{"id":319515,"date":"2026-03-08T18:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T18:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/319515\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T18:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T18:26:09","slug":"hoppers-opens-to-46m-bride-bombs-with-7-3m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/319515\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Hoppers’ Opens To $46M, ‘Bride’ Bombs with $7.3M"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSUNDAY AM WRITETHRU: Pixar original\u2019s Hoppers<\/a> leaped to a $46M U.S.\/Canada opening, the best seen for a Pixar original as well an original animated movie since 2017\u2019s Coco. Global was also big at $88M, $42M of that from 40 territories. Not only is it a big comeback for a sub-genre that families would flock to without question pre-streaming, but also Pixar is a phoenix rising here. This has fueled a $98M overall domestic box office weekend, +76% over the same period a year ago. <\/p>\n

\n\tAlan Bergman, Disney Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment beamed, \u201cThis is a fantastic original film from the incredible team at Pixar, and it\u2019s wonderful to see audiences coming out with their friends and families to enjoy it together.\u00a0Congratulations\u00a0to our director Daniel Chong, our producer Nicole Paradis Grindle, and our talented cast, along with Pete Docter, Jim Morris, and everyone at Pixar, on a tremendous launch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThere have been about 19 original animated films released between 2017\u2019s Coco and Hoppers. EntTelligence counts 3.4M admissions. Previously, DreamWorks Animation\u2019s Wild Robot posted the best opening weekend admissions for an original animated movie. Foot traffic was 62% during matinees (before 5PM). Overall, Hoppers had 43% of the foot traffic for the weekend with 30% programmed seats versus Bride!\u2018s 7% foot traffic with 13% programmed seats. The movie played fairly evenly throughout rural (100K-500K populations), medium (500K-1M), urban (1M-2.5M) and high urban (over 2.5M population) areas per EntTelligence.<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, this weekend isn\u2019t a win for auteur-driven genre, specifically Maggie Gyllenhaal\u2019s $80M feature production The Bride<\/a>! (some yell at me that it\u2019s really $100M) which audiences aren\u2019t making a date with, giving the Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale movie a C+ CinemaScore, a low 43% definite recommend on Screen Engine\/Comscore\u2019s PostTrak and $7.3M in ticket sales. The Bride! isn\u2019t getting engaged to foreign audiences either with global at $13.6M. Bride!\u2018s domestic start is the lowest for Warner Bros since last year\u2019s Alto Knights ($3.1M opening; not Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim, we stand corrected). A year ago, the sci-fi auteur-driven misfire Mickey 17 opened higher at $19M. We\u2019ll unstitch The Bride! in a bit.<\/p>\n

\n\tWord of mouth is great on Hoppers with a solid A CinemaScore and a very good 75% definite recommend on PostTrak. Kids under 12 are giving it 90% positive on PostTrak and a 61% must-see right away. What\u2019s working here? Pixar made their movies \u201cfun\u201d and \u201cfunny\u201d again. Read, there\u2019s a scene in the middle of the film [SPOILER ALERT] where the Beaver accidentally squishes something. The entire El Capitan Theater at the Hollywood premiere roared in that moment. Also, don\u2019t underestimate talking animal movies. Post Zootopia 2, GOAT, they\u2019re the motion picture industry\u2019s best friends. Why was Pixar tying its shoelaces together and falling down with originals? A WSJ profile<\/a> says that Docter inspired frosh filmmakers to make autobiographical movies that weren\u2019t necessarily wide-appealing.<\/p>\n

\n\tHoppers! is female leaning among general audiences at 53%. Overall, an even play among demos with Female over 25 leading at 29%, men over 25 at 27%, women under 25 at 23% and men under 25 at 21%. Overall make-up of the audience is 52% general, 24% parent, and 24% kids under 12. Diversity demos are 45% Caucasian, 26% Hispanic and Latino, 14% Asian American, 8% Black and 6% Native American. PLFs and Imax together drove 35% of the weekend with the pic playing best in South Central, Mountain and West. 3D repped 10% of the box. The AMC Dine-In Disney Springs, Florida is the pic\u2019s best grossing location currently with around $88K through Saturday.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Bride! drew 53% guys, 47% women. The 25-34 set had the best turnout (if you can call it that) at 31%. 18-34 repped 56%. Diversity demos are 51% Caucasian, 26% Latino and Hispanic, 10% Black, 9% Asian American and 4% other. Interestingly enough, I hear that The Bride! is doing well in all East and West theaters where Hamnet fared well, but that\u2019s a small crowd considering the Oscar contender has a current running stateside gross of $23.7M. AMC Lincoln Square with around $51K is the movie\u2019s top grossing location through Saturday night.<\/p>\n

\n\tGolly gosh, what\u2019s up here? We\u2019re still sorting but period horror is hard. We\u2019ve always said that, and Robert Eggers\u2019 Nosferatu ($21.6M 3-day, $95.6M final domestic) is an anomaly. Period horror is typically expensive and risky (hence why Guillermo del Toro\u2019s Frankenstein went to Netflix; that said the streamer passed on The Bride! given its budget). Period horror divides genre and sophisticated moviegoers, the Bride! making its play toward the latter. \u201cIt\u2019s an A24 genre movie,\u201d said one industry source, but it\u2019s at a significantly much higher production cost. \u201cThe motion picture industry is in such a fragile state, we can\u2019t afford misses like this. Scripts should be better baked,\u201d cried the same source. Warner Bros shouldn\u2019t be faulted for backing an auteur and getting behind a daredevil genre project with a different angle. The industry questioned such pricey swings as Sinners and One Battle After Another, but those clearly paid off. For all the pre-release dinging that One Battle After Another endured, no one predicted that it would be an awards season juggernaut. In order to take the swings on a movie like The Bride! on a motion picture slate, it\u2019s offset by the Supermans, the Minecraft Movies, etc on the schedule. That said, the word was always out that The Bride! was a challenge to pin down during post-production. The release date changed two times from the first weekend in October 2025 to the last weekend in September to finally this weekend (that latter move was made a year ago by Warners). As insular as Hollywood may be perceived, word of mouth gets out and becomes wildfire with John Q public in the social media age. Most first cuts start out messy and long; some are harnessed and course-corrected, and others like this, I hear, were hard to land in regards to pacing. When it comes to The Bride! being left at the alter, it\u2019s not about marketing with this movie. Christian Bale, Buckley and Maggie Gyllenhaal have been on a heavy duty press tour over the last two weeks in NYC and London. It\u2019s in the DNA of the movie. It doesn\u2019t want to be a horror film.<\/p>\n

\n\tSeparately, tracking service Greenlight\u00a0Analytics\u00a0(n\u00e9 The Quorum) showed Netflix\u2019s Frankenstein converting awareness into interest at an unusually efficient rate (70% Interest Among Aware by release) back in November, with balanced gender appeal and strong under-35 buy-in. \u201cThese are the same demos that typically drive theatrical genre turnout,\u201d read a recent report. By comparison, The Bride!\u2018s diagnostics were low with a theatrical audience intent of 32%, Opening Weekend intent among aware audiences at 16%, and Willingness to Pay at 42%. Numbers which \u201creflect a lack of urgency and lower-ceiling monetization potential,\u201d added Greenlight.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe behavioral pattern may indicate that Netflix\u2019s lauded November release absorbed some of the audience\u2019s Frankenstein appetite, leaving the theatrical release to compete more heavily for core genre audiences rather than broad casual demand,\u201d said Greenlight.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe weekend\u2019s top 10, updated with Sunday figures.<\/p>\n

Hoppers (Dis) 4,000 theaters, Fri $13.2M, Sat $19.1M Sun $13.7M 3-day $46M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

Scream 7<\/a> (Par) 3,540 theaters, Fri $5M (-83%), Sat $7.66M Sun $4.64M 3-day $17.3M (-73%), Total $93.3M\/Wk 2<\/p>\n

The Bride! (WB) 3,304 theaters, Fri $3M, Sat $2.5M Sun $1.76M 3-day $7.3M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

Goat (Sony) 3,303 (-404) theaters, Fri $1.45M (-44%), Sat $3.1M Sun $2M 3-day $6.6M (-45%), Total $83.8M\/Wk 4<\/p>\n

Wuthering Heights (WB) 2,512 (-709) theaters, Fri $1.2M (-45%) Sat $1.55M Sun $1M 3-day $3.75M (-45%), Total $78.7M\/Wk 4<\/p>\n

Crime 101 (AMZ MGM) 1,910 (-697) theaters, Fri $555K (-41%), Sat $945K Sun $567K 3-day $2M (-40%), Total $33.6M\/Wk 4<\/p>\n

Send Help (20th) 1,650 (-850) theaters Fri $427K (-45%) Sat $712K Sun $461K 3-day $1.6M (-44%), Total $62.7M\/Wk 6<\/p>\n

I Can Only Imagine 2 (LG) 1,834 (-1,271) theaters, Fri $400K (-55%), Sat $680K Sun $445K 3-day $1.525M (-52%), Total $16.2M\/Wk 3<\/p>\n

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (NEON) 1,965 (+2) theaters, Fri $380K (-67%) Sat $653K Sun $490K 3-day $1.523M (-57%) Total $10.9M\/Wk 3<\/p>\n

\u00a0Demon Slayer: Kimetsu\u00a0no Yaiba\u00a0Infinity Castle\u00a0(re) (Sony) 832 theaters, Fri $365K Sat $535K Sun $400K 3-day $1.3M, Total $135.8M\/Wk 26<\/p>\n

\n\tFRIDAY PM: Pixar is bound for its best opening since 2017\u2019s Coco with Hoppers springing to a wonderful $40M weekend opening at 4,000 locations. Hoppers first day\/previews alone are estimated $12.7M (possibly $13M by end of night), which is higher than the Friday\/previews of 2020\u2019s Onward ($12M, $39.1M opening), 2023\u2019s Elemental ($11.7M, $29.6M opening) and last summer\u2019s Elio ($8.96M, $20.8M opening). Though no official audience scores yet, we\u2019re hearing that they are pacing with the pic\u2019s great critical score, now 93% certified fresh. Muy bien, Hoppers. <\/p>\n

\n\tWe\u2019re in a better position with the No. 1 opening film than we were a year ago, which was Warner Bros\u2019 Bong Joon Ho sci-fi feature Mickey 17 which fizzled with a $19M opening. <\/p>\n

\n\tSocial media analytics firm RelishMix measures the pic\u2019s social media reach before opening at 363.6M across Facebook, TikTok, X, Instagram and YouTube which is just under Pixar\u2019s Toy Story spinoff Lightyear (371M), far above Onward (284M), Elemental (301.3M) and Elio (272.5M). Overall, Hoppers\u2018 SMU is \u201c13% above a wide range of new family animated genre norms,\u201d says RelishMix. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cConvo runs positive for\u00a0Hoppers, with the crowd buying the high concept as family friendly sci-fi and mostly rewarding the self-aware humor. The dominant shorthand is mashup math that sells it fast, \u2018Over the Hedge\u00a0plus\u00a0Avatar\u00a0equals this\u2019 and \u2018Open Season\u00a0meets\u00a0Avatar.\u2018 The cuteness marketing is working embarrassingly well, \u2018They\u2019re really making me hyped for a beaver\u2019 and \u2018I need a plush of the beaver, it looks so squishy.\u2019 Comedy beats are the trailer MVP, \u2018Drive now rocket ship love it\u2019 and \u2018Pond rules for all.\u2019 Craft and style get real credit, \u2018Very different and unique animation cool\u2019 and \u2018Looks different than the usual Pixar style, characters have character.\u2019 The fandom and creator halo help: \u2018I love the voice actress of Mabel, Piper Curda.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"'The<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJessie Buckley and Christian Bale in \u2018The Bride!\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWarner Bros.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot doing so well, and far below forecasts is Warner Bros\u2019 Maggie Gyllenhaal directed The Bride! which is seeing $3M today for a potential $8M-$10M opening at 3,304 sites in third for the reported $80M feature production. The movie is being booted out of second by the second weekend of Paramount\/Spyglass\u2019 Scream 7 which is seeing $5.5M today for an $18M (-72%) at 3,540 over Friday-Sunday, and a total ten-day cume of $94M by EOD Sunday. Who knew Scream 7 would open so big? That high teens number is what Warners was hoping for on Bride! The Rotten Tomatoes\u2019 audience score at 66% isn\u2019t far from the critics blase score of 61%. Critics are divided ala an A24 genre movie for the pro-female Lady Frankenstein movie. On one side you have Wall Street Journal\u2018s Kyle Smith ripping, \u201cLike Dr. F. himself, Ms. Gyllenhaal has unleashed a monster on unsuspecting countrymen. A witty theater owner would match the mood by selling torches and pitchforks at the concession stand\u201d whereas The Guardian\u2018s Peter Bradshaw exclaims that it\u2019s a \u201cgangster joyride\u201d and that \u201cWithout (Jessie) Buckley, this would have been lacking; with her, it\u2019s a very bizarre and enjoyable spectacle of married bliss.\u201d The film has spoken to some, but to others, it\u2019s a lead balloon. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe Bride\u2018s social media universe reach at 178.2M is \u201crunning -14% below horror franchises\/remake norms across TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram combined with a brisk push on Instagram over the last month,\u201d says RelishMix. <\/p>\n

\n\tSays RelishMix about word of mouth, \u201cMixed-negative leaning chatter for The Bride! clusters around fatigue with parallel Frankenstein releases, skepticism toward reimaginings, and fears the concept could tip into self-parody. Some read the mash-up as clever Venn-diagram marketing that risks confusing intent, while others worry style will outrun story. Comparisons to Guillermo del Toro\u2019s take and Penny Dreadful are used as quality bars rather than sequel gripes. Trailer pacing and legibility also take hits, with complaints about over-cutting and muddled tone. Representative lines include \u2018This feels like a satire of itself\u2019 and \u2018So many Frankensteins lately, I\u2019m not convinced.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFourth goes to Sony\u2019s GOAT\u2018s fourth weekend with $6.7M (-44%) at 3,303 locations after a $1.5M Friday heading to a running total by Sunday near $84M. Fifth is Warner Bros\/MRC\u2019s fourth frame of Wuthering Heights with $3.4M (-49%) at 2,512 theaters after a $1.1M Friday for a running total by Sunday of $78.4M. <\/p>\n

\n\tFRIDAY AM: Pixar Original Hoppers is off to a solid start in previews with $3.2M. Keep in mind that\u2019s $2M from Thursday night and the rest from Saturday previews a week ago.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat preview figure tracks with 2024\u2019s Kung Fu Panda 4 (granted, not original), which did $3.8M in previews for a $58M 3-day. The expectation is that Hoppers is in the high-$30M+ range at 4,000 North American theaters, which would be the best domestic start for a Pixar original since 2017\u2019s Coco ($50.8M 3-day, 5-day of $72.9M). The $150M production Hoppers already has the best reviews for a Pixar original since Coco (96% certified fresh to 97%). Pixar originals have struggled post-Covid, with Elio hitting a brand-opening low of $20.8M last year.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlready, Hoppers\u2018 previews figure is above 2020\u2019s Onward ($2.7M, $39.1M opening weekend), 2023\u2019s Elemental ($2.5M, $29.6M opening), this year\u2019s GOAT ($1.5M, $27.2M 3-day), 2024\u2019s The Wild Robot ($2M, $35.8M) and last year\u2019s Dog Man ($1.4M, $36M opening).<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: The 60 Movies That Have Made More Than $1 Billion At The Global Box Office<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tStateside, Hoppers will have all the bounce from such ticket upcharges as 400 Imax screens (sharing with The Bride!), 1,000+ premium large-format screens, 2,200 3D screens and 350 D-Box\/motion screens.<\/p>\n

\n\tWarner Bros is reporting a low $1 million for The Bride! The pic starring Jessie Buckley and Christian cost a reported $80M before P&A. Rotten Tomatoes reviews stand at 61% fresh. In NRG tracking, it was tracking best in first choice with women. In unaided awareness, it was best with women over 25. Warners is hoping for high teens stateside, $38M-$40M global. Some in exhibition believe it can be as low as $12M this weekend in U.S.\/Canada. The pic is playing on 34,000 global screens, 28,500 of those in 69 territories abroad including France, Korea, Germany, Italy, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, UK and China.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: \u2018The Bride!\u2019 Review: Maggie Gyllenhaal Reinvents The \u2018Frankenstein\u2019 Story And Gives Sensational Jessie Buckley And Christian Bale A Monster Mashup Like No Other<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tSpring break this weekend on ComScore shows 5% K-12 schools out, moving to 10% by Monday. Colleges are 9% on break upping to 26% off by Monday. March spring breaks will reach a peak on Friday, March 20 with 38% K-12 off, 37% colleges on break.<\/p>\n

\n\tRest of the week:<\/p>\n

\n\t1) Scream 7 (Par) 3,540 theaters, Wk $76M\/Wk 1
2) GOAT (Sony) 3,707 theaters, Wk $15.1M (-27%), Total $77.1M\/Wk 3
3) Wuthering Heights (WB) 3,221 theaters, Wk $9.6M (-51%), Total $75M\/Wk 3
4) EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (NEON) 1,963 theaters Wk $5.1M (+19%), Total $9.4M\/Wk 2\\
5) Crime 101 (AMZ) 2,607 theaters, Wk $4.9M (-36%), Total $31.5M\/Wk 3<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED:\u00a0\u2018Hoppers\u2019 Review: Pixar\u2019s Quirky And Caring Romp Is A Funny, Emotional Love Letter To The Environment<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SUNDAY AM WRITETHRU: Pixar original\u2019s Hoppers leaped to a $46M U.S.\/Canada opening, the best seen for a Pixar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259567,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,97653,409,111,139,69,26354,35735],"class_list":["post-319515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-hoppers","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-scream-7","tag-the-bride"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}