Maybe the lizard memes did help, as Pixar originals return to form at the box office with Hoppers. Meanwhile, The Loved One continues to march toward becoming one of the top-grossing Anne Curtis films.
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| (C) Disney |
Disney and Pixar's Hoppers opened to $544,637 (est. ₱32 million) in the Philippines during the week of March 4–8, 2026. The opening more than doubled that of Pixar's last original, Elio ($204,661), back in June 2025 and almost matched Elemental ($554,911) in 2023. The hope is that it plays more like Elemental, which had tremendous legs and closed its run in the country with over $1.9 million. That’s very much possible given that the film has received great reviews and audience reactions, even here in the country. Competition will also be weak for its target market until The Super Mario Galaxy Movie arrives in April (Project Hail Mary will take over its IMAX screens beginning March 18).
To their credit, reviving their originals department was no easy feat. It all started with the post-credits scene attached to Elio, featuring Tom the Lizard, a character in the new movie. Once the marketing department turned its full attention to Hoppers, the character became an easy way to garner engagement. Of course, it also helped that trailers for the film were attached to titles such as Zootopia 2 ($1.9 million) and Avatar: Fire & Ash ($7.3 million).
Showing confidence in the film, Disney also opted to hold public early screenings in the country last February 28 and March 1 to ignite social chatter. The local premiere was held as early as February 27 and was accompanied by advanced screenings in Quezon City and Cebu. Despite competition in the form of Sisa and The Bride!, both aimed at a more adult demographic, Hoppers prevailed.
The Loved One, meanwhile, is now officially Anne Curtis’ third-highest-grossing film of all time. In four weeks, the Irene Emma Villamor-directed drama has now made over ₱250 million worldwide. It ranks behind The Mall, The Merrier and No Other Woman among Anne Curtis’ top-grossing projects. Again, it’s the type of win the local industry needs right now. Unfortunately, there are still no official reports yet for Sisa, which has shown decent attendance in the National Capital Region.
Next week sees the opening of A Special Memory, starring Bela Padilla and Carlo Aquino from VIVA. Discounted ticket prices will also be offered for the film.
