Pixar’s Hoppers Just Accomplished an Important Box Office Feat

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While many are looking forward to Toy Story 5 this summer, Pixar’s Hoppers, releasing in 2026, is generating a lot of buzz. The film has a unique and fun idea – a girl’s mind is transferred into a robot beaver, allowing her to live with animals – but it was also seen as a key test for Pixar after a couple of recent box office disappointments. Last year’s Elio didn’t perform well in theaters, earning only $154.2 million globally. So, there was a lot of interest in whether Hoppers could help Pixar get back on track, and early signs are positive – it’s had a strong opening.

The new animated film, Hoppers, is projected to earn $46 million in the US and Canada during its opening weekend. Deadline reports this is the strongest start for an original animated movie since Coco debuted in 2017 with $50.8 million. Adding international earnings of $42 million, Hoppers has already made a strong $88 million worldwide. Early audience reactions are very positive, with the film receiving an “A” grade from CinemaScore.

Hoppers‘ Box Office Opening Is Great News for Pixar

Pixar movies used to be almost guaranteed hits in theaters, whether they were sequels or brand new stories. But that changed after the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people started watching new Pixar films on streaming services like Disney+. Movies like Soul, Luca, and Turning Red went straight to Disney+, which unintentionally shifted Pixar’s focus towards streaming. While Pixar has returned to releasing films in theaters, the results have been mixed. Inside Out 2 was a huge success, earning over $1 billion, but Lightyear and Elio weren’t well-received and failed to make much money.

The strong opening weekend for Hoppers is great news for Pixar, proving that audiences still love and will pay to see their original stories, even with so many streaming options. Pixar built its reputation on creating critically acclaimed and popular original films, and despite having sequels in production, they’re committed to continuing that tradition. Next year, they’ll release Gatto, a film about cats, and they’re also working on One Ghost Market and a new animated musical.

Releasing Hoppers in early March turned out to be a smart move. Elio didn’t perform well, but that wasn’t because of the movie itself—it was simply bad timing. Elio came out right after the very popular live-action remakes of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, and audiences weren’t ready for another family film. Hoppers, however, had a much clearer path. The only other significant animated movie currently playing, GOAT, launched in mid-February and didn’t draw huge crowds (earning $135.2 million worldwide so far). This allowed Hoppers to really shine, especially since the weekend’s other major release, The Bride!, was a disappointment, earning only $7.3 million domestically.

Originally planned for a June 2027 release, Pixar moved up the premiere of Gatto to March to avoid competing with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. This shift suggests Pixar might now release its more experimental, original films in early March – a riskier move for the box office – and save the traditional June slot for guaranteed hits like sequels such as Toy Story 5 and Incredibles 3. The performance of Hoppers also shows that audiences are still eager to see original Pixar stories, especially when they receive strong positive reviews. Hoppers was one of Pixar’s best-reviewed films in years, praised for its humor and emotional depth. Hopefully, this success will inspire Pixar to continue taking creative risks and recapture the innovative spirit of its early films.

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2026-03-08 19:40