Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ reaches No. 1 as Warner Bros.’ ‘The bride!’ supported by life – The Mercury News
Written by LINDSEY BAHR
Disney and Pixar’s environmental adventure “Hoppers” topped the North American box office this weekend with $46 million in domestic ticket sales in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
After adding another $42 million from international screenings, the film celebrated a worldwide opening of $88 million, the biggest for an original animated film since 2017’s “Coco.”
But it wasn’t all good news for the big studio’s payout at the multiplex: R’s reimagining of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Bride of Frankenstein story is rewarding. The Warner Bros. release, “The Bride!” starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, grossed an estimated $7.3 million from 3,304 domestic locations. It cost about $80 million to produce, not including marketing and promotional costs.
The two movies were hardly competing for viewers — one a PG-rated family picture, the other a daring, R-rated, genre-bending adventure. “Hoppers” received mostly positive reviews, while critical responses to “The Bride!” mixed with negatives and its audience scores were not the best.
The “Hoppers” win was much-needed for Disney and Pixar following last year’s “Elio,” which was Pixar’s worst opening. The studio’s only major successes recently have been sequels and franchises, while “Hoppers” won for original fare. It also opened higher than 2023’s “Elemental,” which eventually went on to become a hit (“Elio” did not).
“Hoppers” had a reported production budget of $150 million and opened in 4,000 locations. Directed by Daniel Chong, the film is about a 19-year-old naturalist who enters the animal world in the body of a beaver. Featuring the voices of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm and Kathy Najimy.
“Hoppers” received a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 75% “definitely recommend” on PostTrak polls and an A CinemaScore, suggesting it should have a long and profitable run in theaters.
“This is a great original film from the amazing team at Pixar, and it’s great to see audiences come out with their friends and families to enjoy it together,” said Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, in a statement. He also congratulated the film’s production team for “an excellent presentation.”
“The Bride!” had little trouble going to theaters, editing was done after negative reviews. Its release date was pushed back from September, possibly to give it space to compete with Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” which played in theaters last fall before hitting Netflix.
Men make up the majority of the audience for “The Bride!” by 53%. The movie currently has a 59% “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes and a lackluster C+ CinemaScore. Only 43% of those viewers said they would “definitely recommend.”
And it doesn’t look like international audiences will help much: It only made $6.3 million outside the US and Canada, bringing its worldwide cume to $13.6 million.
“Unfortunately, we’ve come to light,” Jeffrey Goldstein, who oversees domestic distribution for Warner Bros., said in a message. “We have a consistent approach to our slate, investing in talent, IP and original storytelling. It spans genres and budget levels and allows us to support bold, unique filmmakers … and sometimes things just go wrong.”
Warner Bros.’ another recent release, “Wuthering Heights,” has now surpassed $213 million worldwide. And next week, the studio, under new ownership under Paramount, is expected to sweep the Oscars between “One War After Another” and “Sinners.”
“We’re coming off nine No. 1 openings in a row, and in a growing business as ‘averse-averse’ as ours, we believe the business is best served by studios that take on the dynamic nature of originals like this one,” Goldstein said. “Even the 1927 Yankees lost 44 that season.”
Paramount’s “Scream 7” took second place in its second weekend with $17.3 million, down 73% and bringing its domestic total to $93.4 million and its worldwide total to $149.5 million. Sony’s “The Goat” came in fourth with $6.6 million and “Wuthering Heights” rounded out the top five with $3.8 million.
“If there are so many in the top 10, it means we didn’t have enough horsepower for the new entrants to really get things going,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of markets.
But he expects that to change when the Ryan Gosling-led science drama “Project Hail Mary” hits theaters on March 20.
Top 10 movies at the domestic box office
With final domestic figures released Monday, this list shows the average number of ticket sales Friday through Sunday at theaters in the US and Canada, according to Comscore:
1. “Hoppers,” $46 million.
2. “Shout 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.
