A Gothic, Epic Adaptation of a Classic Frankenstein  is a gothic science fiction horror film written and directed by the Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro , based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. With a runtime of 2 hours and 29 minutes  and an R rating  for bloody violence and grisly images, the film is a long-gestating passion project for del Toro. It tells the story of Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) , a brilliant but egotistical scientist, who brings a Cr

What is the Fan-Centric Synergy Trend:  This trend represents a highly targeted marketing strategy where a legacy media platform, like Saturday Night Live , moves beyond generic promotions and instead deeply integrates a guest host's specific personal brand, inside jokes, and viral history into its advertising. This creates content designed not for a general audience, but to specifically activate the host's dedicated and powerful fanbase. Parody as a Personality Vehicle:  The

What is the Human-First Media Trend:  This trend signifies a powerful and widespread consumer backlash against machine-generated entertainment. It reflects a deeply held belief that art and media require human authenticity, with consumers vehemently opposing AI's encroachment into creative fields and demanding transparency to distinguish between human and machine-made content. An Overwhelming Preference for Human Creation:  The core of this trend is a near-universal value jud

What is the Reliable Horror Sequel Trend:  This trend signifies the film industry's strategic reliance on mid-budget horror sequels as a consistent and low-risk solution to combat box office slumps. In a market where expensive, original films are failing, studios like Universal and Blumhouse are leveraging established horror IP to guarantee audience turnout and generate profitable returns. A Safe Bet in an Unsafe Market:  After an "autumn of lost hopes" where big-budget and a

What is the True-Crime Melodrama Trend:  This trend represents the audience's deep fascination with high-stakes, emotionally charged thrillers that are rooted in shocking true stories. It blends the suspense of a fictional drama with the gravitas of real-life events, often involving family conflict, betrayal, and a desperate fight for justice within an elite, closed-off community. Based on a Harrowing Reality:  The core of this trend is authenticity. "No One Saw Us Leave" is

What is the Dynamic Hardware Trend:  This trend represents the next evolution in smartphone design, where static components are replaced with intelligent, kinetic, and robotic elements. These features, like the HONOR ROBOT PHONE's gimbal-mounted camera, allow the device to physically interact with the user and their environment, transforming it from a passive tool into an active companion. From Static Slab to Robotic Companion:  The smartphone is breaking free from its rigid

What is the Emotional Dissonance Trend:  This trend identifies a significant global paradox where populations are reporting record-high levels of negative internal emotions like stress and worry, while simultaneously experiencing record-high levels of positive external social validation, such as feeling respected in their daily interactions. A New Baseline of Global Anxiety:  The report reveals a stark reality: nearly 4 in 10 adults worldwide felt significant worry or stress.

What is the Trolley Tourism Trend:  This trend signifies a fundamental shift in travel behavior where tourists, particularly food enthusiasts, are actively making local supermarkets, convenience stores, and food markets a central part of their vacation itineraries, seeking authentic cultural immersion through the lens of everyday grocery shopping. From Pit Stop to Pinnacle Experience:  Supermarkets are no longer just a place for travelers to grab necessities. They are now bei

The Holiday Budget Squeeze: How Americans Are Strategizing for a Season of Value What is the Cautious Consumer Trend:  This trend reflects a significant shift in American holiday behavior, where excitement for festive traditions is heavily tempered by financial anxiety. Consumers are actively adopting strategic, budget-conscious approaches—like starting shopping earlier, cutting back on non-essentials, and hunting for deals—to manage costs while still trying to create a meani

What is the Integrated Infotainment Trend:  This trend reflects the significant shift where in-car infotainment systems are evolving from a secondary feature into a primary factor in vehicle purchasing decisions, driven by consumer demand for a seamless, personalized, and content-rich experience that rivals or surpasses their smartphones. Infotainment as a Core Product:  Consumers no longer see the dashboard screen as just a radio. The Gracenote report reveals that 60% of car

What is the Fan-Sourced Marketing Trend:  This is the strategic shift where brands, particularly in entertainment, hire their own fans—skilled digital creators—to produce official marketing content, turning authentic user-generated content into a core pillar of their promotional campaigns. Authenticity as a Commodity:  Studios are recognizing that fan edits, once a niche hobby, are a powerful form of marketing. Instead of imitating the style, they are now directly paying the

What is the RichTok Trend:  This is the digital evolution of luxury marketing, where influencers showcase hyper-lavish lifestyles to create aspirational content that builds a powerful, parasocial connection with a mass audience. Conspicuous Consumption as Content:  This trend moves beyond subtle wealth to the overt performance of luxury. Influencers like Becca Bloom, the "RichTok queen," don't just own expensive things; they create narratives around them, such as serving cat

What is the Retro Reset Trend:  This trend marks a major revival of '70s, '80s, and '90s aesthetics in the design world, from home décor to technology. It's characterized by the blending of vintage charm with modern convenience, where the look and feel of the past are "retrofitted" with the technology and functionality of the present, fueled by a cross-generational yearning for a world that felt more tangible and less digitally saturated. Analog Look, Digital Guts:  A core co

What is the Lived-In Look Trend:  This trend marks a quiet but powerful rebellion against the culture of hyper-perfection, championing the embrace of features once considered flaws, specifically under-eye bags or the "lower bleph." It's a cultural shift away from the polished "clean girl" aesthetic towards a more realistic "tired girl" vibe, reframing signs of fatigue not as failures to be concealed, but as authentic and even aspirational markers of a life being fully lived.

What is the Modern Mod Trend:  This trend marks the resurgence of the classic 1960s short dress, characterized by its clean A-line silhouette, very short hemline, and flared shape. The 2026 revival sees this iconic piece moving beyond its revolutionary roots to become a versatile staple of modern "bon ton" elegance, blending nostalgic charm with contemporary freshness. The Core Silhouette:  The trend is defined by its simple, geometric A-line shape that flares from the should

What is the Curated Confidence Trend:  This trend describes the Gen Z approach to makeup consumption, which prioritizes performance, value, and authenticity over fleeting hype. It's a move away from vast, experimental collections towards a carefully selected, or "curated," set of reliable, high-performing products that boost confidence and facilitate self-expression without breaking the bank. Investment in Staples:  The core of the trend is investing hard-earned money in foun

What is the Global Menu Heist Trend:  This trend describes the strategy where major global fast-food chains curate a limited-time menu by "heisting" the most popular and unique items from their international locations and offering them in a single market. These campaigns aim to create a sense of global culinary adventure and exclusivity for customers. International All-Stars:  The core of the trend is importing proven "hero" items from different countries. The McDonald's "Wor

What is the “£5 Meal Deal” Trend: A strategic reassertion of value by QSRs using curated bundles to restore affordability and drive customer traffic. The £5 (or equivalent price-point) curated meal bundle is being adopted by fast-food and QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) operators as a strategic lever to reassert value, drive footfall, and combat “menu fatigue” in an era of elevated food costs and consumer price sensitivity. Many QSRs are packaging a main item, fries, a drink,

What is the Entertainment Elixir Trend:  This trend describes the increasingly popular strategy of limited-time partnerships between food and beverage brands and major entertainment properties, like blockbuster films. These collaborations aim to create an immersive and memorable consumer experience by blending a product with the magic and narrative of a cinematic world. Themed Product Innovation:  The core of the trend is the creation of special, limited-time menu items direc

What is the Culinary Remix Trend:  This trend highlights a dynamic shift in noncommercial foodservice, particularly on university campuses, where chefs are deconstructing and creatively reinventing classic dishes, blurring the lines between savory and sweet, global and local, and comfort and novelty. From Savory to Sweet:  A key component of this trend is the playful transformation of traditionally savory concepts into dessert items. Examples include dessert sushi with mango

What is the Cottage Cheese Renaissance Trend:  This trend marks the extraordinary revival of cottage cheese, transforming it from a dated 1980s diet food into a viral internet sensation celebrated for its high-protein content and surprising culinary versatility. From Dieter's Friend to Gym Bro Staple:  Once associated with restrictive diets and aerobics classes, cottage cheese has been rediscovered by a new generation. Gen Z and fitness enthusiasts ("gym bros") now champion i

What is the Retro Rejuvenation Trend:  This trend encapsulates the growing consumer desire to find comfort, authenticity, and emotional connection in the past as a refuge from a volatile and uncertain present. Idealized Past:  Consumers are not looking to relive a specific year or decade, but rather to connect with an idealized version of the past that they perceive as simpler, safer, and more genuine. This is a direct response to the modern "polycrisis"—a series of interlink

A vampire comedy with bite — and heart Życie dla początkujących (Life for Beginners) , directed by Paweł Podolski  and co-written with Lynn Kucharczyk , is a genre-bending dark comedy that blends horror, absurdism, and existential tenderness. The story follows Monia  (Magdalena Mascianica), a painfully introverted vampire who has found a comfortable — if lonely — way to survive: she works at a nursing home, quietly feeding on blood collected in sanitary conditions. Her human

Big Special  are a British duo from the West Midlands, combining punk, hip-hop, electronica, and spoken word into a bruising, electric mix. Fronted by Joe Hicklin  and Callum Moloney , the pair lay bare working-class disillusionment, internal unrest, and national malaise over jagged riffs and corrosive production. Their debut album Postindustrial Hometown Blues  captures the sound of frustration and empathy colliding — a bold, poetic portrait of modern British life. “Plaintiv