Disney and Pixar's much-anticipated environmental adventure film, “Hoppers,” dominated the North American box office this past weekend, earning a remarkable $46 million in domestic ticket sales during its opening weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
The film also garnered an additional $42 million from international markets, bringing its total global launch to an impressive $88 million. This marks the largest opening for an original animated film since the release of “Coco” in 2017, signifying a significant win for Disney and Pixar.
However, the positive news was not shared across the board for major studio releases. A Warner Bros. production, “The Bride!”, which features a reimagined story of the Bride of Frankenstein starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, struggled to find its footing. The film debuted with an estimated $7.3 million from 3,304 domestic theaters, a significant shortfall compared to its production cost of approximately $80 million, excluding marketing expenses.
The contrasting performances of the two films can be attributed to their differing genres: “Hoppers” is a PG-rated family film that received a slew of positive reviews, while “The Bride!” is an audacious, R-rated genre-blending piece that faced mixed to negative critical responses, which were reflected in its audience scores.
The success of “Hoppers” was particularly critical for Disney and Pixar after the dismal performance of last year's “Elio,” which was notably Pixar's worst opening ever. The studio has seen a trend where its recent successes have largely been tied to sequels and established franchises, making “Hoppers” a refreshing victory for original content. The film outperformed 2023's “Elemental,” which eventually emerged as a sleeper hit, while “Elio” did not share a similar fate.
“Hoppers,” directed by Daniel Chong, comes with a reported production budget of $150 million and was released in 4,000 locations. The storyline centers around a 19-year-old environmentalist who infiltrates the animal kingdom in the body of a beaver, featuring the voices of actors such as Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, and Kathy Najimy. The film has received a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 75% “definitely recommend” from PostTrak polling, and an A CinemaScore, indicating a favorable run in theaters moving forward.
Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, expressed his excitement for the film's success, stating, “This is a fantastic original film from the incredible team at Pixar, and it’s wonderful to see audiences coming out with their friends and families to enjoy it together.” He congratulated the filmmaking team for their impressive launch.
In contrast, “The Bride!” faced numerous challenges leading up to its release. The film underwent edits due to reportedly poor test screenings and had its release date pushed back from September, likely to avoid competition with Guillermo del Toro's “Frankenstein,” which had its theatrical run last fall before moving to Netflix. As it stands, the audience for “The Bride!” was predominantly male, at 53%, and the film currently holds a “rotten” 59% on Rotten Tomatoes with a C+ CinemaScore. Only 43% of filmgoers stated they would “definitely recommend” the movie.
Internationally, “The Bride!” also struggled, earning merely $6.3 million outside of the U.S. and Canada, which totals its global debut to $13.6 million. Jeffrey Goldstein, who oversees domestic distribution for Warner Bros., acknowledged the underwhelming box office result, stating, “Unfortunately, we came in light.” He emphasized the studio’s tailored approach to their film slate, which aims to invest strategically in talent and original storytelling across various genres and budgets.
Warner Bros.' recent release, “Wuthering Heights,” performed significantly better, surpassing $213 million globally. Next week, the studio is expected to make waves at the Oscars with anticipated hits like “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.”
According to Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore, the presence of numerous holdovers in the top ten indicates a lack of strong competition from new releases. Nonetheless, he is optimistic that the dynamic will shift with the upcoming release of the Ryan Gosling-led sci-fi adventure “Project Hail Mary” on March 20, which may energize the theatrical landscape.
As for the box office rankings, the top ten movies for the weekend are as follows based on domestic ticket sales from Friday through Sunday:
1. “Hoppers,” $46 million.
2. “Scream 7,” $17.3 million.
3. “The Bride!,” $7.3 million.
4. “GOAT,” $6.6 million.
5. “Wuthering Heights,” $3.8 million.
6. “Crime 101,” $2.1 million.
7. “Send Help,” $1.6 million.
8. “I Can Only Imagine 2,” $1.5 million.
9. “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” $1.5 million.
10. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle,” $1.3 million.
These figures reflect the ongoing dynamics of the movie industry as studios navigate the complex landscape of audience preferences and box office performance.
