Sports / Entertainment

Consumer Stories

2023 in film by the number$

‘Tis the season for checking scorecards. In a hallmark year for the movie industry, there will be a lot of smiles on the faces of those in the ‘biz who examine figures for a living. There are still two weeks left in 2023, but so far, the numbers for Box Office totals have surpassed 2022 in film. Total domestic gross for the year has reached over $8.3 Billion. This may account, when the year is up, for a 12-13% increase over last year’s totals, which in turn was a 64%

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Consumer Stories

In ‘May December,’ Savannah Sets the Stage

Moviegoers and lovers of complex drama will adore Todd Haynes’ new flick May December, but Savannahans will fall head-over-heels upon seeing many of their favorite locales as the host of its most pertinent scenes. Actors, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore star in the film, shot entirely on location in Georgia’s most historic city. The film, which was released on Netflix on December 1st, is a dark and hilarious story of actress Elizabeth Berry (Portman) who arrives in the city in 2015 to meet and research a role she intends to

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Consumer Stories

The Holdovers: A Powerful New Christmas Classic

When was the last time we’ve seen a serious Christmas movie? Not a genre film, like Hallmark’s standards or re-runs of animated Rankin/Bass specials from fifty years ago, nor a drama with a mention of Christmas, like Little Women or Green Book. Rather, a theatrically released, A-list Christmas flick. This year, Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election, Nebraska) and beloved actor, Paul Giamatti have both gifted us a sharp, bittersweet comedy-drama that rings in laughs and tears in bulk; The Holdovers. Set in 1970 at Barton, a fictional boarding school

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B2B Stories

New athleisure brand opens to the pickleball-loving public

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the CSRA and America. It’s easy to learn and fun to play. It’s a racquet sport and a cross between tennis, badminton, and ping pong, but played on a smaller court. Pickleball is also good for your health which is what brought brothers, Dan and Jon Lawson and David Pope together to form the athleisure company Good Get Apparel. Jon is a pulmonologist, Dan and David were in the technology side of healthcare. “We all understood the health benefits of playing pickleball,

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B2B Stories

Dividing the tax pie following huge event successes

It’s been a banner year for events in the CSRA and with that comes a healthy chunk of money collected through accommodation taxes. Building on those success stories and creating a new event resulted in requests for dividing up the bounty. The funds are collected through the state’s 2% accommodations tax (ATAX) from visitors staying in hotels and similar lodgings. North Augusta’s pot has grown steadily. In 2021, the city had $76,065 to distribute. That climbed to $140,450 last year. Members of the North Augusta Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee reviewed

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ABD Extra

Georgia filmmaking soon to be back in action?

118 Days after declaring an industry walkout, SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating team announced the news that millions had long been waiting for: “We have reached a deal.” What does that mean for Georgia and specifically the CSRA? With the massive agreement comes the return of film to Georgia, and already a lot of high-profile projects are scuttling to get back to production. Clint Eastwood’s newest film, Juror #2, will soon begin shooting in Savannah. Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World will proceed with filming in Atlanta’s Trilith studios. While it isn’t yet

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Consumer Stories

Time to play ball in the Brinkley’s Bullpen!

Tis’ the season for special get togethers and parties! In late October, some members of the Augusta Business Daily team and family members spent the day overlooking the field at SRP Ballpark and the night in the bullpen at Brinkley’s Chop House. With a successful Conference and Expo behind us, my business partner, Larry Rudwick, our Editor, Mitzi Oxford and her husband, and my wife, Melissa, and our daughters wanted to celebrate! “Dinner at Brinkley’s was one of the most memorable food experiences of my life on so many levels.

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B2B Stories

Papa’s got a brand new arena in the bag. What’s next?

Approving the Construction Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (C-SPLOST) was just the first step to building a state-of-the-art James Brown Arena complex. Attorney Jim Plunkett, who serves as bond counsel for the city, joined members of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority during a Nov. 9 meeting to lay out the path forward. He said it will begin with a meeting with the city finance department, city financial advisor, and legal counsel to work out the structure of the bond issue. “What that means is basically, whether this will be

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Consumer Stories

Have We Given Up on Superheroes?

Lately, there have been quite a few headlines in major entertainment publications signaling a phenomenon that, just a few years ago, would’ve seemed unimaginable. The gist of those headlines is that superhero movies are losing money. It’s true. Marvel Studios’ newest release, the Brie Larson-led Marvels, (a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel) is expected to gross $60 Million on its opening weekend. Its predecessor earned a whopping $154 Million after its premiere. This comes after another box office flop for the studio, Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania. D.C. Studios

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B2B Stories

Repurposing of shopping center to include hardware and pickleball

Demolition and clearing continue this week inside the 50,000-square-foot former home of Bi-Lo and Final Cut in the shopping center at 500 Furys Ferry Road in Martinez. Once the remodeling is complete, the right side of the vacant building will feature Furys Ferry Hardware, a deal we reported a few months back. Co-owners of the tool and gardening center will be a local alternative to Lowe’s and Home Depot. The plan is for them to open their nearly 20,000-square-foot facility in early spring, in advance of the 2024 Masters Golf

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