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10 of the Best Movies to Stream on Peacock

Peacock's movie library is solid. I say that as someone who regularly forgets to check out the NBC Universal-owned streaming service when I'm in the mood for a movie night. We get so used to tapping into the big dogs like Netflix and Disney Plus, and they are chock full of good stuff, but Peacock deserves its flowers, too. There's always something cool to watch on Peacock, no matter what genre you're looking for. Then there's the Universal part of the equation. Universal Pictures knows its way

How AREA15 Is Evolving Immersive Entertainment With Universal Horror Unleashed and More

Las Vegas immersive entertainment hub AREA15 is turning five in a big way, celebrating the arrival of its second phase of development on September 17. Zone 2’s main attraction, Universal Horror Unleashed, opened its doors over the summer to attract seasonal tourists, but the rest of the offerings are following suit as the year draws out. After io9’s invited visit to Universal Horror Unleashed, io9 chatted with Mark Stutzman, AREA15’s chief technology officer, about the new way to experience Veg

David Howard Thornton on the Art of Being Art the Clown

Terrifier icon Art the Clown has made an impact as the new king of painted-face slasher villains and the character enters a new era as a feature at Halloween Horror Nights. The spooky season haunt at Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood features not only haunted houses inspired by Damien Leone’s bloody franchise but also a huge Art the Clown presence for walk-around characters. At the red carpet for Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Terrifier’s very own Art the Clown, Davi

Universal Reveals a Trailer for Its Behind the Scenes Theme Park Docuseries

Disney gets all the press, and Six Flags has all the dancing commercials, but Universal has always had a strong position in the theme park world. Starting with a simple tour of the Universal lot in Hollywood, the film studio evolved that into several parks across the globe, all of which showcase the big, popular film and TV shows created by the studio. Then, last year, that culminated with Universal opening its most advanced park yet, Epic Universe in Orlando. And while we’ve seen plenty of doc

Peek Inside the ‘Fallout’ Vault at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood

Universal Studios is rolling out its houses of horror across the country—opening three major hubs that monster fans can make their Halloween season travel destinations—in this month’s theme park news. io9 was invited by Universal to experience the very big bag of tricks and treats the theme park creatives are unleashing into the world for fandom fiends seeking thrilling frights. On the West Coast, Universal Studios Hollywood prepares to open the vault with the Fallout house inspired by the Prim

We Tried Universal’s Radical (and Rad-Filled) ‘Fallout’ Food for Halloween Horror Nights

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights is bringing the wasteland from Fallout to life in more ways than the haunted house inspired by the hit Prime Video show and video game. io9 was recently invited to HHN Hollywood’s food tasting to try the frightful fare coming to the spooky season haunt event. We had the option to preview selections from menu items and merch inspired by this year’s slate of horror IPs coming to the theme park, including Terrifier, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and the Jason (

An AI-first program synthesis framework built around a new programming language

July 7, 2025 Volume 23, issue 3 PDF Unleashing the Power of End-User Programmable AI Creating an AI-first program Synthesis framework Erik Meijer As a demonstration of what can be accomplished with contemporary LLMs (large language models), this paper outlines the high-level design of an AI-first, program-synthesis framework built around a new programming language, Universalis, designed for knowledge workers to read, optimized for our neural computer (Automind; queue.acm.org) to execute,

End-User Programmable AI

July 7, 2025 Volume 23, issue 3 PDF Unleashing the Power of End-User Programmable AI Creating an AI-first program Synthesis framework Erik Meijer As a demonstration of what can be accomplished with contemporary LLMs (large language models), this paper outlines the high-level design of an AI-first, program-synthesis framework built around a new programming language, Universalis, designed for knowledge workers to read, optimized for our neural computer (Automind; queue.acm.org) to execute,

All the Biggest Theme Park News of July You May Have Missed

The vacation season at the theme parks is winding down as Halloween begins to creep into the dead of summer, with its fall events arriving sooner than later. Here’s a roundup of this month’s happenings at major amusement parks and immersive experiences featuring Disneyland 70, Universal Horrors, and a Wednesday x Wendy’s not-so-happy meal coming soon to a drive-thru near you. Universal Studios Resorts – Hollywood and Orlando Let’s kick things off with the biggest news: Halloween Horror Nights

Epic Universe Will Portal Into Your House With a TV Special

Journey through the portals of Universal Epic Universe in an upcoming one-hour NBC special hosted by Joe Manganiello (One Piece). Inside the Worlds of Epic Universe will take viewers on a tour of America’s newest state-of-the-art theme park, which features lands based on How to Train Your Dragon, Nintendo, the Universal Monsters, and Harry Potter. io9 got to visit earlier this year and can’t wait to see the park again, even through the television screen. We’re especially excited to return to th

13 of the Best Movies Peacock Has to Offer

Peacock is full of must-see movies. Sure, the streaming conversation is often focused on the top-tier platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video. But the NBC Universal-owned streamer deserves its flowers -- and I'm going to show you why. Let's talk about blockbusters for a second. Universal Pictures has been churning out box office hits and Oscar-winning flicks for more than a century. A large sampling of these titles can be found here, including the first-ever blockbuster, Jaws, among

Peacock is raising its prices by $3

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. A subscription to Peacock is about to cost more. NBCUniversal announced on Thursday that it’s raising the price of its ad-supported Peacock Premium from $7.99 to $10.99 per month, while its ad-free Premium Plus plan will go from $13.99 per month to $16.99 per month, as reported earlier by Variety. For new customers, the price increase will go into

There’s No Need to Wait for October: Summerween Is Here

It seems that the holidays keep arriving earlier and earlier; like an undead monster, some of us know they never really die. Not even Christmas—if the jolly-in-July folks have anything to say about it. However, Summerween has been kicking around since early June and will fully absorb the dead of summer with attractions like Midsummer Scream and Universal Horror Unleashed. Already, retailers like Michaels have unleashed their Halloween collections so you can get interior decorating done before l

Supreme Court overturns 5th Circuit ruling that upended Universal Service Fund

The Supreme Court today reversed a ruling that threatened the future of the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund. In a 6–3 opinion, the high court said the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit erred when it found that Universal Service fees on phone bills are an illegal tax. Universal Service is an $8 billion-a-year system that is used to expand telecom networks and make access more affordable through programs such as Lifeline discounts and deployment grants for Interne

12 of the Best Movies Peacock Has to Offer

Simply put, Peacock has the movies you want to watch. When we talk about the epic titles available to watch on streaming, the conversation tends toward powerhouse streamers like Netflix and Prime Video. As you can conclude from this article, the NBC Universal-owned platform absolutely should be included. It's jam-packed with epic films that would easily elevate any movie night. This should come as no surprise; Universal Pictures is responsible for the very first blockbuster -- Happy 50th Birthd

‘Wall-E With a Gun’: Midjourney Generates Videos of Disney Characters Amid Massive Copyright Lawsuit

Midjourney’s new AI-generated video tool will produce animated clips featuring copyrighted characters from Disney and Universal, WIRED has found—including video of the beloved Pixar character Wall-E holding a gun. It’s been a busy month for Midjourney. This week, the generative AI startup released its sophisticated new video tool, V1, which lets users make short animated clips from images they generate or upload. The current version of Midjourney’s AI video tool requires an image as a starting

'Wall-E With a Gun': Midjourney Generates Videos of Disney Characters Amid Massive Copyright Lawsuit

Midjourney’s new AI-generated video tool will produce animated clips featuring copyrighted characters from Disney and Universal, WIRED has found—including video of the beloved Pixar character Wall-E holding a gun. It’s been a busy month for Midjourney. This week, the generative AI startup released its sophisticated new video tool, V1, which lets users make short animated clips from images they generate or upload. The current version of Midjourney’s AI video tool requires an image as a starting

A shark scientist reflects on Jaws at 50

If you've been in the ocean, there's been a shark not that far from you, and it knew you were there, and you probably had no idea it was there and had a pleasant day in the water. The sharks that do bite people, they take a little bite and they go, what is that? And swim away. That can be real bad if it hits a major artery or if you're far from shore. Again, I don't want to minimize the real harm. But it is not a shark hunting you because it has a taste for human flesh. They don't have hands. Th

Blockbusters Take Over Theme Parks for a Mega Movie Summer

Summer hits the theme parks and vacation destinations in this week’s theme park news. Universal Studios Hollywood takes fans back in time with Back to the Future and Jaws while bringing in the future with new Wicked and Jurassic World fun. Don’t worry, the Universal Monsters aren’t far behind; in fact they’re all hitting up Sin City for Universal Horror Unleashed’s opening in Las Vegas this August. Over at the Disney Parks, Walt Disney World gears up for Test Track‘s reopening. Meanwhile, Old N

Jurassic World and Shrek Lands Headline Universal Kids Resort in Texas

In a big turn of events Universal Studios is opening up a kid-centric theme park in Texas that will have major animated franchise appeal, with Shrek, Jurassic World, and SpongeBob just a few of brands in store for the new family-friendly destination. This news coming out right after Universal shared more details about its year-round haunt in Las Vegas has us thinking the theme park wars with Disney have begun in earnest. This weekend, pop culture fans looking for ways to help rebuilding efforts

It’s Time to Plan Your Summerween Visit to Las Vegas’ Universal Horror Unleashed

Tickets are now on sale for Universal Horror Unleashed, opening this summer in Las Vegas’ immersive entertainment hub AREA15. The Universal Destinations and Experiences satellite interactive station brings Halloween Horror Nights to a year-round venue just off the Strip with monsters in tow beginning August 14, hot off the heels of Epic Universe’s opening. The attraction’s first major featured franchises include the Universal Monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist: Believer, and a H