https://preview.redd.it/3ey3xk1cce5d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=013619527a9526a4c1a28fce38d2b1320c6e7192
Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Ang Lee's turn.
Lee's father, a respect principal, was hoping that his son would become a professor. But he was disappointed when his son failed his high school exam twice, forcing him to attend a less privileged university. Seeing Ingmar Bergman's film The Virgin Spring was a formative experience for him. After finishing his mandatory military service, he moved to the United States to complete his studies. He wanted to become an actor, but his struggle with English made him move into directing. After finally meeting a few contacts in the industry, he started working as a director.
From a box office perspective, how reliable was he to deliver a box office hit?
That's the point of this post. To analyze his career.

Pushing Hands (1991)

His directorial debut. It stars Sihung Lung, Lai Wang, Bo Z. Wang, Deb Snyder and Haan Lee. It follows a Chinese tai chi master living in New York, who struggles to find his place in the world. The film shows the contrast between traditional Chinese ideas of Confucian relationships within a family and the much more informal Western emphasis on the individual.
Lee graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 1984, but had failed to find career opportunities since, working almost full-time as a house-father. During the intermediate six years, he became interested in martial arts, specifically tai chi, after reading the wuxia novel Jianghu qixia zhuan. This motivated him to write a screenplay, which brought the attention of Hsu Li-kong, a recently promoted senior manager in a major studio who had a strong interest in Lee's unique style and freshness. He invited Lee to make his directorial debut.
It had a very limited release, and it was reported that it made just $152,322 domestically. But it received acclaim in the United States and Taiwan. And that allowed Lee to finally get a chance to expand his horizon.

• Budget: N/A.
  
• Domestic gross: $152,322.
  
• Worldwide gross: $152,322.
  

The Wedding Banquet (2023)

"You are cordially invited to a wedding where everybody wants to kiss the bride... except the groom."
His second film. The film stars Gua Ah-leh, Lung Sihung, May Chin, Winston Chao and Mitchell Lichtenstein. The story concerns a bisexual Taiwanese immigrant man who marries a mainland Chinese woman to placate his parents and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet and he has to hide the truth of his gay partner.
Neil Peng approached Lee with the idea in 1986 by revealing to Lee that one of their mutual friends had moved to the United States and was in a same-sex relationship without the knowledge of the man's parents. Lee and Peng began writing the screenplay two years later and were soon joined by James Schamus. Schamus wrote that the film was "first drafted in Chinese, then translated into English, re-written in English, translated back into Chinese, and eventually subtitled in Chinese and English and a dozen other languages."
The film was critically acclaimed, and became a sleeper hit, earning $23.6 million against a budget of just $1 million. Lee was on the rise.

• Budget: $1,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $6,933,459.
  
• Worldwide gross: $23,633,459.
  

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

"It's hard to tell where sex stops and food begins."
His third film. It stars Sihung Lung, Wang Yu-wen, Wu Chien-lien, and Yang Kuei-mei. It follows four members of the Zhu family as they navigate the challenges of love, life, tradition and family. This film deals with the transition from tradition to modernity. It is Lee's first (and to date, only film) to be shot entirely in his native Taiwan.
Like his previous films, another critical and commercial success. Lee quickly made himself a household name.

• Budget: N/A.
  
• Domestic gross: $7,294,403.
  
• Worldwide gross: $24,294,403.
  

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

"Lose your heart and come to your senses."
His fourth film. Based on the novel by Jane Austen, and it stars Emma Thompson (who also wrote the screenplay), Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman. The story follows the Dashwood sisters, members of a wealthy English family of landed gentry, as they must deal with circumstances of sudden destitution. They are forced to seek financial security through marriage.
In 1989, producer Lindsay Doran suggested adapting the novel to her colleagues. She was a lifelong fan of the novel, and vowed to make a film adaptation if she ever made it into the industry. Looking for a writer, Doran read screenplays by English and American writers until she came across a series of comedic skits, often in period settings, that actress Emma Thompson had written and decided that that was the direction she wanted for the film. As they were working on the film Dead Again, Doran hired Thompson to write the film, even though she never wrote a feature-length film before.
Thompson spent five years writing and revising the screenplay, both during and between shooting other films. Believing the novel's language to be "far more arcane than in [Austen's] later books," Thompson sought to simplify the dialogue while retaining the "elegance and wit of the original." Despite Doran's confidence, studios were reluctant to pick up the film, as Thompson never wrote a film. Columbia Pictures executive Amy Pascal supported Thompson's work and agreed to sign as the producer and distributor.
In 1993, Lee was hired to direct, basically for his work in The Wedding Banquet. Even though he was not familiar with Jane Austen, Doran felt that Lee's films, which depicted complex family relationships amidst a social comedy context, were a good fit with Austen's storylines. Viewing it as a "director for hire" job, Lee spent six months in preparing for the film, as it would have his largest budget ($16 million) by that point. Doran and Columbia asked Thompson to play Elinor herself.
The film received widespread critical acclaim, and was included on more than a hundred top-ten of the year lists, as well as one of the best Austen adaptations. It was a huge box office hit, earning $134 million worldwide. It received 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Thompson won Best Adapted Screenplay, making her the only person to have won an Oscar for both her writing and acting (she won Best Actress two years prior). However, Lee was not nominated for Best Director, a decision that was criticized by many as Hollywood's racism against Lee and Chinese cinema in general. Lee sought to avoid turning his omission into a scandal and specifically asked the Taiwan state media not to make it a "national issue", explaining that he endured more pressure when forced to act as his country's representative.

• Budget: $16,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $43,182,776.
  
• Worldwide gross: $134,582,776.
  

The Ice Storm (1997)

"The American Dream was over. But the hangover was just beginning."
His fifth film. Based on the novel by Rick Moody, it stars Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Katie Holmes, Glenn Fitzgerald, Jamey Sheridan and Sigourney Weaver. Set during Thanksgiving 1973, it follows two dysfunctional New Canaan, Connecticut, upper-class families who are trying to deal with tumultuous social changes of the early 1970s, and their escapism through alcohol, adultery and sexual experimentation.
The film ended Lee's winning streak at the box office, but it was still critically acclaimed.

• Budget: $18,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $8,038,061.
  
• Worldwide gross: $16,011,975.
  

Ride with the Devil (1999)

"In a no-man's land between North and South, you didn't fight for the blue or grey, you fought for your friends and your family."
His sixth film. Based on the novel Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell, it stars Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, Jewel, Simon Baker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, James Caviezel, Thomas Guiry and Jonathan Brandis. Set during the American Civil War, it follows a group of men who join the First Missouri Irregulars, also known as the Bushwhackers — guerrilla units loyal to pro-Confederacy units of the state — and their war against Northern Jayhawkers allied with the Union army.
Despite commanding a $38 million budget, the film had a very limited three-day run, making less than $1 million. It also received mixed reviews from critics.

• Budget: $38,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $635,096.
  
• Worldwide gross: $635,096.
  

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

"A timeless story of strength, secrets, and two warriors who would never surrender."
His seventh film. Based on the Chinese novel serialized between 1941 and 1942 by Wang Dulu, it stars Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen. Master Li Mu Bai, a warrior, is about to retire and gives his sword to his lover Yu Shu Lien to keep it safe. However, the sword is stolen and now an embittered Li embarks on a mission to find it.
The stunt work was mostly performed by the actors themselves and Ang Lee stated in an interview that computers were used "only to remove the safety wires that held the actors" aloft. "Most of the time you can see their faces," he added. "That's really them in the trees." The film specifically targeted Western audiences rather than the domestic audiences who were already used to Wuxia films. As a result, high-quality English subtitles were needed. Ang Lee, who was educated in the West, personally edited the subtitles to ensure they were satisfactory for Western audiences.
Whatever were the expectations for this, the film exceeded them by a large margin. After a limited release, it earned $8 million in its first wide domestic opening weekend. But the crazy thing was how insane were its legs; it didn't hit a sub $4 million weekend until its 12th wide weekend, and it even increased from some weekends. It closed with a colossal $128 million domestically, becoming the highest foreign-language film in United States, a record it still keeps, and it's twice as much as the second place, Life Is Beautiful. Worldwide, it earned $213.9 million worldwide, becoming a worldwide phenomenon and Lee's highest grossing film.
The film was widely acclaimed across the world, hailed as one of the greatest films of the century. The film led to a boost in popularity of Chinese wuxia films in the Western world, where they were previously little known, and led to films such as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, both directed by Zhang Yimou, being marketed towards Western audiences. It received 10 Oscar nominations (the most for a foreign film), including Best Picture and Best Director for Lee. It won four: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography. To this day, one of the most iconic foreign titles. Lee made history.

• Budget: $17,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $128,530,421.
  
• Worldwide gross: $213,978,518.
  

Hulk (2003)

"Unleash the fury."
His eighth film. Based on the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it stars Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte. The film explores Bruce Banner's origins. After a lab accident involving gamma radiation, he transforms into a giant green-skinned humanoid with superhuman strength known as the Hulk whenever stressed or emotionally provoked. The United States military pursues him, and he clashes with his biological father, who has dark plans for his son.
Since 1990, Avi Arad and Gale Ann Hurd were working on a Hulk film, but Universal was struggling in finding the right script. Hurd brought her husband Jonathan Hensleigh as co-producer the following year, and Universal hired Industrial Light & Magic to create the Hulk with computer-generated imagery. Joe Johnston was hired as director, but he eventually left to work on another film, while Zak Penn was brought to rewrite. Hensleigh subsequently rewrote the script with J. J. Abrams. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski were also brought on board to rewrite, with Hensleigh deciding to direct the film himself despite not having directed before. By 1998, Universal put the film on hiatus due to its escalating $100 million budget and worries of Hensleigh directing his first film. $20 million was already spent on script development, computer animation, and prosthetics work. Hensleigh immediately went to rewrite the script to reduce the budget.
In 2001, Lee and his colleague James Schamus signed for the project, after Lee chose not to direct Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. He was dissatisfied with the script and commissioned Schamus for a rewrite, merging Banner's father with the Absorbing Man. Lee cited influences from King Kong, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Beauty and the Beast, Faust, and Greek mythology to interpret the story. Schamus said he had found the storyline that introduced Brian Banner, allowing Lee to write a drama that again explored father-son themes. Schamus admitted to feeling pressure after the release of Spider-Man.
Eric Bana commented that the shoot was "Ridiculously serious... a silent set, morbid in a lot of ways." Lee told him that he was shooting a Greek tragedy, and that he would be making a "whole other movie" about the Hulk at Industrial Light & Magic. An example of Lee's arthouse approach to the film was taking Bana to watch a bare-knuckle boxing match. Bana would later disfavorably reflect on his experience making the film as the majority of the time he was working indoors while the rest of the cast interacted with a CGI recreation of the Hulk, somewhat limiting his screen time.
After the colossal success of Spider-Man, Universal mounted an extensive marketing campaign, which also highlighted Ang Lee's involvement. The film opened with a huge $62.1 million in its first weekend, the biggest June debut and the 16th biggest ever. However, the film had absolutely no legs at the box office. In its second weekend, it dropped a colossal 69.7%, which was the biggest for a film that opened above $20 million. In its third weekend, it fell another steep 56.3% and it kept falling until it left theaters, becoming the largest opener not to earn $150 million. It closed with $132 million domestically and $245 million worldwide. Good enough to be the 15th highest grossing film of the year and Lee's highest grossing film, but not a hit given its $137 million budget.
If Spider-Man was an immediate crowd-pleaser, Hulk was the exact opposite. It received polarizing reviews; while its ambition and style was praised, a lot criticized its CGI and very limited action ("too much talking and not enough smashing"). In subsequent years, some have praised the film as an ambitious film that deviated from the superhero formula, although it's still not widely considered as a beloved film. Lee admitted the challenges of the film, but stood proud of the film and its fans.

• Budget: $137,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $132,177,234.
  
• Worldwide gross: $245,285,165.
  

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

"Love is a force of nature."
His ninth film. Based on the short story by Annie Proulx, it stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams and Randy Quaid. Its plot depicts the complex romantic relationship between two American cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, in the American West from 1963 to 1983.
Screenwriter Diana Ossana discovered Annie Proulx's short story in October 1997, just days after its publication. She convinced writing partner Larry McMurtry to read it, who thought it was a "masterpiece". The pair asked Proulx if they could adapt it into a film screenplay; although she did not think that the story would work as a film, she agreed. The big challenge wasn't the script, it was about getting the film made in the first place.
Gus Van Sant attempted to make the film, hoping to cast Matt Damon and Joaquin Phoenix as Ennis and Jack, respectively. He also considered Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Ryan Phillippe and Josh Hartnett. Damon, who previously worked with Van Sant on Good Will Hunting, told the director, "Gus, I did a gay movie (The Talented Mr. Ripley), then a cowboy movie (All the Pretty Horses). I can't follow it up with a gay-cowboy movie!"
James Schamus, who was now the CEO of Focus Features, optioned the film rights in 2001. Pedro Almodovar was approached, but he felt he couldn't get his artistic freedom respected. At Ossana's request, Schamus showed the story and screenplay to Lee. Lee decided instead to make Hulk, and that film's experience left him exhausted, to the point that he considered retiring. When he was offered Brokeback, he changed his mind and agreed to direct. He was particularly drawn to the authentic rural American life and repression depicted in the story.
Ossana and McMurty suggested Heath Ledger, but the film studio thought he was not masculine enough. Regardless, Ledger got the script, who thought it was "beautiful" and put himself forward. Gyllenhaal reacted to the script positively and signed on for the role; he also did not want to miss the opportunity working with Lee and friend Ledger. Lee met with Mark Wahlberg for a role in the film, but Wahlberg declined as he was "creeped out" by the script. Gyllenhaal admired Ledger and described him as "way beyond his years as a human". Other actors were considered for the leads but Lee said they were too afraid to take on the roles.
You have to consider that while the world progressed a lot in the past years, 2005 was a very different era, so a film like Brokeback Mountain had a tough hill to climb. Some countries refused to play the film, while others censored it. LGBT films weren't big at the time, so it felt like there wouldn't be a big audience here.
And they were proven wrong.
The film debuted with $547,425 in 5 theaters, a huge $109,485 per-theater average. It had fantastic legs, eventually closing with a huge $83 million domestically. But the big surprise is that it was bigger overseas; it made $178 million worldwide, becoming Focus Features' highest grossing film. The film received universal acclaim on its release, touted as one of the greatest films of the century. It received 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. It won three: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score. In a shocking decision, it lost Best Picture to Crash, a decision that has been reviled ever since. We'd like to say it's a polarizing decision... but let's face it, there are no Crash fans nowadays. Or at least, none that prefer that to Brokeback.
But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter; Brokeback may not have won the Oscar, but it won over the general public.
It wasn't the first LGBT film, not even close. But it might have been the most influential and a huge landmark.

• Budget: $14,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $83,043,761.
  
• Worldwide gross: $178,064,141.
  

Lust, Caution (2007)

"The trap is set."
His tenth film. Based on the novella by Eileen Chang, it stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tang Wei, Anupam Kher, Joan Chen, Wang Leehom and Shyam Pathak. The film is set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when the city was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army and ruled by the puppet government led by Wang Jingwei. The film depicts a group of Chinese university students from The University of Hong Kong who plot to assassinate a high-ranking special agent and recruiter working for the puppet government by luring him into a honey trap.
The actors who played university classmates, spent six months of preproduction in Hong Kong just to get into character and understand the period before filming. During this period the group of actors, including Tang Wei and Wang Leehom became very close friends. Both Tang Wei and Tony Leung Chiu-wai were asked whether the sex scenes in the movie were unsimulated. Tang Wei responded, "In the movie, we are just doing what we should do to have a baby." As for Tony Leung, he responded, "When the bodies collide with each other, it is indeed like a fake show!" The film was rated NC-17 in North America for its explicit sex scenes, and Lee made it clear he would not re-cut the film. Despite that, the version released in China was cut by about seven minutes (by Lee himself) to make it suitable for younger audiences, since China has no rating system.
The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim. Due to the rating, it only earned $4 million domestically. But it was much bigger overseas, where it earned $67 million worldwide, becoming the highest grossing NC-17 film (a record it still keeps).

• Budget: $15,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $4,604,982.
  
• Worldwide gross: $67,091,915.
  

Taking Woodstock (2009)

"Take the trip."
His 11th film. Based on the memoir by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte, it stars Demetri Martin, Paul Dano, Dan Fogler, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff, Emile Hirsch, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Imelda Staunton and Liev Schreiber. Elliot's parents own a motel in Catskills, New York. To overcome the family's financial crisis, Elliot offers the organisers of the Woodstock music and art festival boarding and lodging in the motel.
The film received mixed reviews, and bombed at the box office.

• Budget: $30,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $7,460,204.
  
• Worldwide gross: $9,975,737.
  

Life of Pi (2012)

"Don't lose hope."
His 12th film. Based on the novel by Yann Martel, it stars Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Rafe Spall, Gérard Depardieu and Adil Hussain. The storyline revolves around two survivors of a shipwreck who are on a lifeboat stranded in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. One is a sixteen-year-old Indian boy named Pi Patel and the other is a ferocious Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Fox 2000 Pictures executive Elizabeth Gabler acquired the film rights in February 2003. M. Night Shyamalan was attached to direct, and he was expected to film it after The Village. But he dropped to instead make Lady in the Water, "I was hesitant [to direct] because the book has kind of a twist ending. And I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience." Other directors considered were Alfonso Cuarón and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, both of which declined.
In 2009, Lee was hired, but the film was stuck in development hell when he asked for a $120 million budget. But the revival of 3-D motivated Fox in greenlighting the film under Lee's terms. As Lee started casting, one of the actors involved was Tobey Maguire, who would play a reporter. But it was later reported that Lee chose to cut his scenes, feeling he wanted to emphasize an entirely international cast. His scenes were re-shot with Rafe Spall.
Fox mounted an extensive marketing campaign selling the film as "the next Avatar" in terms of visuals and 3-D. And it fucking killed it at the box office. It earned $124.9 million domestically, which was considered a soft performance. But the real money was in the rest of the world; the film broke records in countries like China, United Kingdom, India and Mexico. It earned a colossal $609 million worldwide, easily becoming Lee's highest grossing film. An absolutely insane performance.
The film also received critical acclaim, praised for its CGI and 3-D. It received 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. And it won four: Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, and then Lee himself won his second Oscar for Best Director, becoming the first Asian to win the award twice. And just like that, he cemented himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of our era. And here's how he celebrated it; going to In-N-Out.

• Budget: $120,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $124,987,023.
  
• Worldwide gross: $609,016,565.
  

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016)

"To walk the path of a hero, you have to see how it all began."
His 13th film. Based on the novel by Ben Fountain, it stars Joe Alwyn, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, and Chris Tucker. After a horrifying battle in Iraq, Private Billy Lynn and his fellow comrades are brought home for a victory tour. Soon, he recollects the harsh realities of the war and struggles to cope with life.
The film used an unprecedented shooting and projection frame rate of 120 frames per second in 3D at 4K UHD resolution, which Lee terms the "whole shebang". It is the first feature film ever to be shot in such a high frame rate, over twice the previous record (Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, shot at 48 fps) and five times the standard speed of 24 fps. Lee undertook such a bold step after reading the book since he wanted the film to be an "immersive" and "realistic" experience of the reality and emotional journey of soldiers.
Due to the complexity involved in shooting at a very high frame rate, Lee could not afford to do many takes even for a single scene. Every shot was difficult and at the same time precious. He would rehearse every scene beforehand and would conduct regular morning meetings with the key crew members to highlight things they needed to be alert on. Shooting close-up shots in 3D with such high resolution meant the cast could not wear make-up and could not deliver less-than-authentic performances. Since no make-up was allowed, make-up artist Luisa Abel spent months of preparation on their skin tones. Throughout filming, the production team had to rethink everything, including different approaches to lighting as the camera needed extra lights due to the higher frame rates.
Due to the complexity of the film's unprecedented high frame rate and the cost of installing equipment capable of projecting the film in its intended format, only five theaters globally were equipped to show it at its highest resolution and maximum frame rate: two in the United States (one at a theater in New York City's AMC Lincoln Square where the film had its world premiere and the other in Los Angeles's the ArcLight Hollywood), and one theater each in Taipei, Beijing, and Shanghai.
The film opened in 2 theaters (New York City's AMC Lincoln Square and Los Angeles's the ArcLight Hollywood's Cinerama Dome), which were the only ones in the country to play the film at 120fps and the ticket prices at both locations running $20 or higher. It made a pretty great $114,129, which made for a fantastic $57,064 per-theater average (the third best of the year). But when it hit wide release, the film was dead on arrival. It made just $901,062 in 1,176 theaters, which was one of the worst wide debuts ever. And then, despite having its second weekend fall on Thanksgiving, it collapsed by 77.3%. It closed after just 3 weeks with only $1.7 million domestically. It fared better overseas, where China made colossal $23.7 million. Worldwide, it made just $30.9 million, making it a box office flop. Reviews were mixed, and people were polarized over the high-frame rate; some deemed it immersive and impressive, while others found it distracting and flat.

• Budget: $30,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $1,738,477.
  
• Worldwide gross: $30,930,984.
  

Gemini Man (2019)

"Who will save you from yourself?"
His 14th film. It stars Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong. The film follows a retiring Force Recon Marine scout sniper who is targeted by a much younger clone of himself while on the run from a corrupt private military company.
In 1997, Darren Lemke sold his pitch for Gemini Man after impressing Don Murphy with an unproduced spec script. Warner Bros. Pictures pursued the project, but Walt Disney Pictures ultimately won out and Tony Scott would become attached to direct. Complications soon arose when the studio were planning how to make the film. The producers toyed with the idea of an actor play both roles through the use of visual effects, but Scott moved on from the film before any progress could be made.
The project was stuck in development hell, and saw many actors considered, such as Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Chris O'Donnell, Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood and Jon Voight. Many directors were also considered, before Lee finally signed in 2017, with Smith also joining. Like his previous film, the film was shot digitally at an extra-high frame rate of 120 frames per second (fps), modified for 3D, this time on modified ARRI Alexa cameras mounted on STEREOTEC 3D Rigs.
Again, due to the requirements needed, only 14 theaters in North America could show the film at a 120fps 2K 3D high-frame rate (two in Los Angeles, two in Chicago, and one each in Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, Denver, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Baltimore and Houston). Even then, the film was shot at 120fps 4K 3D, which means no theater showed its intended vision. Lee said that 120fps 2K 3D felt like the necessary avenue to make “Junior,” Smith’s digital avatar, a soulful character who could also appear to beat the living crap out of a real actor in the film’s many fight sequences.
The film received negative reviews, particularly for its CGI and story. And like his previous film, the high-frame rate received polarizing reactions. Despite the presence of a big star like Will Smith, the film flopped with just $173 million worldwide, against its $138 million budget, and losing an estimated $111 million for Paramount. Lee's attempt at high-frame rate was just not clicking with the public.

• Budget: $138,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $48,546,770.
  
• Worldwide gross: $173,469,516.
  

The Future

His next film, as confirmed in November 2022, is a Bruce Lee biopic. The lead actor will be Mason Lee, Ang's son. And he suggested he's not done with the 120fps high-frame rate, claiming he would continue using it in his next film for action sequences.

MOVIES (FROM HIGHEST GROSSING TO LEAST GROSSING)

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
1	Life of Pi	2012	20th Century Fox	$124,987,023	$484,029,542	$609,016,565	$120M
2	Hulk	2003	Universal	$132,177,234	$113,107,931	$245,285,165	$137M
3	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	2000	Sony	$128,530,421	$85,446,864	$213,978,518	$17M
4	Brokeback Mountain	2005	Focus Features	$83,043,761	$95,019,405	$178,064,141	$14M
5	Gemini Man	2019	Paramount	$48,546,770	$124,922,746	$173,469,516	$138M
6	Sense and Sensibility	1995	Sony	$43,182,776	$91,400,000	$134,582,776	$16M
7	Lust, Caution	2007	Focus Features	$4,604,982	$62,486,933	$67,091,915	$15M
8	Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk	2016	Sony	$1,738,477	$29,192,507	$30,930,984	$30M
9	Eat Drink Man Woman	1994	The Samuel Goldwyn Company	$7,294,403	$17,000,000	$24,294,403	N/A
10	The Wedding Banquet	1993	The Samuel Goldwyn Company	$6,933,459	$16,700,000	$23,633,459	$1M
11	The Ice Storm	1997	20th Century Fox / Disney	$8,038,061	$7,973,914	$16,011,975	$18M
12	Taking Woodstock	2009	Focus Features	$7,460,204	$2,515,533	$9,975,737	$30M
13	Ride with the Devil	1999	USA Films	$635,096	$0	$635,096	$38M
14	Pushing Hands	1991	Lionsgate	$152,322	$0	$152,322	N/A

Across 14 films, he has made $1,727,122,572 worldwide. That's $123,365,898 per film.

The Verdict

Despite his past two films getting two of the worst reviews in his career, Lee has proved himself to be a very reliable director.
Something impressive about him is the versatility in his resume. A comic book film, a survival film, a LGBT film, a wuxia film, a sci-fi film, a post-war film, a Jane Austen film, a noir film, an erotic NC-17 thriller, a Western, and some romantic comedies. Even if some don't fully work, there's still some good and interesting aspects in him. And of course, the first Asian director to win 2 Oscars for Best Director. So if he wants to continue with the controversial 120fps high-frame rate, let him cook. Hopefully in more and more theaters worldwide.
Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.
The next director will be Zack Snyder. Oh boy. This is where the fun begins.
I asked you to choose who else should be in the run and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... John McTiernan and Rob Reiner. Whaaaaat? Two posts for the price of one? You're welcome! It was a very tight race, and it was tough to choose one or the other. The former has the dishonor of going to director jail and real jail, while the latter had an incredible run before completely crashing with one of Roger Ebert's most hated films.
This is the schedule for the following four:

Week	Director	Reasoning
June 10-16	Zack Snyder	RIP Inbox.
June 17-23	Tony Scott	Action films have not been the same ever since his death.
June 24-30	Roland Emmerich	The King of disaster films.
July 1-7	John McTiernan & Rob Reiner	The rise and fall of two once-great directors.

Who should be next after McTiernan and Reiner? That's up to you.

I discovered this site recently and was amazed at the possibilities. However, as I am not a US resident I cannot use the platform as it was intended to be used (automatically connecting with a broker).
https://preview.redd.it/mpklhe133e5d1.png?width=1036&format=png&auto=webp&s=389600899c9fb3f52fda8ead8a939936f7451d65
However, I wonder what the impediments are to reproducing one of these strategies/algorithms manually, given that this same strategy/algorithm is available and, honestly, simple to reproduce in code with Python.
https://preview.redd.it/s6kg0k843e5d1.png?width=577&format=png&auto=webp&s=dc27e79fe27296dc13783d8fbe35b7d92b44595b
Going further, in theory, I think it would not even be necessary to reproduce the algorithm in code since the current position is listed on the strategy page:
https://preview.redd.it/vlx3zve83e5d1.png?width=708&format=png&auto=webp&s=3cfa2741f7a40af5f0e241f1591723b2bf81fd07
My question then is the following: how much of a delay is the position listed in "simulated holdings"? Or are there no delays?
Let's assume that today is a Wednesday, I follow the strategy and would like to check if I should change my position. I can just open the page and see if the position has changed in that section, right? Or is there something that prevents this regarding the functioning of the platform that I don't know about?

https://preview.redd.it/rg36ewk9i85d1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7a005a65d91d591b142ae21ebe832fe2dba6096
When it comes down to high profile first person shooter titles from the late 00’s one of the few memorable titles from that time period was the original Bioshock game from 2007. Bioshock was developed by Irrational Games & 2K Australia and published by 2K Games for the PS3, Xbox 360 along with Microsoft Windows. Bioshock had utilized the Unreal Engine 2.5 and was a survival-horror like game that was set in the 1960’s in a fictional underwater city known as Rapture. The story of Bioshock sees players controlling the main protagonist named Jack after his plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The game also sees Jack discover the decayed state of the Rapture following the catastrophic effects of the Civil War due to anarchism. Throughout, the game Jack had to protect himself against hordes of mutants and security robots after injecting himself with genetic altering chemicals which eventually gives him superpowers. Jack also had the ability to obtain weapons and other items after killing foes in melee combat while trying to survive within the Rapture. Bioshock had about fifteen different sections throughout the game starting at Lighthouse and ending at the Fontaine’s Lair. While the final boss fight against Fontaine was subjected to some controversy based on the character’s design; it was nothing detrimental to the overall quality of Bioshock.
https://preview.redd.it/h21cjvidi85d1.jpg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a66152dee790d9c87ca32ce000b731b357d2002
Besides Bioshock had two different endings which would force players to anxious play though it a second time. One of the main drawbacks about Bioshock was the fact that the campaign was short since players could easily complete the entire game within 12-14 hours. Also, Bioshock was mostly linear and lacked a variety of side quests which could of made the game more exciting. Aside from what Bioshock was lacking almost everything else in the game was almost perfect. The level designs and dark atmosphere made Bioshock feel more like a survival-horror title than a first-person shooter. The Splicer creatures were downright terrifying especially for casual gamers who are not accustomed to blood guts and horror in first-person shooter titles. The voice acting in Bioshock was also one of the many strong points of the game considering the fact the game was released in 2007. High quality voice acting in video games was still somewhat rare during late 00’s; but it definitely helped Bioshock stand out as much as it did towards start of the PS3/Xbox 360 generation of gaming. Bioshock ended up reaching at least 3 million copies in sales by 2009 and was eventually remastered for the iOS in ‘14 and the Nintendo Switch during 2020. Despite, the fact that the original Bioshock came out about thirteen years ago it still holds up pretty well over a decade later.

https://preview.redd.it/v37vzul9v65d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=85d827e8fa7a1c51da1b55547b859b6d33a375fe
EVERETT—County leadership on June 5 joined by approximately 100 residents at the eastside of the Snohomish County Campus rang in Pride Month with a flag-raising ceremony and resource fair.
Councilwoman Megan Dunn opens Wednesday’s Fourth Annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on the Snohomish County Campus. Lynnwood Times Mario Lotmore.
“Paula and I are again bringing out commitment and dedication to our LGBTQI+ community and support inclusion and diversity here in our county,” Councilwoman Megan Dunn opened to applauds.
This is the fourth ceremony to take place at the Snohomish County Campus championed by Dunn and her legislative aid and Everett City Councilwoman Paula Rhyne. This year, the Snohomish County’s Office of Social Justice coordinated to bring a resource fair to the event.
County Executive Dave Somers at the Fourth Annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on the Snohomish County Campus. Lynnwood Times Mario Lotmore.
“Each year Pride Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate our LGBTQ+ communities here in Snohomish County and across the county,” Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said. “It is a time to come together, celebrate what makes us unique, and recognize and pay tribute to the civil rights icons who fought for queer communities’ rights over decades.”
Executive Somers read excerpts from the Pride Proclamation that was passed by the County Council on Wednesday, May 29.
Since the country’s founding, the punishment for gay people varied from fines to prison, and those who identified or were suspected of being LGBTQ+ were commonly met with violence, discrimination, persecution, and harassment. Everything changed on the evening of June 28, 1969, after a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village ensued into a riot that went on for days, with thousands of people joining to protest.
This “gay rebellion” is considered the catalyst for the gay liberation movement in the United States leading to decades of gay political activism.
Marko Liias, Communications Manager for the County Executive, and local State Senator, speaking at the Fourth Annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on the Snohomish County Campus. Lynnwood Times Mario Lotmore.
Marko Liias, Communications Manager for the County Executive, and local State Senator, shared with the Lynnwood Times the accomplishments and struggles of former Senator Calvin “Cal” Bruce Anderson, Washington state’s first openly gay member of the legislature, who introduced 18 gay rights legislation until his death from AIDS in 1995.
Just 12 years into the gay liberation movement in the U.S., the Center for Disease Control (CDC) published a report on June 5, 1981, of five young Los Angelos gay men with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and other immunocompromised symptoms. Little did anyone know that the country was about to experience a culturally shifting worldwide epidemic, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome—AIDS.
Snohomish County Sheriff Susanna Johnson speaking at the Fourth Annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on the Snohomish County Campus. Lynnwood Times Mario Lotmore.
Gay people now faced a new era of not only societal discrimination but medical discrimination of a disease commonly referred to by news outlets, elected officials, and medical professionals in the 1980s as the “Gay Cancer.” The AIDS epidemic disproportionality impacted the LGBTQ+ community because of the lack of funding in research and prevention in its early stages due to this new form of discrimination.
AIDS deaths peaked between 1987 and 1996; and by 2021 over 700,000 people, died from the disease—both LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ persons. As of June of 2021, an estimated 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, which because of medical advances, live a relatively healthy life.
Cal Anderson, like so many other LGBTQ+ contributors to gay liberation in his generation, were lost to AIDS. Today, many parades and pride festivals offer some aspect dedicated to remembering victims of AIDS and anti-LGBT violence. For 2022, the FBI’s annual crime report showed a +19% increase in anti-LGBTQ bias crimes, and a +35% increase in anti-transgender bias crimes.
“It is very important for us to stand together and support each other here in Snohomish County despite the battles that rage around us in the political climate today,” Somers said. “The culture wars are actually ripping this country apart and we need to fight against that by standing together.”
Scene from the Fourth Annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on the Snohomish County Campus. Lynnwood Times Mario Lotmore.
Pride didn’t start with the Stonewall Rebellion, below were other monumental events that contributed to gay liberation over the decades:

• The founding of the Society for Human Rights by Henry Gerber in Chicago in the 1920s.
• In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association no longer classifying homosexuality as a mental illness.
• In 2001, Washington state began providing benefits to same-sex partners of state employees.
• In 2007, Washington state recognized state-registered domestic partnerships.
• Signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 28, 2009, the Mathew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act classified intentional targeting of gay and marginalized peoples for crime as a hate crime.
• In July of 2011, President Barack Obama’s repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy” allowing gays to serve in the military went into effect.
• February 13, 2012, Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire signing into law full marriage rights for gays and lesbians. In November 2012, Washington voters approved the law in Referendum 74, by a vote of 54% to 46%, after it was contested. Same-sex marriages have been recognized in Washington state since that law took effect on December 6, 2012.
• Between 2013 and 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, stating that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.
• On August 1, 2016, Seattle voted to ban conversion therapy on minors.
• On June 7, 2018, Governor Jay Inslee signed SB-5722, banning the practice of conversion therapy in Washington state. The bill was sponsored by Senator Marko Liias (D-Edmonds).
• In April 2019, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill establishing the Washington state LGBTQ commission.
• In March 2024, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed SB-5462 into law “mandating gay history and other similar related content curriculums” to be taught by teachers within all state-based schools, colleges and classrooms.

“It is great to see Snohomish County raise a Pride flag and pass a proclamation affirming that LGBTQIA+ rights are human rights,” said Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02). “Thanks to the decades-long struggle of countless LGBTQIA+ individuals and allied organizers in Snohomish County and across Washington state, Northwest Washington has come a long way on LGBTQIA+ rights, but there are still more barriers to overcome to ensure everyone can full participate in our communities. As an ally, I will continue to fight alongside the LGBTQIA+ community to make Snohomish County, Washington state and the United States more equal, just, safe and fair.”
Snohomish County Sheriff Susanna Johnson committed to protecting everyone in the community regardless of their identity.
“Everybody, we care about them, and we need to keep everybody safe,” Sheriff Johnson said. “When we won’t tolerate the intolerance for how people identify themselves, or who they care to love, it’s no body’s business. At a basic level we are a community.”
Bryce Laake with Everett Pride speaking at the Fourth Annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on the Snohomish County Campus. Lynnwood Times Mario Lotmore.
Liias highlighted the progress of acceptance of recognizing and celebrating Pride Month in Snohomish County.
“When I was growing up, there were zero pride celebrations, now there are nine pride celebrations and growing,” Liias told attendees. “At the Office of Social Justice, we are supporting as many as we can, and we are excited to highlight their work.”
Representatives of local pride events had an opportunity to promote their pride celebration listed below:

• June 8: Lake Stevens Pride
• June 8: Lynnwood Pride: Welcome to Oz
• June 9: Monroe Pride
• June 15: Everett Pride
• June 22: Edmonds Pride

Notable attendees for Wednesday’s flag raising ceremony were Snohomish County Councilman Strom Peterson, Snohomish County Superior Court Judges Paul Thompson and Edirin Okoloko, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, Everett City Councilwoman Mary Fosse, Mill Creek Mayor Pro Tem Stephanie Vignal, and Lake Stevens City Councilwoman Anji Jorstad.
RELATED ARTICLE(S)

• Washington launches first ever statewide LGBTQ+ survey
• Happy Pride from Sen. Marko Liias

https://preview.redd.it/ttsfcnolu65d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=fd69eb1c3b2f822c64c86edf98ca3ebb19a1f0fa
EVERETT—A Lynnwood Times study of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) incident records from 2014 to 2023 concludes that there is no statistically significant safety difference between US-related Boeing and Airbus commercial aircraft.

Boeing scrutiny and oversight

After Alaska Airlines Flight 1282’s non-fatal incident involving a cabin door blowing off mid-flight on January 5, 2024, due to four key bolts missing, according to a preliminary report from the NTSB, Boeing has been under intense scrutiny by federal regulators and media.
The incident resulted in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily grounding, for weeks, similarly configured Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft to undergo inspections. The action by the FAA was reminiscent of the March 2019 grounding of all Boeing 737-MAX aircraft shortly after Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a 737-MAX 8 aircraft, crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Adaba killing all 157 people aboard. Just months earlier, on October 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea 12 minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 passengers and crew. Both 737-MAX 8 aircraft, and the Boeing 737 Max 9, were only a few months old at the time of their incidents.
On March 4, 2024, the FAA “halted production expansion of the Boeing 737 MAX,” as a financial incentive for the company to address what the FAA calls, “production quality issues.” A six-week FAA audit of the Boeing 737 Max 9 production line found multiple “manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control” problems. Regulators also required the aircraft manufacturer to develop a comprehensive plan within 90 days to address the “systemic quality-control issues.”
On Thursday, May 30, the FAA accepted Boeing’s comprehensive “Product Safety and Quality Plan,” that aims to tighten supplier oversite and manufacturing processes.
On March 25, Boeing’s President and CEO Dave Calhoun, along with BCA president and board chair, announce their resignations. A month later, on April 25, S&P Global downgraded Boeing from “stable” to “negative” a day after Moody’s similar announcement.
“The company faces heightened production uncertainty, notably related to quality issues affecting its 737 MAX aircraft, and key changes to its leadership are pending,” the report reads. “We revised the rating outlook to negative from stable and affirmed our ‘BBB-‘ long- and ‘A-3’ short-term issuer credit ratings on the aerospace and defense company.”
S&P Global expects Boeing to have poor “cash flow and credit ratios” due to the risk of “further delays” related to the company’s commercial aircraft production.

NTSB incident data deep dive

Almost daily, so far this year, there are reports of safety incidents involving a Boeing manufactured plane in the news. Recently, the Seattle Times published a well-researched article comparing the safety record of Boeing-built aircraft to that of its primary competitor, Airbus, using NTSB data—see below.
SOURCE: Seattle Times article https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/have-boeing-planes-really-had-more-problems-lately-look-at-the-numbers/
At first glance it appears that Airbus, with its 82 incidents to Boeing’s 166, is a much safer aircraft to fly. The Lynnwood Times was able to duplicate similar results from the NTSB database but with 170 reported incidents over the last 10 years for Boeing. Because both aircraft models have varying scales, displaying only the aggregate of the data—not normalized—as presented by the Seattle Times may lead to possible misinterpretation of its findings.
Performing a One-Way ANOVA analysis, a statistical test used to evaluate the difference between the means datasets, indicated that there is strong evidence (p-value 0.00058) with a 95% confidence level that Airbus safety incidents differ by 8.4 per year, well beyond any likelihood of being statistically equal. The mean for Airbus yielded 8.2 [±2.898] incidents and 16.6 [±5.680] for Boeing. In other words, the way the data is presented by the Seattle Times, allows for the misinterpretation that Airbus aircraft is much safer than Boeing-built aircraft.
When analyzing data of varying scales, it must be adjusted to a notionally common scale, in this case million departures per year and million block hours per year—an apples-to-apples comparison. Boeing has almost 60 percent more departures within the United States than Airbus and just over 40 percent more commercial block hours (duration of passenger revenue service). What this means is that there are more opportunities for a Boeing aircraft to experience a safety incident in the U.S. than an Airbus aircraft. Therefore, the data must be normalized to a common scale.
Below are normalized charts of all reported commercial incidents using the data from both the Seattle Times (normalized by the Lynnwood Times) and Lynnwood Times. Using a million block hours per year generated similar charts and same conclusion from the statistical analysis. For simplicity, only charts showing million departures per year are displayed for a one-to-one comparison.
Normalizing the safety data presented by Seattle Times tells a much more accurate story. Just with a visual look, the two datasets appear similar.
Normalized chart of reported commercial incidents using Seattle Times dataset represented as million departures per year. SOURCE: Seattle Times article https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/have-boeing-planes-really-had-more-problems-lately-look-at-the-numbers/
A One-Way ANOVA analysis for the above chart indicates there is strong evidence (p-value 0.4337) with a 95% confidence level that the means of Airbus and Boeing safety incidents do not differ significantly. The mean for Airbus yielded 4.9136 [±1.5491] incidents per million departures per year and 5.4718 [±1.5681] incidents per million departures per year for Boeing.
In other words, you are as likely to experience a safety incident with Boeing as with Airbus. However, keep in mind that these are all reported safety incidents, treating minor coffee spills with the same level of severity as an engine failure.
Performing the One-Way ANOVA analysis for all incident data using the Lynnwood Times dataset also yielded strong evidence (p-value 0.3429) with a 95% confidence level that the means of Airbus and Boeing safety incidents do not differ significantly. The mean for Airbus yielded 4.9136 [±1.5491] incidents per million departures per year and 5.5901 [±1.5570] incidents per million departures per year for Boeing.
Airbus and Boeing safety incidents from 2024 to 2023. SOURCE: National Transportation Safety Board Mario Lotmore Lynnwood Times
Although the Lynnwood Times’ dataset yielded a slightly lesser significance value, it is still statistically sound. Also, both the means for the Lynnwood Times and the Seattle Times differs for Boeing by 0.1183 (just over 2 percent).
In his article, “Does data show Boeing is unsafe?,” by Courtney Miller, Founder and Managing Director, Visual Approach Analytics, he pointed out the Seattle Times’ use of “aggregate numbers of incidents” suggests to the reader that Boeing’s safety incident rate “is higher” than Airbus contrary to the data.
“The Seattle Times did an admirable job of providing more context to the NTSB numbers in a recent article,” wrote Miller. “You’ll notice very similar-looking charts to ours, but with one key difference: aggregate numbers of incidents are still used [by Seattle Times], suggesting Boeing’s rate is higher while providing the context of greater Boeing departures separately in the text.”
The Lynnwood Times took Miller’s lead from his article and reviewed all 319 reported aircraft incidents for both Boeing and Airbus from 2014 to 2023. Cargo and general aviation (charter and biplanes) built by the two aircraft manufacturers were removed because one cannot accurately estimate the number of flights and hours. The remaining 252 reports were then categorized as unknown, environmental factors, human factors, and aircraft related.
Miller’s dataset differed slightly in that it had 165 Boeing (five less than Lynnwood Times) incidents and 84 (two more that Lynnwood Times) Airbus incidents.
Not all reported incidents have the same level of severity. The NTSB database includes all reported US-related accidents and incidents—from a coffee spill resulting in an injury to a fatal plane crash. The data shows that 80.56 percent of incidents are Human and Environmental factors, and only 12.7 percent are aircraft related.
Airbus and Boeing safety incidents from 2024 to 2023. SOURCE: National Transportation Safety Board Mario Lotmore Lynnwood Times
Human factor incidents were subcategorized as pilot error, cabin incident, taxi incident, tail strike (which one incident was weather related), air traffic controller error, and grounded crew. Environmental factor incidents were subcategorized as turbulence, airport equipment, and bird strikes. Aircraft related incidents were subcategorized as aircraft manufacturer, electrical, engine failure, and maintenance error (can also be considered a human factor).
The most common incident reported was turbulence at 29.37 percent, followed by pilot error and a cabin incident (spilled coffee or cart injury). Almost all injuries were related to turbulence, cabin, or grounded crew incidents. Both Boeing and Airbus had no manufacturing incidents reported in the NTSB database for U.S. related flights during this period.
Airbus and Boeing safety incidents from 2024 to 2023. SOURCE: National Transportation Safety Board Mario Lotmore Lynnwood Times
A One-Way ANOVA analysis for all aircraft related (including maintenance) incident data using the Lynnwood Times dataset yielded somewhat strong evidence (p-value 0.2041) with a 95% confidence level that the means of Airbus and Boeing aircraft related safety (including maintenance) incidents do not differ significantly. The mean for Airbus yielded 0.5836 [±0.4030] incidents per million departures per year and 0.7669 [±0.1765] incidents per million departures per year for Boeing.
The Boeing aircraft related safety data is tighter to its mean, whereas Airbus’ occurrences have a greater variance. In other words, Boeing aircraft related safety is consistent for this dataset.
Airbus and Boeing true aircraft-related safety incidents (including maintenance) from 2024 to 2023. SOURCE: National Transportation Safety Board Mario Lotmore Lynnwood Times
Removing the “noise” from the data by focusing on all aircraft safety, including maintenance incidents, (not those due to human and environmental factors) provides a more accurate story for what is in the control of the aircraft manufacturer.
When comparing aircraft related incidents with maintenance and without maintenance in the dataset, the number of Boeing and Airbus incidents per million departures dropped 49 and 35 percent respectively. This significant reduction conveys the importance of routine maintenance by an airliner for the prevention of a safety incident.
Airbus and Boeing true aircraft-related safety incidents (excluding maintenance) from 2024 to 2023. SOURCE: National Transportation Safety Board Mario Lotmore Lynnwood Times
The aircraft safety data with maintenance related incidents removed from the aircraft related category more accurately reflects aircraft-only incidents, as maintenance truly is attributed to human error and is the responsibility of the airline (e.g. United, Alaska, Delta, etc.) maintenance personnel or third-party maintenance personnel and not the aircraft manufacturer.
Performing a One-Way ANOVA analysis for true aircraft related (not including maintenance) incident data using the Lynnwood Times dataset yielded very strong evidence (p-value 0.939) with a 95% confidence level that the means of Airbus and Boeing’s true aircraft related safety incidents do not differ significantly. The mean for Airbus yielded 0.3784 [±0.3475] incidents per million departures per year and 0.3900 [±0.3221] incidents per million departures per year for Boeing. In other words, Boeing’s true aircraft related safety is almost identical to that of Airbus from 2014 through 2023.
For the last ten years, Boeing has averaged 5.5901 incidents per million departures and Airbus has averaged 4.9136 incidents per million departures, regardless of incident severity. However, because of the variability in incidents per year, the overall safety for both aircraft manufacturers is statistically the same.
For true aircraft related incidents, removing maintenance caused, the average over ten years drops to 0.3900 and 0.3784 incidents per million departures for Boeing and Airbus respectively. Again, statistically when factoring variability, these are the same.
Although our numbers differed slightly, the analysis by Visual Approach Analytics also concluded that the true aircraft related safety rates for both aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, are in fact the same.
“Even though the [Seattle Times] article aimed to quell the same misinformation, the charts still show elevated Boeing incidents when, in fact, the rate is the same,” wrote Miller. “A seemingly small difference to us, but consider this article was sent to me by a concerned family member who used it to ‘prove’ that Boeing aircraft were unsafe. The attempt by the Seattle Times to use good data to ease irrational fears actually added to the hysteria in this anecdote.”

Why the regulatory and media hype

It begs to question, when the empirical data is easily available, why regulators are not requiring, and the media not reporting, the same level of “scrutiny” for Airbus.
SOURCE: Boeing Company Facebook Page
Each day, about 2.9 million people fly on commercial aircraft in the United States. The last fatal U.S. crash of a commercial airliner was Continental Flight 3407 in January of 2009, killing 49 passengers and crew, and one person on the ground. From 2010 to 2022, eight people, according to the NTSB, have died using commercial airlines. General Aviation, which are small and experimental planes, saw 4,079 fatalities during that same period.
According to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, there were 810 traffic fatalities in 2023, up 9 percent from the previous year. This equates to 102 fatalities per million people or 2.22 fatalities per day within the state. The commission reports 429.2 serious traffic injuries per million people in Washington state for 2023 or 9.35 people per day.
US commercial air travel, in comparison, for the last 15 years has reported 0.00146 fatalities per day, and according to the NTSB’s Railroad Passenger Safety Data statistics, from 2009 to 2023, there were 76 fatalities across the U.S. or 0.0139 fatalities per day for commuter rail.
However, since the Alaska Airlines incident in January, news outlets appear to be relentless in their coverage of airplane incidents, specifically those that involve Boeing, to the point where Kayak.com is experiencing a spike from travelers filtering out Boeing planes out of fear.
A recent Vox article sums up the media hype best: “Their [travelers] fears have been fueled by news sites that have been serving up incident after incident: a Boeing 737 Max 8 sliding off the runway in Houston, another 737 in Houston making an emergency return after flames were spotted spewing out of an engine, yet another in Newark reporting stuck rudder pedals, a Boeing 777 losing a tire shortly after takeoff from San Francisco, a 777 making an emergency landing in Los Angeles with a suspected mechanical issue. And so on and so on.”
The Qatar Airways incident last week that injured 12 due to turbulence enroute from Doha to Dublin read on Fox Business, “12 Qatar Airways passengers injured as Boeing jet hits turbulence en route to Dublin,” with the byline, “Passengers say episode on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner traveling from Doha to Ireland was ‘scary.’”
Fox Business in March reported that travelers are resulting to medication and prayer when flying because of the hype.
“If you start with a conclusion, you can always find some data to support it,” Courtney Miller, Founder and Managing Director, Visual Approach Analytics, told the Lynnwood Times in a statement. “In this case, it seemed logical that Boeing aircraft were less safe than Airbus because of all the negative coverage on Boeing. But the data simply doesn’t support that conclusion. The United States shows more Boeing incidents because Boeing is a U.S. manufacturer and all Boeing incidents around the world are reported. Conversely, France shows more Airbus incidents because of the same dynamic. In the end, both Boeing and Airbus aircraft have incredibly similar incident rates – and both are infinitesimal. Both Boeing and Airbus aircraft are extraordinarily safe to fly.”
Year-to-date there are 12 reported Boeing incidents to Airbus’ one. However, as of June 4, 2023, there were eight reported Boeing incidents. Seven of the 12 incidents this year have reported injuries, but the probable cause has yet to be determined. Based off historical data, these are most likely going to be classified as turbulence, cabin, or ground incident—non-aircraft related—except for the Alaska Airlines incident in January.

Why Boeing’s woes may become your problem

In 2020 when Boeing halted its production of the 737 MAX, economists estimated a 0.5- to 0.6-percent drop in GDP growth for the entire U.S.
SOURCE: Boeing Company Facebook Page
Boeing’s stock is down 27.2 percent since January 2, 2024, from $258.59 to $188.30 as of June 4. With S&P Global and Moody’s lowering the aircraft manufacturer’s creditworthiness in April, the FAA capping 737 Max production to 38 planes per month, delays in 777X production, and setbacks meeting mandated international “greener” emission standards for its 767 aircrafts, the company may soon face a cash crunch as it burns through billions of dollars more than projected.
Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West warned investors at a conference in May that the company is set to lose at least $3.9 billion in its second quarter matching the previous quarter’s lost. Boeing’s cash on hand for the quarter ending March 31, 2024, was $7.52 billion according to its financial quarterly report. A positive is that the company had a $529 billion backlog.
Boeing is one the nation’s largest exporters and has a global workforce of 170,000 with approximately 66,000 employed in Washington state. It has contracts with at least 12,000 suppliers around the world of which over 1,000 are in Washington state.
Aerospace is a $70 billion industry in Washington state employing some 130,000 according to the Washington State Department of Commerce. In 2022, Boeing paid more than $200 million in taxes to Washington state.
America’s number one aircraft manufacturer is in a race against time to implement more robust quality controls, to the FAA’s liking, and repair its public image.
Boeing has faced challenges in the past, such as the fatal Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines incidents, and the 787 aircraft lithium-ion battery debacle. The company of innovators and hard-working union employees in the Puget Sound area, always “find a way” to do the impossible and succeed.

Strong references are the backbone of a credible project report. They acknowledge the sources you used and allow readers to explore further. Here's a guide to writing them effectively:
https://preview.redd.it/j7g5w0zxt45d1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=1a2c43cbe7bccc977b597aa6acc31a1224572725
1. Follow a Style Guide:
There are various academic referencing styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago. Choose the one your institution or project supervisor prefers. Each style has specific formatting requirements for listing authors, titles, publication dates, and publishers. Consistency is key!
2. Reference Section:
Dedicate a separate section at the end, titled "References" or "Works Cited." List all sources you've cited within the report, not just those you directly quoted. Organize them alphabetically by the author's last name (or first author for multiple authors).
3. Reference Formatting:
Each reference entry should follow the chosen style's format. Here's a general breakdown (consult your specific style guide for details):

• Books: Author(s) (Last Name, First Name Initial. Middle Name Initial). (Year of Publication). Title of Book (Edition). Publisher.
• Journal Articles: Author(s) (Last Name, First Name Initial. Middle Name Initial). (Year of Publication). Title of Article. Journal Name (Volume Number), (Page Numbers).
• Websites: AuthoOrganization (if available). (Year of Publication, if available). Title of Webpage. Retrieved from URL (accessed date).

4. In-Text Citations:
Within your report, whenever you use information from another source, cite it using the chosen style's in-text citation format. This usually involves including the author's last name and year of publication (e.g., Smith, 2023).
Bonus Tip: Use a reference management software to streamline the process. These tools help you organize your sources, format references automatically, and generate in-text citations.
By following these steps and referencing accurately, you'll enhance your project report's credibility and demonstrate strong research skills.

SQL Yoga
Today, I encountered a situation where I needed to display all related data in a comma-separated list using a SELECT statement. Up until now, I have been using a scalar function that utilizes COALESCE() to achieve this. However, I discovered a fantastic solution that allows us to generate a comma-separated list without needing a scalar function. Let’s dive into it with SQLYoga guide.

Example Scenario

Consider the following table:

CREATE TABLE #test( field1 VARCHAR(5), field2 VARCHAR(5) ); 

Let’s insert some data into this table:

INSERT INTO #test SELECT '001','AAA' UNION ALL SELECT '001','BBB' UNION ALL SELECT '002','CCC' UNION ALL SELECT '003','DDD' UNION ALL SELECT '004','EEE' UNION ALL SELECT '004','FFF' UNION ALL SELECT '004','GGG'; 

Current Data in the Table

After inserting the data, our table looks like this:
Output: Show Output