3/6-3/8: HOPPERS Jumps over SCREAM 7 into First Place

Mar 8, 2026

Disney and Pixar’s animated family film HOPPERS opened in first place with a gross of $46.0M, lifting the total box office for all films to $96.2M. This is the third time in a row that the weekend box office has come in higher than the total from the matching frame from 2025. Last year’s weekend #10 generated only $55.9M, led by the Warner Bros.’ MICKEY 17 which earned $19.0M in its debut. This year’s weekend #10 was an impressive 72% higher. This recent momentum supports our claim that Q1 2026 will wind up 22% higher than last year’s first quarter.

While next weekend is not likely to generate as much as this weekend, the total should be higher than last year’s. On Friday March 13^th, Universal’s romantic drama REMINDERS OF HIM and A24’s horror flick UNDERTONE will open. Following that on March 20^th, Amazon MGM steps in with their original sci-fi movie PROJECT HAIL MARY. Interest in this film is building, with strong advance ticket sales and an elevated “want-to-see” response from moviegoers who were asked. We expect the last two weeks of the first quarter to close out on a high note, and put the year on track to surpass $9B in total domestic box office, the best year since the pandemic.

FIRST PLACE – HOPPERS

HOPPERS is the 28^th Pixar movie released in theatres. Beginning in 1995 with TOY STORY, Pixar’s 27 films to-date have grossed an amazing $7.1B domestically and $15.0B globally. After Disney acquired Pixar in 2006, the company decided to keep its own animation operation, and allow Pixar to continue with its own creative approach. The combined results have dominated family animation and contributed large sums to the company’s bottom line. This weekend HOPPERS opened with $46.0M domestic and $88.0M globally.

HOPPERS is an original project by director Daniel Chong, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jesse Andrews. Production was led by Nicole Paradis Grindle. HOPPERS’ animated story blends science fiction, adventure and comedy with an environmental and empathetic core.

The story centers on Mabel Tanaka, a 19-year-old animal lover who cares deeply about nature and wildlife. In a near-future setting, scientists at a fictional Beaverton University develop breakthrough technology known as the “Hoppers” program. This allows a human consciousness to “hop” into lifelike robotic animal bodies, giving humans a novel ability to interact and communicate with animals on their terms. Using this technology, Mabel transfers her consciousness into a robotic beaver, which lets her experience the animal world from the inside. As she navigates the challenges of living as a robotic beaver, she discovers mysteries and social dynamics within the forest’s animal community.

A major thrust of the story is Mabel’s effort to save a cherished forest glade and its animal inhabitants from a planned development led by the local mayor, Jerry Generazzo. Along the way, she befriends characters like King George, a beaver leader, and must unite creatures large and small to protect their home. Chong has described spending roughly six years honing the film and its tonal “sweet spot,” which is very much in-line with Pixar’s iterative story process.

Chong explains that he treats his story as a spy thriller once Mabel goes undercover in the animal world, wanting the audience to guess what Mabel will do next. The voice cast is stacked with recognizable actors and comedians, including Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy and Dave Franco.

As is typical for Pixar films, both critics and audiences love it, with both giving a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Here are a few excerpts from reviews. The San Francisco Chronicle said, “While Pixar doesn’t exactly alter the chemistry here, ‘Hoppers’ is energetic and fun. What makes it worthy is that Chong has an authentic interest in the animals’ interaction with humans and brings feelings to that conflict.” The Hollywood Reporter felt, “It shouldn’t all hang together as well as it does, but the movie’s freewheeling plotting is exhilarating, even more so when a frantic chase accelerates the action.” Variety thought, “Hoppers” never stops surprising you in rudely antic ways, and that’s the essence of its delight.” Despite its 94%, not everyone was fully convinced, with Slant Magazine saying that, “It falls well short of providing any satisfying exploration of its weighty theme of persuasion versus violence in the face of oppression.”

Pixar movies are well made, but the animation effects and overall attention to detail comes at a price. HOPPERS cost $150M to produce, meaning that it will need to make $375M in ticket sales worldwide to be profitable. With the previous 27 Pixar films earning $15B, the average title has produced $556M in total worldwide gross. Based on this history, HOPPERS would earn a profit even if it produces below-average numbers for a Pixar movie. We have selected THE BAD GUYS from rival studio DreamWorks as a comparison film, due to it having a storyline equally focused on spy antics. Both films feature fast-paced animation with a chaotic comedic rhythm.

HOPPERS vs. THE BAD GUYS

SECOND PLACE – SCREAM 7

Paramount’s horror redux SCREAM 7 finished #2 in its second weekend by taking in $17.3M, a steep decline of 73% from last week’s $64.1M opening. 10-day totals stand at $93.4M domestically and $149.5M worldwide. SCREAM7 started strong, with an opening weekend that was $20M higher than the opening of the last chapter SCREAM VI in 2023. While it was expected that interest would drop in its second weekend, the 73% decline was more than Paramount had hoped for.

That said, SCREAM 7’s 10-day domestic total of $93.4M keeps it on track to be the highest grossing movie in the 7-film, 29-year horror franchise. Its 10-day totals have already made it profitable, with more coming in every day. Most franchises experience some degree of audience fatigue after the first or second sequel, and this has not happened with SCREAM. We fully expect that a steady stream of new screams are already in the works.

SCREAM 7 vs. SCREAM VI

THIRD PLACE – THE BRIDE

THE BRIDE, the Gothic romance horror from Warner Bros., finished in third place in its opening weekend by grossing $7.3M domestically and $13.6M globally. This ends a streak of nine consecutive Warner Bros. films which finished #1 in their opening weekends. This film was inspired by the 1935 classic BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, which itself was based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein. Maggie Gyllenhaal wrote and directed the new movie. After the Oscar-nominated success of THE LAST DAUGHTER (2021), Gyllenhaal decided to tackle a much larger studio film, writing the screenplay herself. Seeing that the original BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN movie barely explores the bride character at all, Gyllenhaal decided to center her film on the bride’s perspective. Instead of a Gothic European setting, Gyllenhaal shifts the story to 1930s Chicago with a gangster-adjacent tone. Instead of traipsing through castles with laboratories, this story places the Frankenstein story in a jazz-age urban landscape.

Jessie Buckley, who has received a Best Actress nomination for her work in HAMNET, plays three characters: the bride, a murdered woman who has been resurrected and the original story’s author Mary Shelley. Christian Bale (AMERICAN PSYCHO) plays Frankenstein’s monster, “Frank”. The film centers on the monster seeking companionship and convincing a scientist to create a mate. The cast is unusually stacked for a horror film, with supporting roles for Penélope Cruz, Annette Bening, Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal. Maggie Gyllenhaal directed her own husband, Peter Sarsgaard, and brother Jake Gyllenhaal, both of whom appear in the film, creating a unique family dynamic on set.

Critics have been somewhat unimpressed, giving it a 59% score on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas audiences are somewhat more positive with a 73% rating. Here are some of the critics’ comments. The Los Angeles Times said that the film was, “a maniacal assemblage of ’30s musicals, ’40s noirs, 19^th century literature and 21^st century ideology. Every wacky second, you’re well aware how perilously close it is to falling apart at the seams.” USA Today offers, “While imperfections exist in the violent, genre-defying romance, they don’t dim Gyllenhaal’s clear-eyed passion, grand ideas and big swings spattered on the screen.” The Boston Globe felt that “Individual parts of ‘The Bride!’ work, but as a whole, the critic in me found it confusing and irritating.” Finally, The Film Verdict said, “[The film] veers off in so many exhausting directions that it ultimately amounts to little more than sound and fury. She’s alive, alive, but she can’t maintain this pace.”

Warner Bros. gave their film “first class” treatment, backing it as an significant auteur project that is worthy of attention. Gyllenhaal was given a substantial budget for the movie, including a star-studded cast and an IMAX theatrical release. The estimated production cost of $80M is much higher than that of a typical horror film. With that price tag, the film will have to make $200M in worldwide ticket sales to break even, and that could be a challenge. For a comparison film, we selected POOR THINGS from 2023. Both films deal with a “created” female lead character who is discovering the world. They mix Frankenstein-like science fiction with feminism and dark comedy in a highly stylized visual world and period setting.

THE BRIDE vs. POOR THINGS

FOURTH PLACE – GOAT

Sony’s animated film GOAT finished in fourth place with $6.6M, a drop of 45% in its fourth weekend. This brings its 24-day total to $83.8M domestically and $146.3M worldwide. GOAT still has a way to go to reach the $200M it will need to be profitable. If it gets there, it could help justify making a sequel.

Directed by Tyree Dillihay and Adam Rosette and produced by Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media, the film was conceived as an original sports-themed comedy about an underdog goat named Will, who is trying to win a championship in a fictional sport called Roarball. In interviews around the film’s February 2026 release, the creative team emphasized building a large sports world with many teams and characters, leaving room for more stories if audiences respond well. The head of Sony Pictures Animation, Kristine Belson, has spoken about the studio’s goal of creating new original franchises, explaining that GOAT’s animal-based, sports theme falls under that strategy. If Rotten Tomatoes scores are to be taken as a measure of interest, Sony should be encouraged by the favorable at 83% from critics and 93% from audiences. It is now competing for the family audience with HOPPERS which opened this weekend, and the upcoming April 1^st release date of THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY is looming. Although it will be close, we expect GOAT will fall slightly short of its target of $200M in worldwide sales to make a profit. However, this could be good enough for Sony to roll the dice on a sequel.

GOAT vs. SPACE JAM after 17 Days

FIFTH PLACE – WUTHERING HEIGHTS

WUTHERING HEIGHTS, the romantic period drama from Warner Bros., finished fifth in its fourth weekend with $3.8M, a drop of 44%. This brings the film’s 24-day totals to $78.8M domestically and $213.7M worldwide, which is more than enough to get the film into the black. WUTHERNG HEIGHTS has become the highest-grossing movie ever based on a 19^th century romantic novel, passing PRIDE AND PREJUDICE’s $120.9M that it rang up in 2005, which equates to $201.4M in 2026 dollars. This has been quite an accomplishment for Warner Bros., which took a big roll of the dice when it decided to spend $80M on this project. The movie should also do well in its PVOD release, and eventually when it becomes available to stream on HBO MAX. Even with the distraction of the company’s pending sale to Paramount, Warner Bros. Studios has done a commendable job over the last year, with the benefits flowing to theatres and moviegoers.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS vs. PRIDE & PREJUDICE after 24 Days

Where Are We as of 3/5/2026

Beginning this weekend, we will be reporting both the box office and attendance numbers for the current year, compared to the three prior years of 2025, 2024 and 2023 and to the last full year before the pandemic of 2019. Attendance is calculated by dividing the box office for each year by the average ticket price (ATP) in that year. We are interested in your feedback, so please feel free to let us know your thoughts.

BOX OFFICE AND ATTENDANCE – 9 WEEKS YEAR TO DATE