With just over a month-and-a-half until it’s released in theaters, Beauty and the Beast is shaping up to be a mammoth hit. Most of the previous Disney live-action remakes have all been barnstormers - Alice in Wonderland rode Avatar’s 3D-hype wave to $1.025 billion worldwide, Maleficent brought in $750 million despite negative reviews, Cinderella notched up over $500 million and last year The Jungle Book capped $1 billion (the only exception is Pete’s Dragon, which came from a lesser-known property and was lumbered with a late-summer release) - but Bill Condon’s take on the 1991 classic looks like it could easily top those....

Starting with the 2012 reboot of the popular Marvel Comics character and superhero franchise developed by and on the behalf of Sony Pictures, The Amazing Spider-Man saw rising British actor Andrew Garfield take on the role Peter Parker/Spider-Man to considerable acclaim and respectable box office returns. However, its immediate sequel from 2014, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, opened to mixed reviews and became the lowest grossing feature-length installment starring the famous web-slinger thus far....

Netflix’s Another Life trailer sends Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff back to space. Journeying into uncharted and unknown interstellar destinations has long been a source of intrigue for sci-fi fans, particularly when extraterrestrial life is involved. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Alien, and the degree to which the film continues to influence as well as engage with audiences proves just how fascinating (and terrifying) the possibility of alien life is for so many....

The Apple BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) scheme will use your Apple ID history as one form of fraud prevention, says a new report today. The report also notes how Apple Pay Later addresses one of the key issues to becoming a credit provider: reputational risk … Background Apple Pay Later was announced at WWDC. This is a BNPL scheme competing with services like Affirm, allowing customers to take home a product immediately, then pay for it in installments....

Apple today is expanding its enhanced Maps experience across Italy following some tests with specific regions of the Italian Peninsula earlier this year. Besides improved data, Apple Maps in Italy is also getting 3D buildings, better navigation, and even Look Around — which is Apple’s version of Street View built with 3D images. As reported by MacStories, the expansion of the enhanced version of Apple Maps is now available in Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, and Andorra....

Apple is believed to be making history with the theatrical release of its Apple TV+ original film CODA. In all UK and US cinemas, the movie will be shown with accessible-to-all ‘open’ subtitles — that is, burned into the video with no need for special equipment to see them. Typically, members of the deaf community who want to watch movies at theaters must attend screenings that support wearing special glasses in order to see the subtitle tracks over the top of the video....

We’ve made it halfway through the workweek, and all of today’s best deals have arrived headlined by this one-day Apple Watch sale from $170. That’s alongside being able to save as much as $174 on Anker eufyCam HomeKit systems and a rare discount on DJI’s OM 4 gimbal at $129. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Apple Watch deals start at just $170 in this 1-day sale Woot is discounting a selection of certified refurbished Apple Watch models, starting at $170....

Good news for Apple Watch Ultra buyers. If you’ve already invested in Apple Watch bands for bigger screen models in the past, those bands will continue to work with the extreme sports version of the new Series 8. Bands designed for the Apple Watch Ultra also work with larger versions of non-Ultra Apple Watches. Ultra on non-Ultra Apple includes two notes of clarity when buying Apple Watch bands now that the Apple Watch Ultra is official....

Aquaman’s movie ends in a fight, but it starts as a classic love story between his parents, a humble lighthouse keeper and the Queen of Atlantis. And while some have criticized that fairy tale flashback as a bit too ‘sentimental’ or ‘cheesy’ to work, director James Wan says it’s the only way he was ever going to tell his Aquaman origin. The criticisms are anything but surprising, in an age when even Marvel movies have become buffets of brooding, grim, and defeated heroes....

Before its premiere, Aquaman was a bit of a question mark for the often troubled DCEU. The character has never had the same mainstream success as Batman or Superman. Furthermore, Justice League - which was the proper debut of Jason Momoa’s iteration of Aquaman - underperformed and is considered a box office disappointment. Despite those fears and issues, Aquaman is shaping up to be one of, if not the most successful, superhero franchise for DC Comics and Warner Bros....

Aretha Franklin has passed away at the age of 76. The singer and musician has been a staple in the music industry since the 1960s. Growing up in Detroit and teaching herself to play the piano, Franklin went on to become a respected name in music beginning with her iconic 1967 debut, an in-your-face rendition of Otis Redding’s “Respect” that is forever linked to the Queen of Soul. Franklin’s royalty status was hard-earned....

Ubisoft Motion Pictures and 20th Century Fox’s Assassin’s Creed movie is certainly pushing the envelope for video game film adaptations. The project is directed by Justin Kurzel (The Snowtown Murders, Macbeth [2015]), a filmmaker more accustomed to the arthouse cinema scene than mainstream tentpole fare; is led by a cast that includes Michael Fassbender, as well as Oscar-winners Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons (Fassbender and Cotillard previously starred in Kurzel’s Macbeth together); and part of the film will be in Spanish with English subtitles....

New posters for Avengers: Infinity War made and licensed by Trends International offer the best look yet at Thanos’ Black Order alongside some new images at the MCU heroes. After 10 years, Marvel Studios is finally bringing together characters from all across their vast universe. The reason for such a gathering is the payoff to their long-term goals first teased in the post-credits of The Avengers: the arrival of Thanos. While the Avengers have stopped their fair share of threats alone and together, nothing comes close to what the Mad Titan will bring....

With Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe now underway, everything is building up to the major Avengers: Infinity War event that will serve as the culmination of everything that’s come before. That means soon Earth’s Mightiest will assemble to do battle with the Mad Titan himself, Thanos (Josh Brolin), a villain who has only been teased briefly in a few MCU installments to date. Many fans are eagerly awaiting the character getting a larger role, but Thanos poses a considerable challenge for the screenwriters due to the immense power he possesses....

Evangeline Lilly has hinted that Avengers 4 will include scenes featuring both Wasp and Captain Marvel. She’s suggesting that she built a friendship with actress Brie Larson over the course of the film, perhaps boding well for the franchise’s future. Right now, Marvel is doing their level-best to keep every possible detail about Avengers 4 under wraps. They’re even refusing to officially announce the film’s title, arguing that it’s some sort of spoiler....

The title of Avengers 4 is officially Avengers: Endgame and it’s the best choice Marvel Studios could have made. In recent months, anticipation for what the fourth Avengers film would be called was nearly as rampant as demand for actual footage. Many fans expected to learn the title of Avengers 4 at the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War. Of course, that didn’t happen, and directors Joe and Anthony Russo immediately began fueling speculation, suggesting on Twitter that the title delay “should” scare fans....

In this episode of Apple @ Work, Bradley chats with Alcyr Araujo, founder and CEO at Mosyle about its new OneK12 platform. Links: Mosyle OneK12 unifies Apple device security and management for schools Connect with Bradley Twitter LinkedIn Listen and subscribe Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Pocket Casts Castro RSS Listen to Past Episodes

A security researcher has discovered that Apple analytics data is collected and sent from iPhones, whether or not users consented during the setup process. The amount of data collected was described by the researcher as “shocking.” A class action lawsuit has now filed, which says that Apple’s privacy promises are “completely illusory” … Background The discovery was made by developer and security researcher Tommy Mysk, who previously found that many Apple apps bypass VPN connections when sending data to Apple....

Apple Education is launching three different #MadeOniPad challenges for educators and students to discover new teaching and learning methods using Apple’s tablet. This creativity challenge focuses on the “Green Screen Challenge,” “Podcast Challenge,” and “Motion Graphics Challenge.” Apple Distinguished Educator Jacob Woolcock’s challenge is about students using green-screen effects in their lessons with the iMovie app. Discover exciting new ways to use iPad for teaching and learning. Made by educators in the Apple Teacher community, each challenge below is designed to spark creativity for you, your colleagues, and your students....

Apple Pay is now available in dozens of countries, and Apple has been working to expand that list every year. Now it seems that Apple’s digital payments platform is about to launch in South Korea as a local bank is announcing that its customers will be able to use Apple Pay starting November 30. As shared by Tommy Boi on Twitter, there are advertisements of Hyundai Card (a credit card owned by Hyundai Motor Group) getting Apple Pay support on Wednesday, November 30....