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Aquaman Showcases Australia’s Beauty and Wins Over Moviegoers

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It is undoubtedly the age of superhero films: more and more new titles are released each year, as rival studios Marvel and DC battle it out on the big screen. After this year’s box office triumph Avengers: Infinity War by Marvel, it was time for DC to regain control with Aquaman, which was filmed all over Australia.

Aquaman Filmed Across Australia

It is not rare for a film or TV series to be used as a vehicle to showcase the natural beauty of a particular country – and give tourism a boost. After the immense success of HBO’s Game of Thrones, tourists flocked to Croatia to admire King’s Landing and are touring Ireland to explore Winterfell. Unwittingly, Aquaman serves as a great advertisement for Australia, which was chosen as its primary filming location – and according to director James Wan it was not a light-hearted decision. Most of the film takes place along Queensland’s Golden Coast, with Amnesty Bay serving as the setting for the title character’s hometown.

The lighthouse where he grew up with his father overlooks the stunning Hastings Point Cape, while some of the underwater scenes were filmed near Main Beach and Amity Point. The film’s strong connection with water plays nicely into Australia’s longstanding seafaring and sea sports tradition. One of the reasons why it is a top tourist destination is its proximity to water and everything it brings with it – but its magnificent landscape and long shores also make it ideal as a shooting setting for Hollywood blockbusters. From the Matrix trilogy to the Mad Max saga and critically-acclaimed films like Where the Wild Things Are, Australia has served as the setting for some of the most memorable big-screen moments.

An Unexpected Hit at the Box Office

Aquaman seems to have struck gold not only with its awe-inspiring background, but also with its storyline and acting, as audiences worldwide seem to love it. DC has been struggling to keep up with Marvel in the past few years, with the exception of Wonder Woman, so they really needed a hit. Many believed that Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, was not the hero to achieve that; although he is a founding member of the Justice League, he was not as popular as a comic book hero as several of his counterparts. Yet casting Jason Momoa in the lead role seems to have paid off.

Although the film had received mixed reviews from critics, it seems that audiences loved it – and it has already inspired spin-off merchandise, from Funko Pop figurines and replicas of his signature trident to the Aquaman online slot game at Buzz Bingo and a wide range of clothing items like t-shirts and hoodies. The movie, which sees Aquaman rise as the rightful heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis to fight against his evil half-brother who wants to destroy humanity, has already surpassed the $1 billion benchmark. It managed to make almost $68 million just in its opening weekend, and has grossed over $290 million in the US and over $730 million in the foreign markets.

With such an unexpected success, could it be that Aquaman is not the hero that DC deserves, but the one they so desperately need?

How You Can Decorate and Create Your Dream Bedroom as a Tenant

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If you would love to wake up each morning in a beautifully decorated bedroom which will instantly put you in a good mood, it’s well worth continuing reading to discover how you can create your dream bedroom as a tenant.

How you can decorate and create your dream bedroom even as a tenant:

  1. Consider replacing the curtains in your bedroom

One way to instantly change the look of your bedroom is to ask your landlord if you can replace the curtains in your master bedroom. As an example, for a luxurious feel, you may want to replace the current curtains in your room with luxurious velvet curtains in a dark hue such as navy.

Most landlords won’t have any problem with tenants putting up new curtains as curtains can be easily taken down and replaced. So as long as you keep the original curtains which were hung up when you first moved into your current rental property, you won’t have a problem as you can always switch the curtains back when you decide to move out.

  1. Upgrade your furniture

As a tenant, nothing is stopping you from placing a brand new wardrobe, vanity and work desk in your rental property. So if you want to transform your average bedroom into the bedroom of your dreams, it’s well worth taking a walk around your local furniture stores to see if any pieces take your fancy.

Alternatively, if you’re on a budget, you may want to visit a thrift store to see whether or not there are any hidden gems to be found. If you don’t find any furniture pieces which you’d like to take home, consider giving your old pieces of furniture a new lease on life by painting them a new color. It is also advisable that even as a tenant you’ll want to protect your belongings with proper insurance options. HomeLet protects both you and your property.

  1. Place accent pieces around your bedroom

Another way to turn your current bedroom into your dream bedroom is to place carefully chosen decorations from around your bedroom. As an example, if you place a bronze or gold ornament and a vase filled with flowers on a desk in your bedroom, your bedroom will instantly look more glamorous.

Also, make sure to add a touch of style to your bed by placing a few decorative throw cushions on your bed and draping a mink or faux fur blanket over the edge of your bed.

  1. Display a few pieces of art around your bedroom

As long as you don’t hammer any nails into the walls of the house you’re renting, your landlord should be okay with you decorating your bedroom with a few statement pieces of art.

Even if you don’t want to spend a small fortune on art pieces and are saving up for a house deposit, you should be able to pick up pieces of art from up and coming local artists at a reasonable price. Alternatively, prints of fine art are also widely available.

So if you’d love to live in your dream bedroom, there’s no reason why you should wait till you purchase your first home in order to create your dream bedroom. You can also checkout https://homelet.co.uk/news/article/my-dream-bedroom-challenge for creative ideas and inspiration from others!

The Rise and Fall of MoviePass Business Model

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MoviePass offered an unlimited movie watching experience to consumers, but the experiment has largely failed. Majority shareholder Helios and Matheson saw their stocks rise to around $32 in October 2017. The stock is valued at less than $0.02 right now. Let’s take a look at how one of the hottest tech stock purchases in 2017 has transformed into one of the worst investments of 2018.

Humble Beginnings

Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. (HMNY) became the majority stakeholder in MoviePass last year. In order to expand the service, the firm began advertising MoviePass as an all-you-can-watch buffet for avid movie goers. For $9.95 a month, members could see an unlimited number of movies. HMNY offered the tantalizing treat to attract new members and investors who believed MoviePass would do for theaters what Netflix did for TV. MoviePass only had 20,000 subscribers when HMNY acquired their majority share. HMNY slashed the monthly membership price from $50 a month down to $9.95, and the subscribers flowed in. By June 2017, the service had more than three million subscribers.

Burning Cash

The company was burning through its cash holdings faster than it was generating revenue. A filing with the SEC revealed that MoviePass was running a cash deficit of $21.7 million per month from September 2017 to April 2018. Michael Pachter, an analyst for Wedbush Securities famously said the company was “giving away dollars for quarters. “Because most movie tickets are priced below the $9.95 per month membership fee, MoviePass found it impossible to turn a profit with the new business model. The company repeatedly said that it wasn’t going to rely on subscriber revenue as its main source of income. Instead, HMNY is hoping to use the MoviePass aggregate data in the same way that Spotify collects user data about how its users interact with music. This user data can help sell directly targeted advertisements to help drive more box office revenue.

New Revenue Models

The concept was novel enough that many investors were intrigued by the idea. MoviePass owners HMNY became one of the most talked about stocks on the StockTwits platform. A quick StockTwits review found that many investors had questions about how long the company could stay viable while shedding money hand over fist. Many analysts believed that MoviePass launched with a price that was too good to be true and the subsequent price hikes on services caused customers to flee the service. The hype around MoviePass also caused competitors to take notice. AMC Theaters announced their movie subscription service through its Stubs program to let moviegoers see up to three movies a week for only $19.95 a month. The service is twice as expensive as the MoviePass offering with more restrictions but has steadily gained subscribers.

Since AMC operates theaters all over the United States, they don’t need to pay the entire price for each ticket. Instead, the company only needs to fork out about 54% of the ticket price. That means AMC only pays around $11 for the moviegoer seeing two movies a month, while MoviePass would lose $10 for the same two movies per month. AMC’s A-List option is slowly choking the life out of MoviePass, which has reorganized its subscription model at least three times since 2017.

Some Out Of The Box Anniversary Gift Ideas For Your Wife

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Just put yourself in this following scenario.

It’s your 10th wedding anniversary and all you want to surprise your dear wife with an ever-memorable wedding anniversary gift that’s unique, sentimental, and definitely inspiring.

In your past wedding anniversaries, you’ve given her special gifts like flowers, taken her to a lavish dinner time and purchased a stunning diamond necklace.

But this year, you really want to do something special- you want to remind her of how your decade-long union first started with a custom-printed portrait of your wedding day.

Paint Your Life:

You still have a perfect photo to replicate the one of your first dance with her where you’re holding her low and she looks deeply into your eyes. That magical moment!

As your dear wife would see the portrait on the morning of your anniversary day, she would definitely gasp and subsequent tears would evoke the same emotion in you.

Now, just imagine another situation –

If your brother or best friend has recently got engaged finally after years of struggles, you must want to gift them something that has a great emotional value.

How about gifting a nice oil painting portrait to this first-anniversary couple? There are many websites that offer oil painting portrait online and you can easily get any portrait work done by sending them a picture to them.

Personalized Gift Item:

When it comes to buying a very heart touching anniversary gift for wife, always opt for a personalized anniversary gift for the wife. The personalized gifts show how much you love and care about her. This type of gift is always special. If you want to buy a jewelry gift for her, you can simply go for personalized jewelry gifts like a necklace imprinted with her name, a personalized cushion, coffee mug etc.

Re-experience The First Wedding Night:

You still remember the first wedding night. It was really special and you can actually recreate those moments again in your life as an anniversary gift for your wife. Decorate your bedroom in the same way you decorated the room at that special first wedding night and have a very cozy and romantic time with your dear wife.

Throw An Anniversary Party Dedicated To Her:

She loves you like anything and you literally mean the world to her. This anniversary, she deserves something really awesome and what could be a better anniversary gift plan for your wife than a nice wedding anniversary party dedicated to her. Invite all of the family members, relatives, and close friends to the party and cut the anniversary cake with her.

Anniversary Gateway :

Whisk your wife off somewhere really special this year. The best thing about this anniversary gift is that it would give your wife the opportunity to relax and have a great time. As an added bonus, you will also get to the bit of a time off from the regular life chores.

Recreating the décor of your Wedding with the exact same Flowers:

Anyone who is married knows the importance of wedding flowers. They are not only symbolic but also get a fair share of attention during the wedding rituals. If you want to make your anniversary a special affair, you can get your wedding flowers and recreate your wedding in a small manner among friends and family members. If you work with the best florists, you can always order flowers online Dubai at your doorstep. The process is easy, simple, and is carried out by the best professionals in the flower industry. 

Now, you might have gotten some of the excellent ideas about buying the perfect anniversary gifts for your dear wife and make the moment filled with the pure feeling of love.