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The box office hit a power-up this weekend, as “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” continued a healthy streak for family films in theaters.

The animated sequel from Universal Pictures, Nintendo and Illumination raced to $190 million in the U.S. and Canada in its five-day holiday weekend debut, placing it solidly in first place, according to studio estimates and Comscore data. That total was in line with expectations of a $186-million domestic opening.

Globally, the film earned $372.5 million, the largest opening so far in 2026.

The first film based on the video game franchise, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” made $146.4 million in its 2023 debut.

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which had a production budget of $110 million, continues the story of iconic Nintendo characters Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach as they journey to rescue Princess Rosalina.

Amazon MGM’s “Project Hail Mary” came in second at the box office with a domestic total of $30.7 million – pushing its total to $217 million. A24’s “The Drama ($14.4 million), Disney’s “Hoppers” ($5.8 million) and Universal’s “Reminders of Him ($2.2 million) rounded out the top five.

The success of “Mario” this weekend is another example of the power of family films at the box office.

Animated movies like Sony Pictures Animation’s “Goat” and Walt Disney Co. and Pixar’s “Hoppers” have performed well in theaters this year, along with the strong holdover performance of Disney’s 2025 hit “Zootopia 2,” which has now made more than $1.87 billion worldwide.

That’s all contributed to a stronger first quarter in the theatrical business, as this year’s revenue was up more than 20% compared with the same period in 2025. March was especially strong, with the massive haul from “Project Hail Mary.”

Netflix viewers have been binge-watching a new crime drama since it landed on the streamer

A “gripping masterpiece” thriller has rocketed up the Netflix rankings just one week after its premiere.

Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is a Norwegian crime drama, which has been adapted from Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole novels – specifically the fifth instalment, The Devil’s Star.

The series, which arrived on Netflix on March 26, focuses on a troubled Oslo police detective (portrayed by Tobias Santelmann), who must grapple with both a horrific serial killer and his corrupt colleague.

“Created by one of the greatest storytellers in crime fiction, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is a whodunnit serial killer mystery led by famed anti-hero Harry Hole,” the official synopsis teases.

“Underneath the surface, this series is a nuanced character drama about two police officers – and supposed colleagues – operating on opposite sides of the law. Throughout the season, Harry goes head-to-head with his long-time adversary and corrupt detective Tom Waaler,” reports the Express.

The description concludes: “Harry is a brilliant but tormented homicide detective who struggles with his demons. As the two navigate the blurred ethical lines of the criminal justice system, Harry must do all he can to catch a serial killer and bring Waaler to justice before it is too late.”

Joel Kinnaman portrays Tom, alongside Tobias Santelmann as Harry. Pia Tjelta, Peter Stormare, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Ellen Helinder, Simon J. Berger, and Ingrid Bolsø Berdal also star.

Jo Nesbø has a devoted following, with his novels selling 60 million copies globally, including 5.6 million in Norway – exceeding the nation’s total population. It appears the series has proved to be just as successful as the books, with Detective Hole climbing the Netflix UK rankings just one week after arriving on the streaming service. It currently sits as the fifth most-watched TV programme, and presently maintains a 90% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Critics have lavished praise upon the series, with Collider stating: “A roundhouse-kick of a thrill ride that lives up to the promises baked into the thriller subgenre’s name, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole delivers virtually everywhere it should – which is nothing less than what a modern legend deserves.”

FandomWire contributed: “Stylish, gritty, and suspenseful, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is a knockout and Nordic noir done right,” while The Times remarked: “So much plot, so much incident, plus heatwaves, tropical thunder and sweat. As rides go, it’s certainly rollicking.”

Fans have also expressed their enthusiasm, with many devouring all nine episodes in one go. One individual posted on IMDb: “Excellent adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s The Devil’s Star. As an avid reader of the books, I found this to be absolutely spot on with its recreation and casting of the Harry Hole universe. So atmospheric, capturing the style and tone of Jo Nesbø’s writing. Excellent acting and riveting storyline, this was an easy binge. I sincerely hope there will be more seasons as there is a wealth of material to tap into.”

Another chimed in: “A gripping Norwegian masterpiece that stays with you. Just finished bingeing the new Norwegian Netflix series Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole (based on the Harry Hole novels), and wow – what an intense, atmospheric ride… By the finale, I was emotionally drained in the best way.”

They went on to say: “If you love smart, character-driven crime dramas with heart and moral weight (think The Killing or The Bridge but with Jo Nesbø’s signature edge), drop everything and watch Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole. It’s binge-worthy perfection. 10/10 from this amateur reviewer – easily one of the best new international series I’ve seen in a while.”

A third viewer described the series as “absolute perfection,” while a fourth fan likewise commented: “Detective Hole is a gripping, unforgettable series that captures the raw brilliance and dark originality of Jo Nesbø. With its intense atmosphere and a deeply flawed yet magnetic protagonist, it pulls you straight into a world where crime, emotion, and truth collide.”

Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is available to stream on Netflix

The streamer’s latest true crime offering tells the harrowing story of Manuel Blanco Vela.

Netflix’s dark new documentary has left viewers reeling. It has just added a new series to its extensive library of true crime offerings, which delves into a case that evaded justice for many years until one survivor spoke out.

The Netflix series recalls a woman’s fight to expose Manuel Blanco Vela, a Spanish tour guide who ran student trips and abused the trust of young women by assaulting them.

Blanco Vela, who ran Discover Excursions, a travel company offering trips across Spain, is the main subject of The Predator of Seville.

Viewers learned of how between 50 and 100 women may have accused Blanco Vela of assaults or attempted assaults over time, although only a small number of cases were prosecuted.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts on the new crime documentary, one viewer said: “That Manuel Blanco documentary is horrifying.”

Another praised the survivors, sharing: “What a brilliant and brave woman you are. He massively underestimated the collective power of women.”

On IMDb reviews, one viewer expressed their shock, sharing: “How could this go on for so long?

“It’s disgusting to see how long Manuel was able to get away with this abuse and how difficult it seems to be to actually convict someone like that. Incredibly brave of all the women who have shared their stories.”

Another shared: “It is a very interesting story on Manuel’s serial behaviour. It’s sad to hear it took so long to be recognised. The woman starting the story seems to have been healing well and hope she continues on doing so.”

A third added: “Every woman that was affected by this guy, I am so happy that you stood up for yourself, the fact that he was running away for so long honestly mind-boggles me.”

A fourth shared: “Unbelievable that that man got away with it for so long. A confronting story for parents and young girls. Let it be a lesson that young girls should never go out alone, no matter where in the world.”

The synopsis for the limited series reads: “A sexual assault by a Spanish tour guide sparks a surge of similar claims from multiple US students. This documentary follows their fight for justice.”

The trailer for the series sees a group of women explaining how Blanco Vela took advantage of their vulnerable state until one survivor set up an online investigation to expose him.

The Predator of Seville is on Netflix

Edison International boosted the pay of its top executives last year despite their responsibility for the safety of the company’s power lines before the devastating Eaton fire, which destroyed a wide swath of Altadena and killed 19 people.

Although the company cut cash bonuses for its senior executives, citing the wildfires, their overall compensation went up substantially as the utility’s profit soared in 2025.

Pedro Pizarro, chief executive of the parent company of Southern California Edison, received $16.6 million in cash, stock and other compensation last year, up 20% from 2024, according to a new company filing.

Steven Powell, president of Southern California Edison, received compensation totaling $6.5 million last year, up from $3.9 million in 2024 — a jump of more than 65%.

The utility’s transmission equipment is suspected of igniting two wildfires on Jan. 7, 2025, including the Eaton fire, which left thousands of families homeless.

The Times earlier detailed how Edison fell behind in performing maintenance on its aging transmission lines — work that it had told state utility regulators was needed. County prosecutors are investigating whether Edison should be criminally charged for its actions before the fire.

The government investigation into the cause of the fire has not been released and Edison has denied that it acted negligently. Pizarro has said a leading theory is that a century-old transmission line, which the company had not used for 50 years, may have briefly reenergized, igniting the fire.

A state law championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 protects utilities from paying for the damage due to fires sparked by their equipment. When it passed, Newsom touted the law’s requirement that utilities must tie executive compensation to their safety record, saying it would keep them accountable.

The law said that a utility “may” consider tying 100% of executive bonuses to safety performance and “denying all incentive compensation in the event the electrical corporation causes a catastrophic wildfire that results in one or more fatalities.”

Edison said in the new filing that the company’s board members who determine executive compensation decided to decrease the cash bonuses of Pizarro, Powell and Jill Anderson, the utility’s chief operating officer, because of the 2025 wildfires.

Pizarro’s cash bonus was cut by more than $1 million while Powell’s was trimmed by $442,000, according to the filing. Anderson lost out on $244,000.

The company, based in Rosemead, said its decision to cut the three executives’ cash bonuses “was not a reflection of the performance of the company or these executives.”

Despite those cuts, the executives’ total pay of salary, bonuses, stock and other compensation rose, according to the filing. That’s because Edison ties most executive compensation not to safety, but to the company’s financial performance.

And last year, Edison’s profit jumped more than 200% — from $1.3 billion in 2024 to $4.5 billion — despite the Eaton disaster.

The profit increase resulted from the protections from wildfire damage provided to Edison by the 2019 law, as well as a 13% hike in customer electricity rates in October.

The utility attributed the higher electric bills to several increases that it successfully lobbied the California Public Utilities Commission to approve. All five members of the commission were appointed by Newsom.

Scott Johnson, an Edison spokesman, said Tuesday that Pizarro and other company executives holding stock took a financial hit after the fires when the price plummeted.

Before the January fires, Edison International’s stock price was about $80. It fell to $50 the next month. It has recovered much of its value, closing on Tuesday at $72.92.

Edison is facing hundreds of lawsuits by victims of the fire. The suits claim it acted negligently, including by failing to remove the old, dormant transmission line in Eaton Canyon.

The lawsuits also blame Edison for not preventatively shutting down its transmission lines Jan. 7, 2025, despite the dangerous Santa Ana winds.

Pizarro has said the winds didn’t meet the company’s threshold in place at the time for turning off those high-voltage wires.

“Our deepest sympathies remain with all those affected, and this loss reinforces our commitment to public safety and wildfire risk mitigation,” Pizarro and Peter Taylor, chairman of the parent company’s board, wrote in a letter to shareholders that was released with the details on executive compensation.

The two executives added that the company’s “long-term objective remains unchanged: to significantly reduce wildfire risk while improving safety, reliability and affordability of electric service.”

Edison is now offering to compensate Eaton fire victims, including those who lost their homes, family members, businesses and apartments. The offer requires the victims to give up their right to sue the utility. Many survivors say the utility’s offer falls short of what they lost.

Pizarro and Taylor wrote that as of March 4, more than 2,500 claims had been submitted through the program. So far, Edison has extended offers to roughly 600 victims submitting claims and made payments totaling $31 million to 212 of those people, they wrote.

The utility also has begun settling claims of property insurers that covered Altadena homes that were destroyed or damaged, paying out hundreds of millions of dollars. The settlements will help cover the insurance companies’ losses.

Edison has told its shareholders that it expects most or all of those payments to victims and insurers to be covered by a $21-billion state wildfire fund that Newsom and lawmakers created as part of Assembly Bill 1054, which became law in 2019.

Critics say the law went too far, allowing a utility to allegedly spark a deadly wildfire without financial consequences to the company or its executives.

“The predictable outcome of continuing to protect shareholders and executives from the consequences of their own negligence is not theoretical. It is observable. More catastrophic fires,” Joy Chen, executive director of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, wrote in an email to state wildfire fund administrators this year.

Johnson responded, saying,”Our motivation to prevent fires and any incidents is to be good neighbors and provide affordable and resilient energy. There is nothing more important than safety.”

Taylor was on the board committee that approved the compensation package for Pizarro and other top executives. For his work chairing the board, Taylor received cash and stock compensation of more than $500,000.

Johnson said Taylor’s compensation was based on “typical board chair pay” at other utilities.

The new filing said Pizarro’s total compensation of $16.6 million was 75 times the median Edison employee’s total compensation of $220,000.

The present value of Pizarro’s pension is more than $19 million, the report said.

The company is facing a challenge from one of its shareholders — John Chevedden of Redondo Beach, according to the filing.

Chevedden is asking the company’s shareholders to vote to approve his proposal that would require Pizarro and other Edison executives to hold at least 25% of the stock they had received as compensation until they reach retirement age.

He said that requiring utility executives to hold a significant portion of their stock until retirement would focus their efforts on the company’s long-term success.

Chevedden pointed to “unfavorable news reports,” including the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuits against Edison for the Eaton fire and 2022 Fairview blaze, which killed two people in Riverside County.

Edison’s board urged shareholders to vote against Chevedden’s proposal before the company’s annual meeting April 23.

The board said the company already had guidelines that “closely align the interests of officers with the long-term interests of our shareholders.”