DreamWorks Animation’s live-action remake of How To Train Your Dragon flew to the top of the North American charts at the weekend, establishing a
DreamWorks Animation’s live-action remake of How To Train Your Dragon flew to the top of the North American charts at the weekend, establishing a novel franchise opening record to maintain the positive early start to summer blockbuster season.
Opening on an estimated $83.7m in 4,365 locations through Universal, the film has become the fourth biggest debut of the year so far behind A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, and Captain America: Brave New World, and the eighth highest opening weekend for a live-action remake.
Total three-day weekend box office amounted to an estimated $151.7m, with North American generating $3.7bn so far to track 23% ahead of 2024 by the same stage.
Dean DeBlois co-directed the original 2010 How To Train Your Dragon based on the Cressida Cowell books and he reprises his role on the novel film, as does Gerard Butler playing the Viking leader Stoick. Mason Thames plays the clan leader’s son Hiccup, who befriends a fearsome dragon as the community faces an existential threat. The cast includes Nico Parker as Astrid and Nick Forst as combat trainer Gobber.
With an A CinemaScore and broadly powerful reviews, How To Train Your Dragon follows sizzling on the heels of Disney’s successful Lilo & Stitch animation remake and Warner Bros/Legendary’s A Minecraft Movie adaptation, adding heft to the theory that Millennial and younger Gen Z parents are responding well and taking their children to powerful adaptations of beloved properties from their youth.
The original How To Train Your Dragon opened on $43.7m and grossed $217.6m in North America by the end of its run. The 2014 and 2019 sequels earned $177m and $160m, respectively.
According to EnTelligence, some 5.8m people went to see How To Train Your Dragon over the weekend. The audience was split 53%-47% female-male, and “family groups” accounted for 51%, followed by the under 13 crowd on 27%, and the over 60s on 3%.
Pixar’s Elio arrives this week, but with schools out for holiday, there will be plenty of opportunity for How To Train Your Dragon to notch up a significant number – and drive interest in the novel theme park rides in Florida that opened last month. A film sequel has been scheduled for June 11, 2027.
Lilo & Stitch ranked second some way behind on $15.5m through Disney for an excellent $366.4m in the fourth weekend (coincidentally DeBlois co-directed and co-wrote the 2002 original).
A24 opened Celine Song’s well-reviewed love triangle romance Materialists starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal at number three on a solid $12m from 2,844.
Paramount/Skydance’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in fourth place stands at a so-so $166.3m after four sessions, while last weekend’s novel arrival Ballerina from Lionsgate fell 62% on $9.4m for a disappointing $41.8m.
Neon expanded Mike Flanagan’s 2024 TIFF People’s Choice Award winner The Life Of Chuck from 16 to 1,072 sites and reported a $2.1m weekend for the feelgood Stephen King adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston. It ranks tenth and stands at $2.4m.
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