• by Wayne Friedman , March 8, 2026

Walt Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers” had a surprise success as an early March original animated film with a strong $46 million domestically, according to Comscore.

Warner Bros. had a different kind of shock with a $7.3 million opening for “The Bride!” -- a spin on “Frankenstein” starring Maggie Gyllenhaal. The studio was anticipating more than double the actual box-office results ($16 million or more).

Walt Disney spent an estimated $9.2 million on national TV advertising -- 3,370 spots and some 507.9 million impressions, according to iSpot. Disney’s own ABC, ESPN, and Disney Channel, and Freeform were big beneficiaries of that messaging.

This was boosted by a 94% positive review score with Rotten Tomatoes. Pixar has not had a strong opening for an original movie since “Coco” back in 2017.

"Hoppers" is about how scientists figured out how people can communicate with animals, by "hopping" human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals.

For “The Bride," with a lukewarm 59% review score in tow, Warner Bros. spent estimated $5.7 million according to iSpot -- with 1,254 airings and 250.6 million impressions.

WBD placed messaging on TBS, Investigation Discovery, ESPN, TLC and TNT.

Through the first two months of 2026, total U.S. theatrical media value and spend is up 15% to an estimated $208.9 million over the previous year for 29,210 airings.

During the same period of the previous year, the total was $181.5 million but with more airings, at 42,408.