Box Office: ‘The Bride!’ Bombs With $7 Million Opening Weekend, Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ Scores $46 Million Debut
This bride might need life support.
Director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!,” a feminist reimagining of “The Bride of Frankenstein,” has collapsed in its box office debut with $7.3 million from 3,304 North American theaters. Since the Warner Bros. film cost $90 million to produce — a staggering price tag for the horror genre — and audience scores are downright scary, it’s shaping up to be the year’s first big bomb.
Ticket sales were drastically behind the studio’s projections of $16 million to $18 million, as well as rivals and independent tracking services, which offered a more conservative estimate of $10 million to $15 million. Reviews weren’t great (59% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the death knell for “The Bride!” looks to be the “C+” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. It doesn’t bode well for the word-of-mouth that’s needed for a long life in theaters. Making matters worse, “The Bride!” is struggling to show a pulse at the international box office with $6.3 million, bringing its global tally to a tragic $13.6 million.
“The Bride!” is Gyllenhaal’s second directorial effort following 2021’s indie drama “The Lost Daughter.” A deranged love story, the 1930s-set film follows a very lonely Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) who recruits a mad scientist (Annette Bening) to create a companion (Jessie Buckley plays the undead love interest) for him. “The Bride!” is expected to lose tens of millions, snapping a winning streak for Warner Bros. after hits like “Sinners,” “Weapons” and “Wuthering Heights.”
“In an increasingly ‘risk-averse’ business like ours, we believe the business is better served with studios taking bold swings on originals like this one,” Warner Bros. said in a note to press while acknowledging the studio’s nine prior films had opened to No. 1. “Even the 1927 Yankees had 44 losses that season…”
This weekend’s other newcomer, Pixar’s kid-friendly “Hoppers” (a very different kind of creature feature), captured the No. 1 spot with a strong $46 million from 4,000 theaters. The film earned another $42 million overseas for a worldwide haul of $88 million. With stellar reviews and an enthusiastic audience reception (a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” grade on CinemaScore), “Hoppers” is primed to be Pixar’s first original hit in nearly a decade. The animation empire’s last unmitigated win was 2017’s musical fantasy “Coco,” which opened to $50 million and eventually earned $210 million domestically and $823 million worldwide.
Since then, family audiences have turned out in force for animated sequels — like Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” which grossed $1.69 billion in 2024 and “Zootopia 2,” which has racked up $1.86 billion since Thanksgiving — as well as adaptations of well-known properties — Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” earned $1.3 billion in 2023. At the same time, original fare has been a tougher sell; Pixar’s most recent attempt, 2025’s “Elio,” fizzled with $154 million against a $150 million budget. Studios and exhibitors have been encouraged, though, because PG films have been enjoying remarkable staying power. “Zootopia 2” ranked among the top 10 on box office charts for 14 weekends, while Sony’s animal-centric “GOAT” has withstood minimal drops since opening in February.
“When Disney and Pixar have a picture that delivers, they set it up for the long run,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “It gives positive word-of-mouth time to circulate… families and groups have a chance to plan a visit, and kids return for repeat viewing. With spring holidays rolling out over the next few weeks, this should be a good run.”
“Hoppers” cost $150 million to produce, which is Pixar’s version of economizing. Since the animation studio’s films are made in the U.S. rather than overseas, they tend to be more expensive than rivals and used to regularly carry budgets of around $200 million. Directed by Daniel Chong, “Hoppers” follows an animal lover named Mabel, whose mind is transferred into a lifelike robotic beaver to communicate with fellow creatures and save their habitat from destruction.
“This is a fantastic original film from the incredible team at Pixar, and it’s wonderful to see audiences coming out with their friends and families to enjoy it together,” said Alan Bergman, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment. “Congratulations to 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.”
Elsewhere at the box office, “Scream 7” suffered a brutal 74% decline in its sophomore outing and still managed to place higher than “The Bride!” on weekend charts. Paramount’s slasher sequel slid to second place with $17.3 million from 3,540 theaters. Despite mixed reviews, the film has generated a killer $93.3 million domestically and $149.4 million globally. It’s on track to outpace the original 1996 “Scream” and 1997 sequel “Scream 2,” which earned $173 million and $172 million, respectively, as the highest-grossing installment in the long-running franchise. Part of the appeal has been Neve Campbell’s heroic return as Sidney Prescott (she sat out the prior entry due to a salary dispute), as well as the enduring popularity of the horror genre.
“GOAT” ranked at No. 4 with $6.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing its domestic tally to $83.8 million. The film has earned $62.5 million internationally and $146 million globally against an $80 million budget. Like Pixar’s “Elemental” and Universal’s “The Wild Robot” and “Migration” before it, “GOAT” has managed to stick around on the big screen for weeks after its modest debut.
“Wuthering Heights” rounded out the top five with $3.8 million in its fourth frame. Director Emerald Fennell’s literary adaptation has generated $78 million in North America to date. The R-rated film has been far bigger at the international box office with $134.9 million overseas for a global tally of $213 million. It cost $80 million.
Director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!,” a feminist reimagining of “The Bride of Frankenstein,” has collapsed in its box office debut with $7.3 million from 3,304 North American theaters. Since the Warner Bros. film cost $90 million to produce — a staggering price tag for the horror genre — and audience scores are downright scary, it’s shaping up to be the year’s first big bomb.
Ticket sales were drastically behind the studio’s projections of $16 million to $18 million, as well as rivals and independent tracking services, which offered a more conservative estimate of $10 million to $15 million. Reviews weren’t great (59% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the death knell for “The Bride!” looks to be the “C+” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. It doesn’t bode well for the word-of-mouth that’s needed for a long life in theaters. Making matters worse, “The Bride!” is struggling to show a pulse at the international box office with $6.3 million, bringing its global tally to a tragic $13.6 million.
“The Bride!” is Gyllenhaal’s second directorial effort following 2021’s indie drama “The Lost Daughter.” A deranged love story, the 1930s-set film follows a very lonely Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) who recruits a mad scientist (Annette Bening) to create a companion (Jessie Buckley plays the undead love interest) for him. “The Bride!” is expected to lose tens of millions, snapping a winning streak for Warner Bros. after hits like “Sinners,” “Weapons” and “Wuthering Heights.”
“In an increasingly ‘risk-averse’ business like ours, we believe the business is better served with studios taking bold swings on originals like this one,” Warner Bros. said in a note to press while acknowledging the studio’s nine prior films had opened to No. 1. “Even the 1927 Yankees had 44 losses that season…”
This weekend’s other newcomer, Pixar’s kid-friendly “Hoppers” (a very different kind of creature feature), captured the No. 1 spot with a strong $46 million from 4,000 theaters. The film earned another $42 million overseas for a worldwide haul of $88 million. With stellar reviews and an enthusiastic audience reception (a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” grade on CinemaScore), “Hoppers” is primed to be Pixar’s first original hit in nearly a decade. The animation empire’s last unmitigated win was 2017’s musical fantasy “Coco,” which opened to $50 million and eventually earned $210 million domestically and $823 million worldwide.
Since then, family audiences have turned out in force for animated sequels — like Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” which grossed $1.69 billion in 2024 and “Zootopia 2,” which has racked up $1.86 billion since Thanksgiving — as well as adaptations of well-known properties — Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” earned $1.3 billion in 2023. At the same time, original fare has been a tougher sell; Pixar’s most recent attempt, 2025’s “Elio,” fizzled with $154 million against a $150 million budget. Studios and exhibitors have been encouraged, though, because PG films have been enjoying remarkable staying power. “Zootopia 2” ranked among the top 10 on box office charts for 14 weekends, while Sony’s animal-centric “GOAT” has withstood minimal drops since opening in February.
“When Disney and Pixar have a picture that delivers, they set it up for the long run,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “It gives positive word-of-mouth time to circulate… families and groups have a chance to plan a visit, and kids return for repeat viewing. With spring holidays rolling out over the next few weeks, this should be a good run.”
“Hoppers” cost $150 million to produce, which is Pixar’s version of economizing. Since the animation studio’s films are made in the U.S. rather than overseas, they tend to be more expensive than rivals and used to regularly carry budgets of around $200 million. Directed by Daniel Chong, “Hoppers” follows an animal lover named Mabel, whose mind is transferred into a lifelike robotic beaver to communicate with fellow creatures and save their habitat from destruction.
“This is a fantastic original film from the incredible team at Pixar, and it’s wonderful to see audiences coming out with their friends and families to enjoy it together,” said Alan Bergman, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment. “Congratulations to 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.”
Elsewhere at the box office, “Scream 7” suffered a brutal 74% decline in its sophomore outing and still managed to place higher than “The Bride!” on weekend charts. Paramount’s slasher sequel slid to second place with $17.3 million from 3,540 theaters. Despite mixed reviews, the film has generated a killer $93.3 million domestically and $149.4 million globally. It’s on track to outpace the original 1996 “Scream” and 1997 sequel “Scream 2,” which earned $173 million and $172 million, respectively, as the highest-grossing installment in the long-running franchise. Part of the appeal has been Neve Campbell’s heroic return as Sidney Prescott (she sat out the prior entry due to a salary dispute), as well as the enduring popularity of the horror genre.
“GOAT” ranked at No. 4 with $6.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing its domestic tally to $83.8 million. The film has earned $62.5 million internationally and $146 million globally against an $80 million budget. Like Pixar’s “Elemental” and Universal’s “The Wild Robot” and “Migration” before it, “GOAT” has managed to stick around on the big screen for weeks after its modest debut.
“Wuthering Heights” rounded out the top five with $3.8 million in its fourth frame. Director Emerald Fennell’s literary adaptation has generated $78 million in North America to date. The R-rated film has been far bigger at the international box office with $134.9 million overseas for a global tally of $213 million. It cost $80 million.