‘Reminders of Him’ Opens Strong With $18M as ‘Hoppers’ Holds No. 1 and ‘The Bride!’ Collapses
Universal Pictures
Colleen Hoover’s latest adaptation beats expectations at the box office while Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ continues its strong run and Warner Bros.’ ‘The Bride!’ suffers a brutal second-week drop.
Colleen Hoover is once again proving that her stories translate into serious box office draw.
Universal’s romantic drama ‘Reminders of Him,’ based on Hoover’s bestselling novel, debuted with an impressive $18.2 million from 3,402 theaters across North America — significantly outperforming pre-release projections that estimated a $10 million to $12 million opening. Internationally, the film added another $10 million from 56 overseas territories, bringing its global launch to $28.2 million against a reported $25 million production budget.
Hoover co-wrote the screenplay for the adaptation, which follows a young mother returning to her hometown after serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, hoping to rebuild her life and reconnect with the daughter she left behind. Audience reactions were somewhat mixed, with moviegoers giving the film a “B” grade on CinemaScore exit polls, though its opening suggests strong interest from its target demographic.
The film’s performance continues Hoover’s remarkable run at the box office following the success of previous adaptations such as ‘It Ends With Us’ and ‘Regretting You.’ Like those films, ‘Reminders of Him’ drew a heavily female audience — with women accounting for roughly 80 percent of opening weekend ticket buyers.
Industry analysts say the film’s success highlights a category Hollywood has largely ignored in recent years.
“Hollywood isn’t producing enough adult romance dramas,” said Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock. “The audience is there, but the content isn’t. Colleen Hoover’s adaptations are filling that space.”
Hoover’s next adaptation is already on the horizon. ‘Verity,’ starring Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway, is scheduled for release in October from Amazon MGM.
Despite Hoover’s strong debut, the weekend’s top spot still belonged to Disney and Pixar’s animated adventure ‘Hoppers,’ which held onto first place in its second weekend with $28.5 million. The film dropped only 36 percent from its $45 million opening frame, bringing its domestic total to $86 million. Overseas, the film has earned $77.9 million, pushing its global haul to $164.7 million.
For Pixar, the film represents a promising step forward for original storytelling at the studio. While sequels like ‘Inside Out 2’ have performed well in recent years, Pixar has struggled to launch original animated hits since 2017’s ‘Coco.’ With a reported $150 million production budget, ‘Hoppers’ will still need strong legs in the coming weeks to justify its price tag, but early signs suggest the film could maintain steady momentum.
Elsewhere at the box office, A24 scored another genre win with ‘Undertone,’ a micro-budget supernatural horror film that debuted to a better-than-expected $9.3 million from 2,570 theaters. The film, written and directed by Ian Tuason in his feature debut, follows a podcast host who begins uncovering terrifying recordings while caring for her dying mother.
Given that A24 acquired the film for roughly $3 million to $4 million, the opening represents a strong start for the distributor. Like many horror releases, the movie earned a lower CinemaScore grade — a “C” — which is common for films designed to unsettle audiences.
“This is the kind of original horror filmmaking that makes the genre interesting and unpredictable,” said box office analyst David A. Gross, who publishes the industry newsletter FranchiseRe. “The movie is succeeding on storytelling talent and fresh faces.”
Paramount’s ‘Scream 7’ continued its impressive theatrical run, adding $8.3 million in its third weekend of release. Despite mixed critical reception, the long-running slasher franchise has now grossed $107 million domestically and $176.9 million globally. The film has officially become the highest-grossing installment in the franchise’s history, surpassing the lifetime totals of both the original ‘Scream’ and its sequel ‘Scream 2’ worldwide, not adjusted for inflation.
Not every film fared as well this weekend.
Director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ambitious monster film ‘The Bride!’ suffered a catastrophic drop in its second frame, collapsing 70 percent to just $2.1 million and falling to sixth place on the charts. The R-rated film has now earned only $11.3 million domestically and $21 million globally — a disastrous result considering Warner Bros. reportedly spent $90 million to produce the film and another $65 million marketing it.
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The weekend overall showed encouraging signs for theatrical recovery. According to Comscore, total box office revenue was roughly 70 percent higher than the same weekend in 2025. However, the market still remains about 20 percent behind pre-pandemic levels, underscoring the uneven nature of the industry’s recovery.
The theatrical landscape may soon receive another major boost. Amazon MGM’s sci-fi adaptation ‘Project Hail Mary,’ starring Ryan Gosling, is set to open March 20 and is widely expected to generate strong audience interest.
“We are on the cusp of an impressive debut for ‘Project Hail Mary,’” said Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian. “And then we can look forward to April, which will reinvigorate the marketplace.”
Universal’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ is expected to follow shortly after on April 1, potentially giving theaters their first major spring blockbuster of the year.
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