Disney executives may finally have a reason to celebrate.
According to the latest Nielsen streaming rankings, Pixar’s Hoppers debuted as the most-streamed movie in the United States during the week of June 1-7, becoming the No. 1 streaming film despite arriving on Disney+ midway through the tracking period.
The logo for Disney+ – YouTube, Disney+
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Perhaps even more surprising, it was also the second most-watched title overall, trailing only Love Island USA. After premiering on Disney+ on June 3, Hoppers amassed an estimated 1.161 billion minutes viewed, enough to push Bluey, which accumulated 859 million viewing minutes, into third place.
Because Nielsen measures total minutes viewed rather than the number of individual viewers, longer films have a slight advantage over television episodes. Even so, finishing ahead of nearly every other movie and television program during the week represents a significant achievement and suggests that Hoppers became a priority watch for Disney+ subscribers shortly after its release.
Hoppers’ Theatrical Run Fell Short of Expectations
Hoppers’ theatrical run was far less impressive. The Pixar film debuted in March, opening at No. 1 with approximately $46 million domestically and $88 million worldwide.
However, many observers pointed out that its opening weekend was only modestly higher than Disney’s live-action Snow White, which was widely viewed as failing to generate significant audience enthusiasm. The film also opened well below many recent Pixar releases and never developed the kind of sustained theatrical momentum that turns original animated films into breakout hits.
Rachel Zegler singing in the Snow White Trailer – YouTube, Disney
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By the time Hoppers left theaters, it had earned roughly $389 million worldwide. With a reported production budget of $150 million, excluding marketing costs, the film likely needed to approach $450 million globally to break even. By comparison, Nintendo and Illumination’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie generated nearly as much during its opening weekend as Hoppers earned throughout its entire theatrical run.
While Nielsen’s streaming numbers are undeniably impressive, they also reinforce the idea that Hoppers struggled to generate enough excitement to persuade families to see it in theaters.
Hoppers Has Drawn Both Praise and Criticism
Hoppers follows Mabel (Piper Curda), an animal lover who uses a new technology to “hop” her consciousness into a lifelike robotic beaver, allowing her to communicate with animals. As the story unfolds, the forest’s creatures begin pushing back against suburban development that threatens their habitat.
The film earned strong reviews from the Hollywood access media, holding a 94% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. At the same time, some critics argued that Hoppers promotes far-left political themes and relies on emotional appeals aimed at children and families. Others criticized its visual style, suggesting it appears designed more for TikTok clips than the big screen.
Meanwhile, on the user-driven review site Criticless, Hoppers currently holds a 59% “Decent” score.
A Rare Streaming Victory for Disney
Regardless of those debates, the Nielsen data is difficult to ignore.
The woodland animals in Hoppers- Pixar, YouTube
For one week, at least, Pixar delivered something Disney has been searching for: the most-streamed movie in America. Hoppers nearly doubled the viewing minutes of Netflix’s latest original film starring Jennifer Lopez and also outperformed Paramount+’s Dutton Ranch as that series approached its first-season finale.
After months of headlines centered on disappointing box office performances, franchise fatigue, and Disney’s evolving streaming strategy, Hoppers has given the company a rare streaming success—one backed by measurable audience engagement. How long that momentum lasts, however, remains to be seen.
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