This Feb. 5, 2019 file photo shows producer James Cameron arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of "Alita: Battle Angel." (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Filmmaker James Cameron has no bad blood with the Avengers, even though "Endgame" has eclipsed "Titanic's" worldwide record and bumped the 1997 blockbuster to third place.
Cameron tweeted a note Wednesday to Marvel president Kevin Feige and its employees congratulating the company for its success. Cameron writes that an iceberg sank the real Titanic, but it took the Avengers to sink his "Titanic." The accompanying image shows the Titanic crashing into a massive Avengers logo.
The studio, he says, has shown that the movie industry is alive and well and bigger than ever.
But "Avengers: Endgame" still has another Cameron film to conquer to get to the top. "Avatar" remains the highest-grossing film of all time with $2.8 billion worldwide, not accounting for inflation. "Avengers: Endgame" has earned $2.3 billion.
Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.
In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
"Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion … could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More
