Michał Stekla
Dragons are returning to the big screen — and everything indicates that they will make a splash. The live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon is gearing up for a very strong opening. In the US alone, the film could rake in between $65 and even $75 million during its opening weekend. Globally? Predictions are between $175–185 million. And that’s without Japan, which will join in September.
This isn’t a repeat of Gus Van Sant’s “Psycho” — that is, a shot-for-shot recreation from the animation. Behind the camera is Dean DeBlois, the creator of the original, but the new version brings a lot of freshness. Mason Thames and Nico Parker as Hiccup and Astrid bring their own style to the well-known roles, and the flying scenes look amazing. Toothless? Still charming, but it’s not an animated decal.
Reviews? On Rotten Tomatoes, we have 81% “fresh”. That’s less than the original’s 99%, but still very solid. The film is being released widely — IMAX, 4DX, ScreenX, and in PLF format.
Dragon Offensive Abroad
On the international side, How to Train Your Dragon is starting off very well — the previews have already generated $21.8 million. By Sunday, the total outside the USA should reach $110 million.
So, where is it performing the best?
South Korea — $4.3 million after 4 days, 99% Egg Score.
UK and Ireland — $1.2 million on Monday, the leader of the day.
Germany — $1.1 million.
France — $1.4 million.
Brazil — $2.7 million.
Mexico — $2.1 million.
These are good news because the How to Train Your Dragon series has been strong in foreign markets for years — out of the $1.7 billion globally, as much as $1.1 billion has come from outside the USA.
The Chinese market is, as always, a mystery, but presales are strong. The previous parts of HTTYD have made a total of $120 million there (historically). On the plus side, Universal has HTTYD themed attractions in Beijing, which boosts the hype.
In the USA? A small battle Stitch’s vs. Dragons
In the USA How to Train Your Dragon will launch on Thursday from 2 PM. In theory, the only real competitor is Lilo & Stitch, which could add $20 million despite its fourth weekend. Both films have a similar yet different target audience. There will definitely be enough space in cinemas to fill the theatres again. Interestingly — the Super Bowl did its job. The HTTYD spot alone garnered over 370 million views on YouTube, and the entire promotional material has already surpassed 750 million views. The campaign is working, and the hype before the premiere in the USA is really solid.
What will compete with the premiere of Dragons?
Materialists from A24 (a romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans) is expected to debut with $7–8 million. Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes: 89% fresh. The film primarily targets a female audience.
Ballerina (a spin-off of John Wick) is aiming for $11 million in its second weekend, after opening at $26.5 million.
In the end...
If nothing goes wrong at the last minute — How to Train Your Dragon should this weekend secure one of the best openings of the summer box office in 2025. After successful launches in Korea and Latin America, as well as a very solid start in the UK and Germany, Universal can likely feel confident.
This is not a film that aims to break the records of Barbie or the Avengers — but for an adaptation of animation into live-action (and outside of Disney!) this will be a strong result.
Source: deadline.com
