From a record-breaking opening day at the box office to a major Netflix announcement and a beloved Disney series making a comeback, here is what is happening in Hollywood this week
It has been an eventful week in Hollywood, with a blockbuster animated sequel proving the sustained power of video game adaptations at the box office, one of cinema’s most celebrated actresses announcing a return to the screen in a prestigious new production and a beloved Disney series finding its way back for a long-anticipated final chapter. Here are the three biggest entertainment stories making headlines right now.
Super Mario Galaxy Movie claims the year’s biggest opening day with $34.5 million
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie delivered a strong box office statement on its opening day Wednesday, pulling in an estimated $34.5 million in domestic ticket sales and claiming the title of the year’s biggest single-day opening so far. Box office analysts project the animated sequel could reach approximately $200 million over its first five days of release, another significant commercial milestone for Nintendo’s growing film franchise.
The film sends Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) on a planet-hopping adventure after Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) is kidnapped from her celestial home. Rosalina lives alongside an adopted family of small anthropomorphized stars called Lumas, whose distress draws Peach into the rescue mission while Mario and Luigi are left in charge of the Mushroom Kingdom in her absence.
A returning Bowser (Jack Black), who was shrunk and imprisoned at the end of the 2023 original, finds himself torn between the possibility of redemption and the increasingly dangerous scheming of his son, Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), who serves as the film’s primary antagonist.
Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic return alongside screenwriter Matthew Fogel. The sequel is rated PG and is suitable for preteens and older viewers, though some action sequences may be intense for very young children. Early responses describe it as a crowd-pleaser for fans of the franchise and Nintendo lore, though critics are somewhat divided on whether it matches the energy and freshness of the first film.
Meryl Streep set to star in and produce The Corrections for Netflix
Meryl Streep is returning to the screen in a significant new project. The three-time Academy Award winner is set to both star in and executive-produce a limited series for Netflix based on Jonathan Franzen’s acclaimed 2001 novel The Corrections. The story follows an aging Midwestern couple and their three adult children as each grapples with personal crises and the pull of family obligation, a richly layered narrative widely considered one of the defining American novels of its era.
The adaptation marks a long-overdue arrival for the book on screen. Multiple previous attempts to bring the material to both film and television were developed over the years, but none made it through to completion. Casting beyond Streep’s own involvement and a premiere date have not yet been announced, but the combination of her name and the strength of the source material has already generated considerable attention.
Selena Gomez to make directorial debut on Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
Disney is bringing one of its most cherished properties back to the screen one more time, and the occasion will be remembered for more than just nostalgia. Wizards Beyond Waverly Place will return as a four-part event, and Selena Gomez is set to make her directorial debut on the first of those four installments. Gomez rose to fame as Alex Russo on the original Wizards of Waverly Place before stepping into one of the most successful careers in contemporary music and entertainment, and she has remained closely tied to the franchise throughout its continuation.
Production on the special is scheduled to begin this month, with a premiere planned for this summer on both Disney Channel and Disney+. The announcement has generated a warm response from longtime fans, many of whom have been hoping for Gomez’s deeper creative involvement in the series for some time.