Universal’s live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon flew to the top of the box office this weekend, earning an impressive $82.7 million in North America and $200 million worldwide. This marks the best opening ever for the franchise and the fourth-highest debut of the year, trailing only A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, and Captain America: Brave New World.
The film, which cost at least $250 million to make and market, received strong reviews from both critics and audiences. It scored an “A” on CinemaScore and holds a 77% critics’ score and a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Nearly half of opening day moviegoers were Gen Z, showing the film’s appeal to both families and fans who grew up with the original animated series. It’s also being called a great Father’s Day weekend movie.
Universal’s confidence in the franchise is clear—they’ve already announced a sequel to this live-action remake, set for summer 2027. With this strong start, the new Dragon is on pace to surpass the unadjusted $217 million domestic total of the original 2010 animated film.
Other Major Releases
A24’s Materialists, a romantic drama starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal, opened in third place with $12 million from 2,844 theaters. The film earned strong reviews from critics (87% on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences were far less enthusiastic, giving it a B- CinemaScore and a 71% audience score. The marketing suggested a classic love triangle, but the film’s deeper look at modern relationships may have surprised some viewers. I also suspect “Pedro Pascal Fatigue,” a growing ailment, will prevent this movie from having legs.
Disney’s Lilo & Stitch continued its strong run, taking second place with $15 million in its fourth weekend and bringing its domestic total to $366 million.
Notable Drops
Lionsgate’s Ballerina struggled in its second weekend, falling 64% from its $24 million debut to a 10-day total of $41 million. The film will need strong international sales and post-theatrical revenue to break even, raising questions about the performance of recent female-led action films at the box office. “Girl Boss Fatigue” is also a real thing, and Hollywood continues to ignore it at their own peril.
Franchise Power
The weekend clearly belonged to How to Train Your Dragon, which not only set a franchise record but also proved that live-action remakes of beloved animated films are still big draws for audiences. Universal’s strategy of reviving classic titles appears to be paying off, with Dragon joining the ranks of recent hits like Lilo & Stitch and A Minecraft Movie.
Universal is also leveraging the film’s success to boost its theme park presence and consumer products, making How to Train Your Dragon a key part of its entertainment strategy moving forward.
***
English (US) · 