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“Hoppers” Leaps to Top Spot at Box Office, “The Bride!” Struggles
Hollywood, CA – Disney and Pixar’s latest animated offering, “Hoppers,” has successfully hopped to the top of the North American box office, securing an estimated $46 million in its opening weekend. The environmental adventure, which boasts a reported $150 million production budget and opened in 4,000 locations, also garnered an additional $42 million from international showings, bringing its global debut to a robust $88 million. This marks the biggest opening for an original animated film since “Coco” in 2017, providing a much-needed win for Disney and Pixar after last year’s disappointing “Elio.”
Directed by Daniel Chong, “Hoppers” tells the story of a 19-year-old environmentalist who infiltrates the animal world in the body of a beaver. The film, featuring the voices of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, and Kathy Najimy, has been met with critical acclaim, achieving a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 75% “definitely recommend” from PostTrak polling, and an “A” CinemaScore. These strong indicators suggest a promising theatrical run ahead.
Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, expressed his enthusiasm, 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 also extended his congratulations to the filmmaking team on “a tremendous launch.”
However, it wasn’t all good news for big studio releases this weekend. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s R-rated reimagining of the Bride of Frankenstein story, “The Bride!”, faced a challenging debut. The Warner Bros. release, starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, opened to an estimated $7.3 million from 3,304 domestic locations against an approximate production budget of $80 million, excluding marketing expenses.
Despite the two films catering to vastly different audiences – “Hoppers” as a PG-rated family picture and “The Bride!” as an audacious, R-rated genre-blender – the latter’s performance was notably subdued.
Critical responses to “The Bride!” were mixed to negative, and audience scores were similarly unenthusiastic, with a “rotten” 59% on Rotten Tomatoes and a “C+” CinemaScore.
Only 43% of its audience indicated they would “definitely recommend” the film. International audiences provided little relief, contributing only $6.3 million, bringing its global total to $13.6 million.
Jeffrey Goldstein, who oversees domestic distribution for Warner Bros., acknowledged the disappointing results, stating, “Unfortunately, we came in light.” He added, “We have a tailored approach to our slate, investing strategically in talent, IP and original storytelling.
It spans genres and budget levels and allows us to back bold, distinctive filmmakers … and sometimes things just don’t work out.” Goldstein also highlighted the studio’s recent successes, such as “Wuthering Heights,” which has surpassed $213 million globally, and anticipated Oscar wins for “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.”
In other box office news, Paramount’s “Scream 7” secured second place in its second weekend, adding $17.3 million to its domestic total of $93.4 million and global total of $149.5 million, despite a steep 73% drop from its opening. Sony’s “GOAT” landed in fourth place with $6.6 million, and “Wuthering Heights” rounded out the top five with $3.8 million.
Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, noted the prevalence of holdovers in the top 10, indicating a lack of strong newcomers to invigorate the market. However, he anticipates a shift with the upcoming release of the Ryan Gosling-led sci-fi adventure “Project Hail Mary” on March 20.
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office (Estimated)
Figures represent estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
- “Hoppers,” $46 million
- “Scream 7,” $17.3 million
- “The Bride!”, $7.3 million
- “GOAT,” $6.6 million
- “Wuthering Heights,” $3.8 million
- “Crime 101,” $2.1 million
- “Send Help,” $1.6 million
- “I Can Only Imagine 2,” $1.5 million
- “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” $1.5 million
- “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle,” $1.3 million