Box Office: ‘Hoppers’ Eyes $40M+ Start; ‘The Bride!’ Stumbles
The March box office has been set ablaze this weekend as Disney and Pixar’s latest original venture, “Hoppers,” makes a massive splash, while Warner Bros.’ gothic reimagining, “The Bride!” faces a grim reality.
Pixar Finds Its Magic with 'Hoppers'
In what is being hailed as a major win for original animation, Pixar’s “Hoppers” is currently on track for a domestic debut of $40 million or more. This marks the studio's best opening for an original (non-sequel) film since 2017's Coco.
Audiences are clearly connecting with the quirky sci-fi comedy about a girl who "hops" her consciousness into a robotic beaver. With a stellar 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and strong word-of-mouth, Hoppers is proving that Pixar’s brand of original storytelling still has the power to draw families back to the cinema in droves.
A Cold Reception for ‘The Bride!’
On the flip side, the news is far less celebratory for director Maggie Gyllenhaal. Despite a star-studded cast featuring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, “The Bride!” has officially entered "bomb territory."
Initial estimates suggest the film will struggle to even hit the $10 million mark over its three-day opening. For a production with a reported budget of roughly $90 million, this is a catastrophic start. Critics have been polarized by its "punk-rock" take on the Frankenstein mythos, and the general audience seems to have skipped the laboratory altogether, resulting in a disappointing "C+" CinemaScore.
The Verdict
This weekend highlights a growing trend in 2026: Audience sentiment is everything. While Pixar leaned into a high-concept, family-friendly hook that resonated, The Bride! may have been too niche and stylistically divisive for a mainstream theatrical run. As Hoppers prepares to dominate the rest of March, The Bride! will need a miracle—or a very strong digital life—to recover its costs.