Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon is projected to soar at the box office during its opening weekend in theaters. The summer box office competition has proved stiff over the past few weeks, with Disney’s own live-action remake, Lilo & Stitch, keeping the top spot for the past three weeks, keeping films like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and the John Wick spin-off film Ballerina at bay. However, Universal and DreamWorks are set to dominate the weekend, with early screenings of the film already starting this week, before Thursday night previews.
According to new projections, How to Train Your Dragon is set to bring in around $70-80 million in its box office debut. As has become the trend with live-action remakes, audiences who are familiar with the source material (in this case, the animated movie of the same name released in 2010) will be going to theaters to check out this updated version of the film, with a new cast and photo-realistic CGI to bring the dragons to life. The same box office reports also indicate that the remake will earn another $110 million at the international box office, propelling the movie to even further heights.
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Gerard Butler Explains the Major Difference with His Live-Action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Remake
The live-action version will ditch a lot of how the franchise began with this new tone.
The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon is written and directed by Dean DeBlois, the co-director and writer of the 2010 animated film, as well as the sole director for the two sequels. DeBlois directed the first film alongside Chris Sanders, an animation veteran who also directed last year’s critically acclaimed film The Wild Robot. Now, the filmmaker is finding success with this new iteration of the story, which is likely to surpass the box office of the original film.
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Is Shaping Up to Be Both a Financial & Critical Success
Universal Pictures
How to Train Your Dragon isn’t just going to be a financial success – it’s shaping up to be a critical one as well. The review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes currently has the film at a 77% “certified fresh” rating based on 115 reviews, with the critical consensus stating that the remake “doesn’t best the first iteration but still reaches enchanting heights of its own.” When it comes to live-action reimaginings of beloved animated classics, not much else can be asked of them than that they keep the themes and heart of the story intact.
The film first screened for audiences at CinemaCon 2025, where audiences praised the film while also remarking that it didn’t do much to set itself apart from its animated predecessor. However, that seemingly won’t stop audiences from going to see the movie in theaters, which means that the financial projections, even the lower-end ones, could still be considered a successful start to the remake’s theatrical run, especially since the film reportedly cost $150 million to produce.
Overall, the How to Train Your Dragon franchise seems to have a bright future ahead of it. Aside from the hefty box office projections, a theme park expansion at Universal Studios Florida has given the film an even bigger stage to promote itself. Moreover, How to Train Your Dragon 2 has already been announced to be in production as well, indicating that Universal and DreamWorks may plan to remake the entirety of the animated trilogy.
Source: Variety
Release Date
June 13, 2025
Runtime
116 Minutes
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Mason Thames
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
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Nico Parker
Astrid Hofferson
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