Weekend news roundup 07/08: Winners, announcements & more

Monday 7 August 2023 by Jonathan Victoria  News

Arsenal victorious in Community Shield

🏆 pic.twitter.com/Ha5bxXKuAe

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 6, 2023

Treble winners Manchester City lost their third Community Shield in a row after Arsenal overcame them on penalties.

It was a fairly even game, with both sides not finding a way through until the first round of substitutions. City youngster Cole Palmer came off the bench and hit a sweet strike to open the scoring in the 77th minute.

But Arsenal never gave up, finding an equaliser deep into added time through Leandro Trossard (and a lot of help from an Akanji deflection).

Going on to penalties, it was Arsenal who held their nerves in front of their end of the stadium, winning 4-1 in the shootout.

The new boys for the Gunners featured and looked good, with Jurrien Timber especially putting in a Man of the Match performance as if he had been here and done it for many years already.

£105m man Declan Rice looked to fit seamlessly in the midfield and is sure to improve in this Arsenal side which should be City’s biggest challenge for the league title once again.

Barbie tops $1b at box office

#Barbie becomes the first film directed solely by a woman in history to gross $1 billion at the box office. pic.twitter.com/NuxuS4NmUA

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 6, 2023

Barbie continues to do numbers in the movie world, bringing in another $53 million at the box office over the weekend to take the overal worldwide total above $1 billion.

It’s a brilliant feat for all involved, none less than director Greta Gerwig, who has become the first female filmmaker to surpass the billion-dollar mark as a solo director.

In total, Barbie sits second for most ticket sales worldwide this year, with only The Super Mario Bros movie ahead.

More impressively, Barbie managed to maintain the top spot at the box office despite the new releases of Meg 2: The Trench and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

2023 has been a stellar year for the box office, seeing numbers that haven’t featured since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Netflix favourite to end with fifth season

Popular Netflix original series Disenchantment will, unfortunately, be ending after its coming fifth season.

The announcement came alongside the premier of the new trailer for the latest - and now final - season, devastating the series’ fanbase.

Despite the sad news, some fans have found the positives, looking at the bright side that a series is actually getting its natural end point - something which feels rather rare in TV these days.

The series, penned by The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, has been a fan favourite since it started in 2018. The final season will begin streaming on 1st September.

Disney+ show off trailer for I Am Groot S2

Disney+ announced that the next Marvel series will be season two of I Am Groot, making it the first Marvel series to get a second season.

While the first season was welcomed and well-received by fans, many thought it would be the highly-anticipated second season of Loki that would stream next.

Instead, fans will have to wait until 6th October for season two of Loki.

In the meantime, I Am Groot will be ready to entertain fans once more with its animated series of shorts on 6th September.

England announce Rugby World Cup squad

Our 33-player squad for next month's Rugby World Cup in France#RWC2023

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) August 7, 2023

The Rugby World Cup in France is fast approaching and with only a month left till the first fixture, England have announced their 33-man squad that will be vying for the Webb Ellis Cup.

England coach Steve Borthwick’s choices came with one surprise omission of Henry Slade, with Borthwick explaining the absence due to his desire to prioritise bulk and versatility, despite Slade’s strong showings in previous fixtures and throughout training camp.

The head coach described the difficulties of choosing the squad, saying there were many players who deserved a place but had to be left out due to his vision for what he wants at this year's competition.

England were finalists in the last World Cup in 2019, losing out to South Africa 32-12. They will be hoping to at least get to the final once again this year, but obviously, the ultimate goal is clear.