Spider-Man obliterates box office records while Christina Ricci becomes the internet's unlikely tech critic
TITLE: Spider-Man obliterates box office records while Christina Ricci becomes the internet's unlikely tech critic
TITLE: Spider-Man obliterates box office records while Christina Ricci becomes the internet's unlikely tech critic
Quick Hits
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day is absolutely demolishing international box office, pulling $121 million in China over five days and capturing a jaw-dropping 81% market share in South Korea. Tom Holland's reign simply will not stop.
- Christina Ricci delivered what the internet is unanimously calling an A+ response to Meta's AI glasses after they were promoted by Kylie Jenner and BLACKPINK's Jennie — and it's exactly the energy we need.
- Ariana Grande quietly dropped new album Petal on July 31, which explains why her face has been appearing in flower petals across TikTok comment sections all weekend. Mystery officially solved, everyone can stop spiraling.
- Danny DeVito revealed why he and Rhea Perlman still haven't officially divorced after years of separation, and fans are genuinely fascinated — one person wrote, "I genuinely want to understand their relationship." Same, honestly.
- Lollapalooza is in chaos mode after intense flooding forced day three delays from noon to 3 p.m. CT, with most early sets canceled entirely, including shortened performances from Wolf Alice and Cortis.
What's Trending
Christina Ricci logging on to deliver a perfectly deadpan takedown of Meta's AI glasses — the same ones Kylie Jenner and BLACKPINK's Jennie have been hawking — is the celebrity tech commentary we didn't know we were starving for. BuzzFeed crowned it an "extremely common Christina Ricci W," and honestly, when has Christina Ricci ever missed?
Meanwhile, TikTok was collectively losing its mind over the Ariana Grande petal phenomenon, with users baffled by her face showing up in flower petals when replying to comments. A Reddit user finally connected the dots: it's a promotional stunt for Petal, which dropped July 31. The petals will disappear once the promo cycle ends, so enjoy the floral Ariana era while it lasts.
And over on YouTube, beloved creator and author Hank Green paused his channels after audiences accused him of relying on AI for research in recent content. Green acknowledged limited use for research purposes and apologized, but the backlash was intense enough to warrant a full step-back. The AI-in-creator-content conversation continues to be a flashpoint.
Music
Robyn and Zara Larsson have teamed up for "Talk To Me, Zara," a reworked version of a track from Robyn's latest album. A Robyn feature is always an event, and pairing her with Zara Larsson is the kind of Swedish pop pipeline content that gets people through the week.
Lollapalooza's third day has been thrown into total disarray by intense flooding in Chicago. Sets from Wolf Alice and K-pop group Cortis were shortened or delayed, and most performances in the noon-to-3 p.m. window were scrapped entirely. If you're headed to Grant Park, bring boots.
Movies & TV
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is not just performing well — it's executing a full-scale box office domination. Sony's latest Marvel entry topped the mainland China box office with RMB463.5 million ($121 million) across its five-day opening, and captured 81% of the South Korean market during its debut weekend. Whatever this franchise is doing, it's working on a global scale.
In London theater news, producers of the Stephen Sondheim revival "Sunday in the Park with George" confirmed the Summer 2027 production will proceed as planned despite Ariana Grande exiting the cast. The show, which also stars her Wicked co-star, will move forward — so the Sondheim stans can breathe easy.
Elsewhere: Woody Harrelson will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival for his contributions to film. An Action Man movie — based on the British toy originally inspired by G.I. Joe — is now in development at Working Title and Hasbro, because no childhood toy line goes unadapted in 2026.
Celebrity Tea
Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman's relationship continues to be one of Hollywood's most fascinating unsolved equations. Danny's latest quotes about why they still haven't officially divorced after separating years ago have people genuinely invested — fans are sharing takes, and everyone seems to have a theory about what "we're still married but not together" actually means in practice.
Also worth noting: TMZ rounded up celebrity sisters for National Sisters Day (August 2), including some famous-adjacent siblings you may genuinely not know exist. And for the Old Hollywood obsessives, BuzzFeed compiled 14 scandalous celebrity cheating stories from the golden age — including one where the FBI accidentally caught two icons in an affair. The FBI really said "we're nosy too."
TikTok & Internet
Beyond the Ariana petal mystery and Christina Ricci's glasses moment, TikTok users are reporting a wave of glitches: stories won't post properly thanks to mangled audio, weird menus are appearing when hitting the plus button to record, and the following/friends counts aren't matching up. The app is being a little chaotic right now.
In genuinely unhinged internet news: a naked man jumped off the top of the Brooklyn Bridge into the East River — and survived. Video of the incident surfaced via TMZ, and yes, the entire thing was captured on camera. NYC continues to be the main character of the internet, whether it wants to or not.
And a resurfaced video of singer D4vd wearing a fake blood-stained shirt for an album promo is getting renewed attention as he faces trial in the alleged murder of Celeste Rivas. The timing of the resurfaced promo clip is... certainly something.