‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Crushes Box Office Debut with $83.7M/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Universal’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon opened with $83.7 million in North America, topping the box office and outperforming expectations. The film also earned over $114 million internationally for a global total nearing $198 million.
How to Train Your Dragon Crushes Box Office: Quick Looks
- Debuted at $83.7 million in U.S. theaters
- Global opening weekend totaled $197.8 million
- Surpassed 2019’s animated film debut of $55 million
- Knocked Lilo & Stitch to second place with $15.5 million
- Materialists debuted third with $12 million
- Mission: Impossible and Ballerina followed with $10.3M and $9.4M
- Box office up 23% from same period last year
- Analysts praise live-action remake’s strong audience appeal
- More summer hits expected: Elio, F1, Superman, 28 Days Later
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Crushes Box Office Debut with $83.7M
Deep Look
Universal Pictures’ live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon dominated the weekend box office, opening with $83.7 million in North American ticket sales. Directed by Dean DeBlois, the film reimagines the beloved animated story of a Viking boy, Hiccup, and his dragon companion, Toothless, for a new generation of audiences.
This successful debut outperformed the 2019 animated film’s opening, which brought in $55 million domestically. The live-action adaptation also achieved $114.1 million in international markets, bringing its global haul to $197.8 million in just one weekend.
The strong launch dethroned Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, which had topped the charts for three consecutive weekends. The Disney hybrid remake earned $15.5 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to over $386 million.
Coming in third was the romantic comedy Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans, which debuted with $12 million. The story centers around a savvy New York matchmaker caught between an ex-boyfriend and a charming billionaire.
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning secured fourth place with $10.3 million, while the John Wick spinoff Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, landed in fifth with $9.4 million. Analysts believe Ballerina may gain momentum in the coming weeks, much like the original John Wick did post-release.
Box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian highlighted the continued popularity of live-action remakes, noting that “the longevity and playability of these films, especially in the summer, have been nothing short of miraculous.”
The box office overall has seen a 23% year-over-year increase, signaling a strong start to the summer movie season. Upcoming releases like Pixar’s Elio, the racing drama F1, the rebooted Superman, and horror sequel 28 Days Later are expected to fuel the momentum even further.
The rest of the top ten included Karate Kid: Legends at sixth with $5 million, Final Destination: Bloodlines at seventh with $3.9 million, Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme at eighth with $3 million, Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck at ninth with $2.1 million, and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners rounding out the top ten with $1.4 million.
Notably, Sinners continues to perform modestly at the box office despite also being available on digital platforms, highlighting strong audience interest.
