*By Max Godnick*
Hollywood is having its best summer at the box office in years, flipping the script after nearly being pushed to the brink in 2017.
Last year was the lowest-grossing summer since 2006, sparking a slew of [headlines](http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-movie-projector-summer-meltdown-20170830-story.html) mourning the demise of the movie theater. The year was marked by some notable bombs including "Baywatch," "The Mummy," and the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment.
But it's the success of this year's "Incredibles 2," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Deadpool 2" that make all that hand-wringing for naught.
"Everybody was tolling the death knell for the cinema experience," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at ComScore, in an interview with Cheddar on Friday. "It shows you what a difference a year makes."
According to ComScore's reporting through July 11th, this year's summer box office is up nearly 13% over 2017. While it's unlikely that Hollywood will surpass its record-breaking summer of 2013, when "Iron Man 3" led the season to a $4.75 billion take, Dergarabedian says it's likely to be the strongest of the last few years. That's largely to the credit of the string of commercially and critically successful superhero movie premieres.
And it might stay that way for years to come.
"There's no sign of superhero fatigue at all," Dergarabedian said.
Caped and costumed vigilantes aren't the only ones helping Hollywood dig itself out of last summer's hole. Documentaries are emerging as one of the season's most surprising saviors.
"Documentaries are killing it right now," Dergarabedian said, pointing to the $25 million in ticket sales generated by the unscripted movies "RBG" and "Won't You Be My Neighbor," which the analyst described as "no small thing."
The season has also seen studios break boundaries of inclusion and diversity. "Black Panther" set the tone in February, becoming the ninth-highest-grossing movie and the most successful one from a black director and with a black lead. Now, "Ant-Man and The Wasp" is the first Marvel movie to use a female character's name in the title. Brie Larson will star as "Captain Marvel" next year, and Cate Shortland will become the studio's first solo female director when she helms the standalone "Black Widow" movie.
"I think we're going to look back and say this was a turning point where there is no limit on who could lead a superhero movie," Dergarabedian said.
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-hollywood-saved-itself-from-a-summer-box-office-disaster)
L’Oréal is doubling down on its investment in tech. The French beauty giant unveiled two new high-tech products ahead of CES 2022, aimed at simplifying the hair coloring process. Guive Balooch, global vice president of L’Oréal Technology Incubator, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the company's innovations for hair coloring, including the Colorsonic application device and the Coloright AI diagnostic tool.
After meeting by chance in an airport, legendary actor Bill Murray and world-renowned cellist Jan Vogler joined forces to put out an album of poetry and music, go on a European concert tour, and release a feature documentary. Murray and Vogler joined Cheddar to dish about the experiences taking their “New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization" on the road and filming the documentary that followed the pair, along with Mira Wang on violin and Vanessa Perez on piano, at their final show in Greece. "When this opportunity to play with Jan and Mira and Vanessa came along, I thought, well how bad can I be with these people behind me," Murray self-deprecatingly noted about his own musical talents.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals: Director of Programs at Alpine Ascents breaks down how to mentally and physically prepare for climbing Mount Everest; American Himalayan Foundation's Vice President discusses Sherpa culture and ethos, and why they are so critical to the climb; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'History by the Numbers.'
All around the world, speed limits are placed on public roads to promote car safety and save lives. In that same world, car manufacturers have continued to look for ways to build faster and faster cars. Despite the dangers of speeding, many drivers are guilty of pushing the pedal from time to time. With cars being such a prevalent culture in everyday life, especially in the US, it’s worth wondering what it would take for car companies to once and for all settle the argument of safety versus freedom.
A recent study by MSI uncovers a vast racial divide in influencer marketing. The research found a 35% racial pay gap between white and black influencers. This gap is extremely wider than the gap in other industries such as education, business, and finance. The research also suggests that brands and agencies have the power to close this gap. Tiffany Hardin, founder and CEO of Gild Creative Group, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Student loan collection company Navient agreed to cancel $1.7 billion in debt and paid more than $140 million in other penalties to settle a lawsuit over abusive lending practices. Josh Shapiro, the attorney general of Pennsylvania who led negotiations in the settlement, joined Cheddar to go over the details of the company's predatory lending. "What Navient would do is charge [borrowers] these exorbitantly high rates, even though they knew people couldn't pay them or they would likely default on them," he explained.
Retail platform operator and delivery company, Foxtrot,
raised $100 million in a Series C round led by D1 Capital Partners. Foxtrot bills itself as the modern convenience store that combines what it calls in-store curated discovery with 30-minute delivery and 5-minute pickup. Since launching first as a digital-only delivery service, the company has since grown into a popular local retailer, opening 16 brick and mortar locations across Chicago, Dallas, and Washington, DC. Foxtrot co-founder and CEO Michael LaVitola joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
