Maharashtra government plans to include Dahi Handi festival in UNESCO list and send Govindas to Spain

The film Spider-Man: Brand New Day has achieved significant global success, surpassing the $2 billion mark in worldwide box office revenue in just three weekends in theaters. This allowed the movie to enter the elite group of highest-grossing films in cinematic history.

The blockbuster from Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios crossed the $2 billion threshold during its third weekend, becoming only the eighth film to reach this milestone. Furthermore, it ranked second among films that reached this amount, trailing only Avengers: Endgame.

This success was achieved just 19 days after the film's premiere, highlighting the incredibly fast pace of its theatrical run. The film, starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, is his fourth solo project within the Marvel version of this character.

Brand New Day attracted a massive audience and continued to dominate theaters throughout the first three weekends. In North America alone, the film brought in an estimated $70 million during the third weekend, bringing the domestic total to approximately $785.8 million. Meanwhile, the total worldwide revenue exceeded the $2 billion mark.

Before reaching this latest milestone, the film had already established itself as one of the fastest-returning releases of the year. It earned over $1 billion worldwide in the first week, and the second weekend significantly increased its box office receipts.

The premiere was also outstanding: reports indicate that the box office for the first worldwide weekend was around $927 million, making it one of the biggest global openings in history.

Crossing the $2 billion mark places Spider-Man: Brand New Day in an exclusive company. Among the films that have previously reached this figure are Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water, Titanic, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Infinity War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

This achievement is particularly important for the Spider-Man franchise, as the previous installment, Spider-Man: No Way Home, concluded its run at approximately $1.9 billion, narrowly missing the $2 billion threshold. Brand New Day has now surpassed this amount in less than a month.

According to current box office reporting, the new film has also surpassed its predecessor, becoming the highest-grossing film in the Spider-Man franchise worldwide.

The success of Brand New Day coincides with an unusually strong summer for Hollywood. The film became one of several major releases that brought audiences back to theaters, alongside Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey, which also surpassed the $1 billion mark globally. The combined performance of major blockbusters contributed to a significant increase in box office revenue in 2026 compared to the previous year.

Despite new competition during the third weekend, Brand New Day continues to hold the top spot in North American box office.

The plot of the film unfolds after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Doctor Strange's spell caused the world to forget Peter Parker's identity. In Brand New Day, Peter lives anonymously and operates as Spider-Man, facing a new threat in New York. Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, John Bernthal, and Mark Ruffalo also star in the film.

For Marvel and Sony, reaching the $2 billion mark signifies another exceptional success of their collaboration on this character. For Holland, Brand New Day reinforced the status of his Spider-Man films as some of the most commercially successful works in the superhero genre.

Since the film is still playing in theaters, its final worldwide gross remains unknown. However, by reaching $2 billion in just 19 days, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already secured its place among the most successful film releases in history.

A meeting took place in Ankara, Turkey, where Iran's cultural attaché, Asgar Farsi, and the President of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Ankara (Russian House Ankara), Alexander Sotnichenko, reached an agreement on developing cinematic interaction and joint cultural programs.

During the negotiations, both sides emphasized the significance of cultural ties between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation. According to ILNA, participants reviewed existing opportunities to expand cultural cooperation in Turkey and highlighted the need to strengthen exchange and interaction between the cultural institutions of the two countries.

Farsi noted the importance of developing cultural relations between Iran and Russia, as well as utilizing the common potential of the two states in the field of art and culture. He called the exchange of experience and the implementation of joint cultural events one of the effective ways to deepen these ties.

The Iranian cultural attaché described the center for teaching Persian language in Ankara as one of the most important educational centers specializing in teaching Persian to non-native speakers. He stated that the Center for Teaching Persian Language of the Cultural Administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Ankara has many years of experience and is ready to share its knowledge with the Russian House Ankara.

A significant part of the meeting was dedicated to studying cooperation opportunities in the field of cinema and visual production. The parties discussed prospects for closer interaction in organizing film events, screening Iranian and Russian films, showcasing the cinematic capabilities of both countries, and laid the foundation for bringing together filmmakers and industry professionals.

Furthermore, the organization of joint Iranian-Russian cultural days was considered as an effective means of presenting the culture, art, and heritage of both countries in Turkey. Both sides agreed that such joint programs could serve as a suitable platform for Turkish society to become acquainted with the cultural potential of both nations, as well as for establishing contacts between artists, writers, and cultural figures.

Later, within the framework of the meeting, ways to expand cooperation in the fields of publishing, publication, and holding joint cultural exhibitions were discussed. Special attention was paid to participation in book fairs, presentation of works and authors, translation and publication of literary and cultural works, as well as establishing links between the publishers of the two countries.

The issue of expanding communication between the Iranian and Russian representations in Ankara was also examined. Both sides stressed the need to continue consultations and exchange of views on cultural and artistic issues, as well as identifying new areas for joint work.

The latest novel by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, titled 'The Tale of KAHO,' has recently been translated into Persian and is now available in Iranian bookstores.

Aras Barsekian served as the translator, and Milkan Publications is the publisher in Tehran. The novel, which was first published in Japan in July 2026, spans 352 pages and marks Murakami's first major work where a woman plays the central role.

The plot revolves around Kaho, a 26-year-old children's book author. She presents herself as an ordinary young woman, lacking outstanding beauty or brilliant intellect, but possessing greater curiosity than most people. Kaho's life takes an unexpected turn after her editor arranges a blind date for her.

During this meeting, the man directly tells Kaho that she is the least attractive woman he has ever met. Instead of becoming angry or offended, Kaho feels deep bewilderment and curiosity about the true meaning of his words. Her attempts to understand the stranger's motives become the starting point for a series of increasingly strange and mysterious events.

As Kaho tries to make sense of this encounter, her surrounding reality gradually acquires surreal and dreamlike qualities characteristic of Murakami's works. Various unusual characters and situations appear in the story, including a platypus, a jaguar, a queen termite, a guardian angel, an elephant egg, and Scarlett Johansson. Four chapters of the novel are titled: 'Kaho and the Motorcyclist,' 'The Platypus from Musashi-Sakai,' 'Kaho and the Queen Termite,' and 'The Guardian Angel, the Elephant Egg, and Scarlett Johansson.'

However, the novel is not merely a surreal adventure. Kaho's strange journey also serves as an exploration of identity, self-perception, and how women are perceived by others. The initial insult forces Kaho, who previously paid little attention to her appearance, to confront questions about how she sees herself and how society, especially men, sees her.

Interestingly, Murakami stated that he wrote this novel imagining himself in Kaho's shoes. It developed from a short story called 'Kaho,' which was published in the magazine 'Shincho' in 2024, and was subsequently expanded into a four-part series before being edited and compiled into a novel.

Haruki Murakami is one of the world's most recognized contemporary Japanese authors, known for his ability to blend surrealism, dreamlike narratives, and elements of Western popular culture with themes of loneliness, memory, love, and alienation. Among his most famous works are 'Norwegian Wood,' 'Kafka on the Shore,' 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle,' '1Q84,' and 'The Wind-Up Killer.' His novels have been translated into numerous languages and have gained a global audience, while his unique literary style makes him a constant contender for major international literary prizes.