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Meme-stock movie: The GameStop saga comes to the big screen

Meme-stock movie: The GameStop saga comes to the big screen

Retelling reddit’s revolution

"Dumb Money", Hollywood's take on the GameStop meme-stock frenzy in 2021, set for a limited release this Friday, is an ambitious attempt to recreate a big-screen version of the dramatic saga that unfolded almost exclusively on phones around the world.

The movie focuses on Keith Gill, better known by his reddit name Roaring Kitty, who — thanks to an original $53k position in ailing retailer GameStop — inadvertently became the face of a grassroots movement that pitted a group of amateur traders against some of the biggest names on Wall Street.

Trading Frenzy

Our initial coverage at the time focused mostly on the stock price, (short version: it went up a bit, then a lot, and then fell) but looking back, it’s hard to overstate how unprecedented the actual sums involved were.

During “peak GameStop” at the end of Jan 2021, more than $30bn of the stock changed hands in a single day. For context, the combined daily trading volume of JPMorgan, ExxonMobil and Walmart — 3 of the biggest companies in the world — has never gone above $15bn on any single day since 2021. Even Apple, the most valuable company in the world, only saw ~$16bn worth of shares change hands yesterday after it announced a brand-new iPhone.

As with so many things, the originals are the best, and no matter how many headlines call certain companies the “next meme stock”, nothing has come close to recreating that lightning in a bottle.

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Starbucks issues apology after viral “Bearista” cup meltdown

Holiday cheer turned into chaos this week for Starbucks after the coffee giant’s new “Bearista” holiday cup sent fans into a frenzy. 

Dropped alongside its 2025 holiday menu, the $30 beanie-wearing glass bear tumbler sparked long lines, sellouts, and even in-store scuffles before Starbucks stepped in with an apology.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the company said in a statement to People. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to our coffeehouses than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast.”

Within hours of launch, frustrated fans flooded Starbucks’ social media pages and even store hotlines. Some customers waited in line before dawn and others said their stores received only a handful of cups. In one Houston location, the craze even turned physical, with police reportedly called to break up a brawl. Meanwhile, the cup is already reselling on sites like eBay, with listings topping $600.

“We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused,” Starbucks said. While in-store customers may be upset, investors seem happy about the viral hit, as the stock has risen over 3% on Friday.

If you’re still hoping for a Bearista at market price, that may not be on order: the chain didn’t disclose how many cups were made or whether a restock is planned.

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Target tells workers to smile, wave, and greet shoppers if they come within 10 feet of them

Target just rolled out a new rule for store employees: smile, make eye contact, and greet or wave when a shopper comes within 10 feet — and if they get closer, within four feet, ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to a new Bloomberg report.

Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the rule mirrors rival Walmarts own 10-foot policy, formalizing behavior Target had previously only encouraged.

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Monster surges on energy drink buzz, while Celsius sinks on distribution concerns

Shares of Monster Beverage climbed 5% after the bell on Thursday, and held most of those gains into early trading on Friday, following strong Q3 results.

The energy drink giant topped market expectations, with quarterly sales up 17% year over year to $2.2 billion and adjusted net profits growing 41% to $524.5 million — 11% ahead of Wall Street’s estimates. In the report, Monster highlighted its zero-sugar line and new product launches, with a stack of novel flavors already released this year, as bright spots.

During a call with analysts, Chief Executive Hilton Schlosberg said that the global energy drink category “remains healthy with robust growth,” The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that demand for more affordable caffeinated drinks is rising as coffee has become “really expensive.”

Meanwhile, rival beverage business Celsius saw shares fall as much as 23% on its Q3 results yesterday — despite beating expectations, with revenue jumping 173% — largely due to concerns about a change in the company’s distribution channel, as its newly acquired Alani Nu brand joins the PepsiCo distribution network.

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Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate, including Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, Robinhood Securities, LLC, Robinhood Crypto, LLC, or Robinhood Money, LLC.