Colleen Hoover’s “Reminders of Him” opens strong with $18M, while Pixar’s “Hoppers” stays No.1 and Warner Bros.’ “The Bride!” collapses in week two.
The weekend box office offered a clear message to Hollywood: audiences are still hungry for emotional romance stories — and author Colleen Hoover continues to deliver them.
Universal’s romantic drama Reminders of Him opened stronger than expected, earning $18.2 million from 3,402 theaters across North America. Pre-release projections suggested the film might land between $10 million and $12 million, making the final tally a pleasant surprise for the studio.
Internationally, the film added $10 million from 56 markets, bringing its global opening to $28.2 million against a relatively modest $25 million production budget.
The strong debut highlights the growing momentum behind Hoover’s work on the big screen. Her novels have become a reliable source of theatrical romance at a time when Hollywood rarely invests in adult-focused love stories.
The film’s launch follows the success of It Ends With Us in 2024 and Regretting You in 2025, both of which proved that audiences will show up for emotionally driven dramas centered on relationships.
Industry analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations says the trend reflects a gap in the market.
“Hollywood isn’t producing enough adult romance dramas,” Bock said. “The audience clearly exists, but the supply of films doesn’t. Colleen Hoover adaptations are stepping into that space.”
Despite its impressive start, “Reminders of Him” couldn’t unseat Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers, which held onto the No. 1 spot in its second weekend with $28.5 million. The animated adventure dropped just 36% from its $45 million opening, a healthy sign that family audiences are continuing to turn out.
So far, “Hoppers” has earned $86 million domestically and another $77.9 million overseas, pushing its global total to $164.7 million. The film carries a hefty $150 million production budget, meaning it will need sustained ticket sales to become fully profitable, but the early trend suggests strong legs.
For Pixar, the performance is particularly important. While the studio has enjoyed massive success with sequels like Inside Out 2, original titles have struggled to match that level of box office momentum in recent years.
Elsewhere on the chart, A24 scored a surprise win with its new horror release Undertone, which debuted in third place with $9.3 million from 2,570 theaters. The R-rated supernatural thriller was made on a tiny budget and represents a profitable start for the indie distributor, which reportedly acquired the film for between $3 million and $4 million.
Directed by newcomer Ian Tuason, “Undertone” follows a podcast host who discovers disturbing audio recordings after returning home to care for her dying mother. Though the film received a modest “C” CinemaScore, that reaction is not unusual for horror movies designed to unsettle audiences.
Box office analyst David A. Gross said the movie demonstrates how fresh ideas can still succeed in the genre.
“This is the kind of original horror filmmaking that keeps the genre exciting,” Gross noted. “It’s succeeding because of storytelling and new creative voices.”
Paramount’s slasher sequel Scream 7 also continued to draw crowds. The film added $8.3 million in its third weekend, pushing its domestic total to $107 million and $176.9 million worldwide. That performance officially makes it the highest-grossing entry in the long-running franchise, surpassing the totals of the original Scream (1996) and Scream 2 (1997).
The biggest disappointment of the weekend, however, was The Bride!, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The R-rated monster film plunged 70% in its second weekend, earning just $2.1 million and falling to sixth place on the charts.
So far, the film has made $11.3 million domestically and $21 million globally — far below expectations considering its $90 million production budget and an additional $65 million spent on marketing. With weak reviews and poor audience scores, the movie is shaping up to be a major financial setback for Warner Bros.
Taken together, the weekend results illustrate an unpredictable theatrical landscape. Big studio films don’t always guarantee success, while romance adaptations and small-budget horror can still capture audience attention.
For now, two trends seem clear: Pixar’s family entertainment still has box office power, and Colleen Hoover’s stories remain a reliable draw for moviegoers looking for heartfelt drama on the big screen.
