&x27;Hoppers&x27; scores biggest debut for an original Pixar film since 2017 Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYSun, March 8, 2026 at 5:53 PM UTC 0 Pixar originals are bouncing back at the box office. The studio's latest animated adventure "Hoppers," about a girl who transfers her mind into a robotic beaver, earned $46 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, according to estimates from Comscore. It's the biggest debut for an original Pixar movie since "Coco," which started with $50.8 million in 2017.
'Hoppers' scores biggest debut for an original Pixar film since 2017
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYSun, March 8, 2026 at 5:53 PM UTC
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Pixar originals are bouncing back at the box office.
The studio's latest animated adventure "Hoppers," about a girl who transfers her mind into a robotic beaver, earned $46 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, according to estimates from Comscore. It's the biggest debut for an original Pixar movie since "Coco," which started with $50.8 million in 2017.
The success of "Hoppers" is a promising sign that Pixar can still make hit films that are not sequels to previous titles.
For much of its history, the Disney animation studio was known for reliably producing one completely original smash after another, from "Toy Story" to "Monsters Inc." and "Finding Nemo." More recently, though, Pixar has had mixed success with new ideas, even as its sequels thrive.
Is Pixar's 'Hoppers' OK for little kids? What parents .
A young girl transfers her mind into a robotic beaver in the Pixar film "Hoppers."
Pixar's last original film prior to "Hoppers" was 2025's "Elio," the story of a young boy who wishes to be abducted by aliens. The sci-fi movie's weak $20.8 million debut was the worst opening weekend of any Pixar movie in history.
Pixar's "Elemental," another original story set in a world of anthropomorphic elements, had a similarly subdued start in 2023 with $29.6 million, though strong legs allowed the film to recover and finish with a solid $154 million in North American theaters. Beginning in 2020, a series of Pixar originals bypassed theaters and were released directly to Disney+ amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including "Soul" and "Turning Red."
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1 / 0All 30 Pixar movies, definitively ranked (including 'Hoppers')
Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda) has her mind blown by her college professor's new technology in "Hoppers." But where does the sci-fi comedy stack up against the studio's other animated hits? We rank all 30 Pixar movies from worst to best.
Pixar has had more success over the past decade with sequels, particularly 2024's "Inside Out 2," which became not only the biggest hit in the studio's history, but the highest-grossing animated movie ever at the time, finishing with well over $1.6 billion globally. "Ne Zha 2" later surpassed it to become the current highest-grossing animated movie of all time worldwide.
For a studio that once made sequels only sporadically, these box-office grosses have raised questions about the viability of original Pixar stories going forward.
Disney's "Hoppers" had the biggest opening weekend for an original Pixar film since 2017.
"Hoppers" faring well in theaters suggests it's still possible for Pixar to drum up interest in a movie that isn't based on pre-existing material. The sci-fi comedy enjoyed strong reviews from critics, with 94% fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience reception was also positive, with the film earning an average grade of A among moviegoers polled by CinemaScore.
Piper Curda resisted getting on TikTok: Now she's a Pixar star in 'Hoppers'
Next up from Pixar will be a sequel: The highly anticipated "Toy Story 5," which hits theaters on June 19. But Pixar will follow that up with another original: "Gatto," the story of a black cat in Italy who "finds himself forced to forge an unexpected friendship that may finally lead him to his purpose," per the studio's description. It hits theaters in March 2027.
This weekend's other major new release was a box-office bust: Maggie Gyllenhaal's "The Bride!," a new take on "The Bride of Frankenstein" that divided critics and only opened to $7.3 million, putting it in third place after last weekend's release "Scream 7," which earned $17.3 million in its second weekend.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Hoppers' box office – How Pixar's latest fared this weekend
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: March 8, 2026 at 08:45PM on Source: MANUEL MAG
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