61% report shopping less Farm workers in the US are reeling from the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, including increased raids and deportations, according to a new survey conducted by the United Farm Workers Foundation released on Thursday. The survey features responses from 2,250 farm workers, many of whom are undocumented, about their experiences with immigration enforcement that has intensified under the second Trump administration. The vast majority (92%) of farm workers said that raids and deportations have affected their employment, while 90% said they worry about family separation. Fears are widespread and have affected their everyday lives: 61% said they are shopping less and 29% say they are not seeking medical attention for fear of immigration enforcement. Another 17% said they fear having to do forced labor in immigration detention if arrested. These fears are prevalent despite many respondents being longtime US residents, with 80% workers saying they have been in the US for more than 10 years, while 41% said they have been in the US for more than 20 years. “When I leave to work, I’m afraid to not come home and to never see my daughters again,” said Yasmine, a farm worker, during a press conference about the survey on Thursday. A mother of two daughters who are US citizens, she said: “We only go out when it’s absolutely necessary, but if we do go out, it’s for necessities like groceries.” Yasmine, who did not provide her last name, said she has been in the US for more than 20 years and is a Daca recipient, though she is experiencing delays getting her work permits renewed. Her husband is an undocumented immigrant. “I’ve even had to have conversations with our daughters about what could possibly happen. They’re small and don’t really understand what’s happening, but I try to talk to them and make sure we have a plan,” she said. “The other day was our daughter’s 11th birthday and we couldn’t celebrate it out of fear of going out. Family separation worries me a lot. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I live with stress, uncertainty and fear.” There are more than 2.6 million farm workers in the US. Most (73%) are Hispanic, 66% are noncitizen immigrants and 47% report lacking work authorization, according to data from the 2022 National Agricultural Workers Survey. Many hope that the US government can eventually shape up its immigration system, with 76% wanting protections from deportation and detention and 53% expressing hope for a pathway to legal status and US citizenship. Many workers are also unable to visit family in their home countries because of their immigration status, with 87% saying they would be able to visit their families if Congress passed immigration reform that gave them legal status. Yasmine emphasized having a pathway to citizenship would be life-changing for her family. “Having a pathway to citizenship would mean a lot for me. It would change a lot for me and my family, and it would make sure that my husband and I could give a better life for our daughters,” she said. “I would finally have stability, something right now I don’t have.”

New survey reveals fears of US farm workers amid Trump’s immigration raids
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Molbio Diagnostics raises ₹281 cr from anchor investors ahead of IPO

Molbio Diagnostics’ IPO comprises a fresh issue of shares worth up to ₹200 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 91.66 lakh equity shares by existing shareholders. Point-of-care diagnostics company Molbio Diagnostics Ltd, backed by Temasek and Motilal Oswal Private Equity, raised ₹281.5 crore from anchor investors ahead of its initial public offering (IPO). The company allotted 34.88 lakh equity shares to 33 anchor investors at ₹807 apiece, the upper end of the price band, according to a circular uploaded on the BSE website late night on Friday. Domestic mutual funds received 23.54 lakh shares, accounting for 67.51 per cent of the anchor book through 19 schemes of nine fund houses. The IPO, with a price band of ₹768-807 per share, will open for public subscription on August 10 and conclude on August 12. The initial share sale is estimated at ₹904 crore to ₹940 crore at the lower and upper ends of the price band, respectively. The Goa-based company's IPO comprises a fresh issue of shares worth up to ₹200 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 91.66 lakh equity shares by existing shareholders. The company proposes to utilise ₹106 crore from the fresh issue proceeds towards capital expenditure for setting up infrastructure for an R&D facility, Centre of Excellence and connected office space. Another ₹72 crore will be deployed towards the purchase of plant, machinery and other equipment for its Goa Unit I, Goa Unit II and Visakhapatnam unit, while the remaining funds will be used for general corporate purposes. At the upper end of the price band, Molbio Diagnostics is expected to command a post-issue market valuation of around ₹9,300 crore. Incorporated in 2000, Molbio Diagnostics is a point-of-care diagnostics company offering molecular testing for 30 diseases, including tuberculosis, COVID, HIV, HPV and Hepatitis B and C. Its 'Truenat' platform, patented in more than 100 countries for diagnosis of multiple infectious and non-communicable diseases, is a point-of-care polymerase chain reaction (PCR) platform. The battery-operated platform can be deployed in resource-limited settings and facilitates decentralised diagnosis within an hour. The company has six manufacturing facilities in India -- two in Goa, two in Bengaluru, and one each in Visakhapatnam and Pune.

Molbio Diagnostics raises ₹281 cr from anchor investors ahead of IPO
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Mahindra Group appoints Shveta Arya as Group Chief Strategy Officer

The Mahindra Group on Sunday announced the appointment of Shveta Arya as Group Chief Strategy Officer from September 15. Arya moves to the Mahindra Group from Cummins India, where she was serving as Managing Director. In this leadership role, Arya will lead the Group Strategy Office, working across its portfolio of businesses to identify growth opportunities, unlock value and drive long-term strategic advantage, the company said. She will be part of the Group Executive Board and will report to Mahindra Group CEO and Managing Director, Anish Shah, it said. She has joined the group after a career spanning over 23 years across publicly listed multinational organisations, as well as management consulting, with experience in automotive, travel, financial services and telecom sectors, Mahindra Group said. "Shveta brings over two decades of leadership experience across business and strategy, as well as management consulting across diverse sectors. Her experience in driving growth, shaping strategy and leading through change will be valuable as we work with our portfolio of businesses to drive growth and create long-term value across our portfolio of businesses," said Shah. At Cummins India Ltd, Arya was responsible for driving the company's growth, ensuring customer success, nurturing talent and fostering a positive, inclusive and ethical work culture. Prior to joining Cummins, she led strategy and M&A at Thomas Cook India and held diverse roles at Kearney and Infosys, according to the statement. Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Mahindra Group appoints Shveta Arya as Group Chief Strategy Officer
North America
CNBC Finance

Ford raises guidance after Q2 earnings beat, says F-Series recovery is on track

DETROIT — Ford Motor raised its 2026 earnings forecast Tuesday after beating Wall Street's second-quarter earnings expectations despite reporting a decline in revenue that slightly missed estimates. The Detroit automaker cited operational improvements, resilient vehicle pricing and a high sales mix of profitable products for its performance as well as the improved guidance. Ford's raised guidance includes full-year adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of between $10 billion and $11 billion, up from $8.5 billion to $10.5 billion. It also raised its expectations for adjusted free cash flow to $6 billion to $7 billion, up from $5 billion to $6 billion. The additional free cash flow includes an earlier-than-expected cash recovery of $500 million of a previously announced $1.3 billion anticipated tariff reimbursement, the company said. The earnings raise was led by a $500 million expected improvement to its traditional Ford Blue business to between $5 billion and $5.5 billion. It also narrowed earnings of its fleet business to between $7 billion and $7.5 billion from a previous low range of $6.5 billion. "We delivered another strong quarter and raised our full-year guidance, but the more important story is the growing evidence that Ford is becoming a more profitable, more disciplined and genuinely different company," Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a release. Ford cut expected losses of its Model e electric vehicle business to about $4 billion, compared with previous expectations of losses between $4 billion and $4.5 billion, and said it also expected slightly better results for its credit arm. Each of the automotive business groups reported lower revenue compared with what analysts were expecting. Ford's total revenue, which includes its financial arm, was down 4% during the second quarter compared to a year earlier to $48.3 billion. Ford reported a net loss of $1.3 billion during the second quarter largely due to one-time special charges related to its previously announced pullback in all-electric vehicles. The $4.2 billion in charges included $3.6 billion in restructuring of its BlueOval SK joint venture battery plant with SK On and $500 million due to a canceled EV program. That loss was wider than the $36 million net loss it reported during the second quarter of 2025. Ford reconfirmed plans to deliver full-year material and warranty cost reductions of approximately $1 billion despite an influx of recent recalls for the automaker. Ford Chief Financial Officer Sherry House said the automaker's recovery of F-Series pickup truck production will continue into the back half of the year, reconfirming a roughly $1 billion improvement compared with last year's reported impact.

Ford raises guidance after Q2 earnings beat, says F-Series recovery is on track
Europe
BBC Business

New Spider-Man film sees second-biggest ever global opening weekend

Image source, Sony Pictures/MarvelByOsmond ChiaBusiness reporterPublished1 hour agoSpider-Man: Brand New Day brought in $927m (£687m) of global ticket sales to make it the second-biggest opening weekend ever as it shot past its estimated $225m production budget. The superhero movie - starring real-life husband and wife Tom Holland and Zendaya - is only behind Avengers: Endgame, which took in more than $1.2bn in its opening weekend in 2019. Brand New Day also set a second-best North American record, with box office takings of $335m. The film's strong performance gives a much-needed boost for Disney ahead of the highly-anticipated December release of Avengers: Doomsday, after a string of Marvel movies under-performed in recent years. Brand New Day, which opened in cinemas last week, picks up a few years after 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home as Peter Parker continues to fight crime in a world that has forgotten he is the masked superhero. The latest instalment of the hugely popular franchise received largely positive reviews, with some calling it Holland's best Spider-Man performance yet. The film is Marvel's last big-screen outing before Doomsday, the long-awaited culmination of multiple superhero story arcs after Avengers: Endgame. Marvel films released since Endgame have struggled to attract the same broad audiences as they did at their peak. Big budget films like The Marvels and The Thunderbolts recouped their production costs but were among the studio's lowest-grossing films. Spider-Man remains one of Marvel's most lucrative franchises, with No Way Home making nearly $2bn in ticket sales. Cinema attendance has slowed since the Covid-19 pandemic, which accelerated the shift to home-streaming options like Netflix. But the big screen has staged something of a comeback this year, with the North American box office takings on track to pass $10bn for the first time since 2019.

New Spider-Man film sees second-biggest ever global opening weekend
North America
CNBC Economy

Singapore tightens monetary policy in surprise move as rising oil prices rekindle inflation risk

Singapore on Monday unexpectedly tightened its monetary policy for a second consecutive time, moving preemptively against a renewed oil price surge even as inflation at home stays subdued. The Monetary Authority of Singapore said it will increase the rate of appreciation of the Singapore dollar's nominal effective exchange rate policy band "very slightly," with the adjustment smaller than April's. The width of the band and the level at which it is centered were left unchanged. Economists polled by Reuters last week had forecast the central bank to stand pat on its monetary policy stance. Unlike most central banks, the MAS conducts its monetary policy by managing the Singapore dollar exchange rate against a trade-weighted basket of currencies within an undisclosed band, rather than setting interest rates. "In an environment of continued heightened uncertainty, this calibrated adjustment to the policy stance builds on the tightening in April," the MAS said in its statement. "[The] majority was calling for no change in MAS policy this round, so the move was not quite a consensus trade," Selena Ling, Chief Economist and Head of OCBC Group Research told CNBC, adding that two straight policy tightenings mean the MAS will not become complacent about imported inflation. Singapore's core inflation, which excludes accommodation and transportation costs, ticked up to 1.6% in June from 1.4% in May, near the bottom of the MAS's 1.5%–2.5% forecast range for this year, with headline inflation at 1.9%. While transportation fuel prices quickly rose since the onset of the U.S.-Iran conflict, softer services inflation, particularly healthcare, communication, and education, helped offset much of the upward pressure on prices, according to BMI, a FitchSolutions company. "Imported-cost pressures typically pass through to broader consumer prices with a lag, so we still expect inflation to rise in the coming months," the intelligence group said. OCBC's forecast is for headline and core inflation to overshoot to around 2.5% and 2.3%, respectively, in the coming months, adding that inflation may only subside below the 2% mark from the second half of 2027. Singapore's near-total reliance on imported energy leaves it exposed to higher oil prices. Brent crude climbed back above $100 a barrel last week after Houthi militants attacked two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, deepening a supply threat that had eased before the collapse of the Middle East ceasefire. The economy has so far shrugged off the turmoil as AI demand powers electronics exports.

Singapore tightens monetary policy in surprise move as rising oil prices rekindle inflation risk
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Professional guidance for financial plans

Prema and Mohan were seeking professional guidance on their financial goals. Both are working in Bengaluru. Prema is working as a private school teacher, and Mohan is heading a business unit of an IT firm. They have two children, Ved (20), doing his Engineering in Bengaluru, and Vridhi (14), in Class IX. * To ensure adequate funds with liquidity based on their financial requirements. * Ved’s higher education fund to be placed with appropriate instruments for better liquidity. He may need around ₹40 lakh for the two-year master’s course in Europe. * Vridhi’s education goal is fluid at the moment. The parents intended to allocate a corpus sufficient to meet her education costs in India — for UG, excluding medicine. * Mohan wanted to ensure the family and their financial goals are protected, including his retirement at age 55, 10 years away from now. * Mohan wanted to ensure he builds a sizable wealth at the time of retirement. Prema and Mohan have inherited family properties and assets. One of their key objectives is to assess how much they can gift or transfer to their children after retirement without impacting their long-term financial independence. Mohan has an aggressive risk profile, whereas Prema has a balanced risk profile. They currently have more than 70 per cent in equity asset class, including Mohan’s stock options. * The family has adequate life and health insurance. Fixed deposits cover six months of lifestyle expenses and the liquidity available through other financial investments are adequate to cover for the liabilities as a contingency measure. * They do not have surplus cash to manage additional expenses or savings and investments, due to their EMI commitments. They have committed to EMI in the recent past without allocating adequately for regular investments/savings towards their medium-term goals. * If rental income is not received consistently or family expenses increase, the expected cash flow surplus may not materialise as expected. * Ved’s education expenses may be met with funds allocated from existing investments. This will reduce the equity allocation to 60 per cent from over 70 per cent at current level in the financial assets. As Mohan is receiving stock options year on year, the allocation to equity will still be maintained at the desired allocation in the next three-four years. It was also recommended to continue the regular contribution in PPF and NPS by Prema. * Since they intended to maintain the same lifestyle at retirement, the retirement expenses will start with ₹2.36 lakh per month in the next 10 years at 7 per cent inflation per annum. The family needs ₹7.3 crore to fund the retirement lifestyle for the next 35 years.

Professional guidance for financial plans
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Balrampur Chini Mills: Why investors should accumulate this stock

Investors with a moderate risk appetite and investment horizon of three-five years can consider accumulating the stock of Balrampur Chini Mills (Balrampur). We believe that the company’s growth is at an inflexion point, as it transitions from a sugar, ethanol and co-generation player into an integrated bio-plastics company, with its foray into manufacturing of Polylactic acid (PLA). Balrampur is expected to commission its 8,000-tpa (tonnes per annum) PLA manufacturing plant, which has been set up at a cost of ₹3,080 crore, by Q2FY27. At the current price of ₹587, the stock trades 31 times its FY26 consolidated earnings and 25 times and 16.7 times its estimated FY27 and FY28 earnings respectively (Bloomberg consensus). Balrampur is among India’s integrated sugar producers with a crushing capacity of 80,000 tonnes per day and distillery capacity of 1,050 kilo litre per day (klpd). Despite sugar being a cyclical business, the company, through its efficient operations, has managed to generate consistent profits from its sugar business and reinvest it into better-margin ethanol business over the last few years. This has helped the company better the industry in terms of operating margins. As the company is poised to morph into an integrated bio-plastics player now, the pay-offs can be significant, if the company is able to monetise the PLA opportunity well. This can be a potential re-rating story for the stock for three reasons. For one, Balrampur will no longer remain vulnerable to the cyclicality in the sugar industry, as PLA will lend stability to the overall business. Two, the transition to a higher margin product such as PLA (given the management guidance of 35 per cent operating profit margin), will help improve overall margins, which will call for better valuations. For instance, in FY26, the company reported revenue of ₹6,271 crore, with an operating margin of 12 per cent, translating into operating profit of ₹741 crore. The PLA plant, according to management sources, can fetch a revenue of ₹2,000 crore at its peak, with a target operating margin of 35 per cent, which is ₹700 crore. This can potentially double the company’s operating profit over the next two-three years, if Balrampur can achieve scale sooner. Third, the company being the first large-scale integrated domestic player will not only be well positioned to play the import substitution market, but can also disrupt the plastic packaging market with its sustainable, bio-based products. So, the market potential can possibly be much bigger, over a period of time, than what is available to day (20,000 tonnes of PLA currently being imported into India). Further, the company plans to process gypsum, which is a by-product from PLA into lactogypsum boards by setting up a facility at Kumbhi. For 80,000 tonnes of PLA, the company will make 1.16 lakh tonnes of lactogypsum, which will translate into 63 lakh units of gypsum board, with a revenue potential of about ₹150 crore, as per management sources. The cost for the board facility will be around ₹160 crore, and will likely be commissioned in 18 months. While the new PLA business holds significant promise, the sugar and ethanol business may likely remain modest in the current year on three counts and this may provide an opportunity for investors to accumulate the stock. While sugar season 2026 (October 2025-September 2026) started on an optimistic note with output expectation of over 32 million tonnes (mt) and about 3.1 mt of diversion for ethanol, lower cane yield in key States – Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, was a dampener. Now, the production this year is expected to be under 28 mt. In May, the government announced a ban on exports till September, until clarity on consumption, production and current season acreage and cultivation emerges. While area under sugarcane across the country, until mid-July, has been higher by 1.5 per cent compared to last year, at 57.58 lakh hectares, up by 0.86 lakh hectares, deficient rainfall in eastern Uttar Pradesh (wherein seven out of Balrampur’s 10 plants are located), is a concern. The only silver lining is that tight supply conditions, if the production remains muted as expected, will support stable sugar prices. Also, the ethanol procurement price for B heavy molasses (₹60.73 per litre) and sugar juice (₹65.61 per litre), which has remained unchanged despite increase in cane costs, is expected to be revised this year. In FY26, State advised price (SAP) for cane was increased from ₹370 per quintal to ₹400 per quintal; however, ethanol prices were kept unchanged. The company recently did a preferential issue of ₹450 crore (₹193 crore by promoters) to fund the escalation in cost for PLA of ₹230 crore and ₹160 crore for the lactogypsum plant. While we are optimistic about the company’s long-term prospects, short-term challenges in the sugar and ethanol business may keep the stock price under check. For patient long-term investors, such weakness may be a good buying opportunity, with the only caveat being the successful scale-up of the PLA business. Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Balrampur Chini Mills: Why investors should accumulate this stock