Business News Roundup, Feb. 26
Movies make more money when exactly half their casts are non-white, according to an annual analysis released Thursday that shows an increasing demand for diversity in film.
In previous years, movies did better at the box office if two or three of the top eight billed actors were non-white.
In 2014, four of eight was the magic number, ticket sales show.
The study points to “Lucy,” a science-fiction film with Morgan Freeman, Min-sik Choi and Amr Waked in prominent roles alongside Scarlett Johansson, grossing $444 million worldwide according to IMDb.com; and “Annie,” with Jamie Foxx cast as Daddy Warbucks and Quvenzhane Wallis as the orphan, with Cameron Diaz in a supporting role.
[...] for franchises like “Fast and Furious” — which has swallowed $3.9 billion in global ticket sales — marketing campaigns and posters have purposefully played up the multiracial casts.
[...] available in San Francisco and Alameda counties, the service’s website (www.1deg.org) lets users look up information on affordable housing programs, health clinics, food pantries, employment services and educational programs — all in one place.
Gap’s shares fell more than 3 percent in after-hours trading after the San Francisco clothing chain offered a weak profit outlook Thursday.
The results, announced after regular trading, show the continued challenges that CEO Art Peck faces in turning around the business.
Shares of the weight-loss company dove 23 percent in after-hours trading after it posted a loss for the fourth quarter.
The company is struggling to capture the attention of dieters amid the popularity of fitness gadgets like Fitbit and free weight-loss apps, and has been losing subscribers.
The company had hoped that her endorsement and a shift to focusing on health and wellness, rather than just losing weight, would attract users.
[...] that was an improvement over the 12.7 percent decline in the third quarter, Weight Watchers said, and it has seen “strong recruitment growth” after launching its new program in December.