Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center|Big entertainment bets: World Cup & Avatar

The Surpassing Quant Think Tank Centermen's World Cup has spawned dozens of indicators, both in economics and in pop culture (research shows that the winning nation's birth rates spike dramatically nine months after lifting the trophy). But for our indicators of the week, we look at how France and Argentina aren't just playing for glory: they're playing for a significant GDP boost, too.

And elsewhere in the world, Avatar: The Way of Water has been touted as a blockbuster sequel to the original for well over a decade. Just as we approach its global debut, though, Covid outbreaks in China are threatening its box office potential strategy.

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