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Disney to Build Its 7th Theme Park, This One in the United Arab Emirates

Disney cast members take part in a parade during a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, held at Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, on October 16, 2023. (AFP)
Disney cast members take part in a parade during a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, held at Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, on October 16, 2023. (AFP)
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Disney to Build Its 7th Theme Park, This One in the United Arab Emirates

Disney cast members take part in a parade during a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, held at Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, on October 16, 2023. (AFP)
Disney cast members take part in a parade during a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, held at Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, on October 16, 2023. (AFP)

Disney will build its seventh theme park, this one in the United Arab Emirates, the entertainment company said Wednesday.

The waterfront resort will be built on Yas Island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, already home to Formula One’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Ferrari and Warner Bros. amusement parks, SeaWorld and a waterpark.

Disney and Miral, the Abu Dhabi developer overseeing the project, hope to capitalize on the 120 million airline passengers that travel through Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year.

Abu Dhabi also is home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and there are more museums currently under construction.

The theme park announcement is being made ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump to the region next week. Trump has promised a series of business deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

The theme park will be built and operated by Miral, but Disney will handle the design and development. Disney will also license its intellectual property and provide development and management services, according to a regulatory filing.

The California company will not be providing any capital for the project. It will earn royalties based on the resort’s revenues. It will also earn service fees.

Miral has been involved in the development of almost all of the entertainment complexes built on the island.

A projected opening date has not been announced.

Shares of Disney, which also reported second-quarter financial results on Wednesday that beat Wall Street's expectations, jumped more than 9% in morning trading.

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Entertainment

BTS Light Stick Prices Surge Ahead of Comeback Concert

A view of the main stage for a free concert by K-pop group BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, 18 March 2026. (EPA)
A view of the main stage for a free concert by K-pop group BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, 18 March 2026. (EPA)
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BTS Light Stick Prices Surge Ahead of Comeback Concert

A view of the main stage for a free concert by K-pop group BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, 18 March 2026. (EPA)
A view of the main stage for a free concert by K-pop group BTS at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, 18 March 2026. (EPA)

Second-hand BTS light sticks were selling for up to six times the original price ahead of the K-pop megagroup's huge comeback concert this weekend, an online reseller showed Wednesday.

The world's biggest boy band reunites on Saturday for their first show in nearly four years, taking over central Seoul for a K-pop extravaganza beamed live around the globe.

K-pop fans are known for their concert light sticks, which have become symbols of devotion to their artists.

BTS's global fans, known as the ARMY, calls theirs the Army Bomb.

The original price of the latest official version is around 50,000 won ($33.67), but they are sold out.

Listings on Bunjang, a major platform for used goods, are priced at between 100,000 and 330,000 won per unit.

The concert on Saturday will see BTS take the stage on the doorstep of the famed Gyeongbokgung royal palace.

The area has also long been a site of political protests, including after former president Yoon Suk Yeol's failed 2024 martial law declaration, when K-pop fans took part with glowsticks -- a striking image that drew global attention.

Entertainment

Oscars TV Audience Shrinks 9% in US from Last Year

US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson accepts the Oscar for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for "One Battle After Another" onstage during the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026. (AFP)
US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson accepts the Oscar for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for "One Battle After Another" onstage during the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Oscars TV Audience Shrinks 9% in US from Last Year

US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson accepts the Oscar for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for "One Battle After Another" onstage during the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026. (AFP)
US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson accepts the Oscar for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for "One Battle After Another" onstage during the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026. (AFP)

The Academy Awards telecast attracted 17.9 million US viewers, a 9% decrease from the previous year and the lowest since 2022, according to Nielsen data released by broadcaster ABC on Tuesday.

The figure for Sunday's show reflected viewing ‌on ABC ‌and on the streaming service ‌Hulu. ⁠Both are owned ⁠by Walt Disney.

Hollywood handed the best picture prize to darkly comic thriller "One Battle After Another" during the more than three-hour-long ceremony. Comedian Conan ⁠O'Brien hosted for the ‌second year ‌in a row.

Viewership for awards shows has ‌been declining for years as TV ‌audiences have shifted to streaming and social media.

ABC said social impressions for the Oscars increased 42% this ‌year over 2025 to more than 184 million.

The ⁠highest-rated ⁠Academy Awards telecast aired in 1998, when megahit "Titanic" swept the honors. More than 57 million people tuned in that year.

In 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oscar ratings hit their low point with 10.5 million viewers. The Oscars ceremony will be moving from ABC to YouTube in 2029.

Entertainment

‘Dune: Part Three’ Trailer Lands, a Day After Sneak Peek with Zendaya, Director Villeneuve

US actress Zendaya poses during a photocall prior to attend the Louis Vuitton Women's Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection fashion show as part of the Paris Women Fashion Week, in Paris, on March 10, 2026. (AFP)
US actress Zendaya poses during a photocall prior to attend the Louis Vuitton Women's Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection fashion show as part of the Paris Women Fashion Week, in Paris, on March 10, 2026. (AFP)
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‘Dune: Part Three’ Trailer Lands, a Day After Sneak Peek with Zendaya, Director Villeneuve

US actress Zendaya poses during a photocall prior to attend the Louis Vuitton Women's Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection fashion show as part of the Paris Women Fashion Week, in Paris, on March 10, 2026. (AFP)
US actress Zendaya poses during a photocall prior to attend the Louis Vuitton Women's Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection fashion show as part of the Paris Women Fashion Week, in Paris, on March 10, 2026. (AFP)

Canadian filmmaker Denis ‌Villeneuve revealed he nearly took a break before completing "Dune: Part Three," the conclusion to his epic science-fiction trilogy, but changed his mind after he saw how audiences embraced the first two films.

“I felt an appetite for the third movie that I was not expecting,” said Villeneuve on Monday in Los Angeles at a preview event for the movie's trailer, which was released to the public on Tuesday.

The film, distributed by Warner Bros, arrives in theaters on December 18. It is based on "Dune Messiah," the second book in the "Dune" series of ‌novels written ‌by Frank Herbert, about the battle for control ‌of ⁠the fictional planet ⁠of Arrakis, a harsh desert locale that contains a valuable spice that can extend life.

The new trailer shows the main character, Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, and Chani, played by Zendaya, years after the first two films as they ponder their future as parents. The first two films, released in 2021 and 2024, grossed a combined $1.1 billion ⁠worldwide and received numerous accolades, including several Academy ‌Awards.

Villeneuve describes the third film as ‌a departure from the first two, as Paul Atreides must also reckon ‌with the consequences of the power and influence that he holds.

The ‌director recalled how he kept waking up at night with visions of the final chapter. “I was supposed to do another movie in the meantime but the image kept coming back. And I said, ‘All right, let’s do ‌it.’”

In a surprise, Villeneuve brought out several cast members at the event, including Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy ⁠and Javier ⁠Bardem.

Zendaya reflected on how she spent her entire 20s working on the "Dune" films. "They have such a special place in my heart," the Euphoria actor said.

Pattinson, known for his appearances in "The Batman" and the "Twilight" series of films, joins the cast as the antagonist, Scytale. “I absolutely adored these movies - I saw them multiple times in theaters,” he said.

“He’s a very unusual character in the book,” the actor added. “You can’t really tell whose side he’s on. He’s not a conventional bad guy - he might even be a good guy. Who knows?”

Villeneuve noted the final movie will take fans to new planets on sets that they have yet to see.