Outpoll | Outpoll Weekly Recap: Other (February 2

Other

This week’s prediction markets offered a fascinating snapshot of the world’s collective curiosity, moving far beyond the usual suspects of politics and sports. The biggest story was the surge in interest around the upcoming ‘Project Hail Mary’ film adaptation, with markets on its opening weekend box office performance seeing a 40% spike in volume.It seems the combination of a beloved sci-fi novel and a star-studded cast has fans and speculators alike buzzing, trying to gauge if it can capture the magic of the book. Elsewhere, a quieter but steady trend emerged in markets tied to environmental milestones.Predictions on the official declaration of the ‘first carbon-negative month’ for a major nation saw increased activity, reflecting a public eager to bet on—and perhaps will into existence—tangible climate progress. It’s a hopeful kind of speculation you don’t see every day.On the more whimsical side, a market asking if a specific, long-dormant social media platform would see a viral revival this week briefly went bonkers, fueled entirely by a cryptic post from a famous musician. It didn’t happen, but the frenzy was a perfect reminder of how online culture can turn nostalgia into a tradable asset overnight.Finally, in the ‘only on the internet’ category, a prediction on whether a newly discovered, oddly shaped deep-sea creature would be named after a meme concluded positively, proving once again that the line between scientific discovery and pop culture is thinner than ever. What ties these disparate threads together? A collective desire to forecast not just who wins or loses, but the moments that capture our imagination, define our culture, and signal subtle shifts in what we, as a society, value and find interesting enough to put a price on.

#Weekly recap

Outpoll Weekly Recap: Other (February 2 – 8, 2026)