Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” picked up $8.6 million from Thursday previews as it soars towards a projected $70 million to $80 million debut. The overall preview number climbed even higher to $11.1 million, because Universal hosted “early access screenings” on Wednesday.
“How to Train Your Dragon,” which is based on a 2010 animated adventure, is expected to earn an additional $110 million at the international box office, where the film is opening in nearly every major foreign market. That positions it to be the latest in a line of recent family friendly hits, joining the likes of “A Minecraft Movie” and “Lilo & Stitch.” Like those films, it carries a PG rating.
“How to Train Your Dragon,” which is about a scrawny teen named Hiccup who befriends an injured dragon called Toothless, cost $150 million to produce. Critics have mostly been kind, handing the film a solid 77% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge was one of the film’s fans, writing that “it’s hard to improve on the first movie, though the last act looks positively iconic in this new incarnation, unlocking the expressionistic power of ‘Heavy Metal’ toons and Boris Vallejo paintings.”
Dean DeBlois wrote and direct the remake, having previously steered the $1.6 billion grossing animated trilogy, which includes 2014’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2” and 2019’s “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.” The cast includes Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler and Nick Frost. The film played on 3,200 North American theaters on Thursday and will expand to 4,356 venues on Friday. In a sign of confidence, Universal has already announced that a live-action sequel, “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” is set to fly into theaters in 2027.
The weekend’s other major wide release, A24’s “Materialists,” earned $1.5 million from 2,844 venues. The romantic drama is Celine Song’s follow-up to the Oscar-nominated “Past Lives,” and stars Dakota Johnson as a New York City matchmaker who is caught between a dashing and successful new suitor (Pedro Pascal) and her flawed ex (Chris Evans) — decisions, decisions. “Materialists” cost $20 million to produce and is on track to open to more than $8 million.
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