The Chainsmokers to Perform at the Edge of Space

The Chainsmokers arrive at the day one of Maxim Big Game Weekend on Feb. 11, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP)
The Chainsmokers arrive at the day one of Maxim Big Game Weekend on Feb. 11, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP)
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The Chainsmokers to Perform at the Edge of Space

The Chainsmokers arrive at the day one of Maxim Big Game Weekend on Feb. 11, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP)
The Chainsmokers arrive at the day one of Maxim Big Game Weekend on Feb. 11, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP)

One of The Chainsmokers’ latest hits is “High” and they’re hoping to live up to their lyrics.

The hit-making duo of Drew Taggart and Alex Pall have signed up to get into a pressurized capsule tethered to a stratospheric balloon in a few years and perform some 20 miles above the Earth.

The feat would make Taggart and Pall the first musical artists to perform at the edge of space, said Ryan Hartman, chief executive officer at fledgling space tourism company World View, to The Associated Press.

World View says The Chainsmokers will be on one of the company’s inaugural flights slated for 2024 and will record a performance from inside the capsule, giving viewers the ability to experience the music and the trip firsthand.

“We have always dreamed of going to space and are stoked to collaborate with World View to have this adventure and experience,” said The Chainsmokers in a statement. “We know the views of both Earth and space are going to be incredible and inspiring and we hope to leverage this flight for creativity on future projects.”

The Chainsmokers have had five Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including “Closer” “Paris,” “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Something Just Like This” with Coldplay in 2017.

Hartman said that while most of the people who have made space flights are scientists and engineers, World View hopes sending up artists might “inspire them to do something different than they would have otherwise done.”

“We think about inspiring new perspectives and how those new perspectives can lead to a radically improved future for our Earth,” said Hartman. “To be able to reach the audience of The Chainsmokers through Alex and Drew’s work contributes to our mission as well. It’s something that I’m personally inspired by and excited about.”

World View is part of a new wave of private space exploration firms offering seats to the public, a list that includes Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX. Each World View balloon capsule is planned to seat eight passengers and reach a peak altitude of 100,000 feet (30,480 meters). Each flight will last six to 12 hours.

Picking The Chainsmokers for the honor was, in part, a personal decision as well as an attempt to excite a younger audience. Hartman said he watched as his youngest son belted out lyrics from the duo’s songs and was inspired by the band’s popularity. He explained the flight to the pair over dinner.

“I have just seen firsthand and personally how their music reaches a lot of different groups, a lot of different age groups and just how passionate they are about their music and their art. It matches our passion for what we do,” he said.



‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Bites Off $318 Million at the Global Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
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‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Bites Off $318 Million at the Global Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)

Dinosaur fatigue may be a theme in “Jurassic World Rebirth,” but moviegoing audiences don’t seem to have that reservation. The newest installment in the “Jurassic World” franchise ruled the Fourth of July holiday box office with a global, five-day launch of $318.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Universal Pictures release, directed by Gareth Edwards, opened on Wednesday and earned $147.3 million in its first five days in 4,308 North American theaters. An estimated $91.5 million of that comes from the traditional “three day” weekend, which includes the Friday holiday, Saturday and projected Sunday ticket sales.

Internationally, it opened in 82 markets including China, adding $171 million to the opening total. According to the studio, $41.5 million of that came from China alone, where it played on 65,000 screens, 760 of which were IMAX. It's the country's biggest MPA (Motion Picture Association) opening of the year.

“Rebirth,” starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, is the fourth movie in the “Jurassic World” series and the seventh since Steven Spielberg’s original Michael Crichton adaptation stormed theaters in the summer of 1993. The new film received mixed reviews from critics, carrying a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, and B CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences, The Associated Press reported.

Factors like the holiday weekend, inflation and post-COVID moviegoing realities make it difficult to fairly compare the “Rebirth” launch to the other films in the “Jurassic World” franchise, the first of which opened to $208 million domestically in 2015. The other two, “Fallen Kingdom” and “Dominion” opened to $148 million and $145 million respectively.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” introduced a new main cast to the series and brought back a familiar voice in “Jurassic Park” screenwriter David Koepp to guide the story about a dangerous hunt for dinosaur DNA (not for making dinosaurs this time, but for curing heart disease). It cost a reported $180 million net to produce, not including marketing and promotion costs.

The campaign was far reaching, including a global press tour, with stops everywhere from London to Seoul, integrated marketing across NBC Universal platforms and brand tie-ins with everything from Jeep and 7-11 to Johansson’s skincare line.

No major new films dared go up against the dinosaurs, who left last week’s champion, the Brad Pitt racing movie “F1,” in the dust. “F1” fell a modest 54% in its second weekend with $26.1 million, helping bring its domestic total to $109.5 million. It continues to play on IMAX screens with accounted for $7.6 million of the North American weekend ticket sales. Globally, it's nearing $300 million with a running total of $293.6 million.

Third place went to Universal's live-action “How to Train Your Dragon,” which earned $11 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $224 million. Disney and Pixar's “Elio” landed in fourth place with $5.7 million. Globally, “Elio” has just crossed $96 million in three weekends.