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This year has been an absolute journey. We’ve experienced some major blockbuster hits, tragic losses and some questionable celebrity scandals. With the release of Google’s Year in Search, we’ve decided to take a moment to reflect on the year that was – the “good”, the “bad” and the, “seriously Jussie Smollett what were you thinking?!”
The most anticipated film of the year, Avengers: Endgame smashed it on the box office. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s last chapter hit $2.79 billion globally, becoming just the fifth film of all-time to cross the $2 billion mark and throwing Titanic and Avatar out of the way. And, it seems like there’s no end in sight. Disney also set it as the first major movie to stream on it’s platform, Disney + .
Joker‘s worldwide box office earnings hit a total of of $999.1 million on Thursday. So if it hasn’t happened already, it’s going to be official by the end of the weekend: Joker will become the first R-rated movie in Hollywood history with a $1 billion box office. The movie already made history earlier in 2019 when its box office total climbed past $900 million – another first for the R-rated category. But $1 billion is a much nicer, rounder figure, right?
Say what you want, but Ariana Grande has released some straight-up anthems over the past year. From the ULTIMATE break up song that is “thank u, next” to the total female empowerment vibe of “God is a woman” Ari has literally done no wrong in our eyes. “7 Rings” was no different, a fierce jam about girl-power and not needing a man and we were all over it.
It really only takes reading those three words to get this song stuck in your head and we’ve been doing it all year long. In July, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus made history as the longest-running No. 1 track to ever hit the Billboard Hot 100. The prestigious record required a daunting 17 weeks as the most popular song across radio and online streaming within the United States. The accolade was previously shared by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” — both of which ended their No. 1 reigns at a 16-week tie.
Eight whole years of Game of Thrones fandom came to a halt this year, with many viewers feeling robbed by THAT final scene. The series concluded in an equally extensive series of mixed emotions about Daenerys’ demise, but, hey, we’ll always have Arya. In October, HBO announced that it has ordered House of the Dragon, a Game of Thrones prequel series about House Targaryen, straight to series. George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal are credited as co-creators, and Condal will serve as showrunner with Miguel Sapochnik.
The story focuses on the five suspects, four black and one latino, of the case who were eventually charged with the crime and served time. One of them, Korey Wise, served in an adult prison at just 16-years-old. But, they were falsely convicted.
Smollett was hospitalized earlier this year following an alleged assault by men who reportedly called him racist and homophobic slurs and attempted to put a noose around his neck (he also told police that one of them shouted, “This is MAGA country!” per THR). However, it then came to light that Smollett orchestrated the entire attack to gain recognition. Yikes!
In September, comedian Kevin Hart was hospitalised after a horrific car accident in which he sustained ‘major injuries’ to his back. During the harrowing experience, the driver lost control of the vehicle before veering off the road and into an embankment. Two of the three occupants were trapped in the vehicle, Hart reportedly left the scene to his nearby residence to get medical attention. He’s now made a full recovery, posting a video to social media depicting the journey.
The fashion industry lost a giant this year, as designer Karl Lagerfeld sadly passed away. The 85-year-old icon was the creative driving force behind huge names such as Chanel, Fendi and his eponymous label and his unique eye and unmatched creativity will be missed. As well as being a fashion icon, Lagerfeld was known for his linguistic flare and telling it like it is. The worldwide response to the loss of an icon was huge.
In July, Cameron Boyce, the Los Angeles born actor who made his acting debut at the age of 9 in the horror film ‘Mirrors’, tragically passed away in his sleep. In his honour, a foundation was created called The Cameron Boyce Foundation which aims to provide “young people artistic and creative outlets as alternatives to violence and negativity and uses resources and philanthropy to positive change in the world,” reads the website.