Disney’s Pixar is celebrating a triumphant return to original storytelling after its latest Hoppers movie dominated the global box office this weekend with a strong $88 million.
It topped the domestic box office this weekend with $46 million.
In stark contrast, Warner Bros. Discovery’s The Bride!, despite featuring stars like Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley, stumbled with a dismal $13.6 million global opening.
Pixar’s latest movie—which is about a woman inhabiting a robotic beaver to save a natural habitat—is the studio’s most successful original launch since 2017’s Coco.
It is a much-needed win for current Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter, who took the role in 2018. He is spearheading a strategic shift to recapture Pixar’s status as a box-office juggernaut.
Pixar has faced challenges since the pandemic. Its original films, like Turning Red, Luca, Soul, Lightyear, and Elemental, have failed to resonate as broadly as older Pixar classics like Toy Story or Inside Out. Last year’s Elio was the company’s biggest flop, losing Disney $100 million.
With Hoppers showing early promise, Pixar hopes to prove it can still deliver universally relatable hits that justify its high cost.
The company also laid off 14% of its employees in 2024, marking its largest staff cut in history, as its parent company, Disney, sought to increase profitability.