Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ Hits $375.1M, Second Only To ‘Elemental’ Among All Post-Pandemic Hollywood Original Films

Over the weekend, Pixar’s Hoppers reached a major commercial milestone, climbing to a lifetime global gross of $375.1 million, according to The Numbers. The film has now surpassed Sinners ($370.2 million) to become the second-highest-grossing Hollywood original of the 2020s, trailing only Elemental ($496.4 million).

Directed by Daniel Chong, best known as the creator of We Bare Bears, Hoppers is a major win for Pixar and original animation in a marketplace heavily dominated by sequels and franchise IP.

From its opening weekend, Hoppers signaled strong audience interest and critical favorability, debuting with $46 million domestically and $88 million globally, among the best starts for an original animated film in recent years. The film continued to show strong legs throughout its theatrical run, crossing $120 million domestically by its third weekend and maintaining steady performance internationally. It’s not going to have the legs of Elemental, but that film wasn’t facing down a Mario Bros. juggernaut in its fifth week as Hoppers did. One possible drawback to Pixar exploring the spring theatrical corridor.

Hoppers’ success is particularly significant for Pixar, which has faced challenges in launching original properties theatrically in the post-pandemic era. Although perhaps those claims have been overblown, given that the studio now has the two best-performing originals, animated or otherwise, since before the pandemic.

By combining Chong’s distinct comedic sensibility, some really fun cartoony animation, and Pixar’s sharp production pipeline, Hoppers has emerged as both a critical and commercial bright spot, reinforcing the viability of original storytelling at scale at a time when studios have otherwise been prioritizing existing IPs.

With its current box office standing, Hoppers not only ranks among the decade’s top original films but also underscores renewed audience appetite for non-franchise animation. Here’s hoping more original stories are on the way.