How big will ‘How to Train Your Dragon' be? Opening weekend for live-action remake could hit $80M
Universal's How to Train Your Dragon, a live-action remake of the 2010 animated film based on Cressida Cowell's 2003 novel, takes flight in theaters this weekend. Directed by Dean DeBlois, the film is poised to ignite the 2025 box office, with a projected blockbuster debut of $80 million.
The action-fantasy film is soaring to an impressive start, raking in over $11 million during early previews, according to Deadline. These figures are comparable to Frozen II's preview gross in 2019, which ultimately launched with a $130 million opening weekend. How to Train Your Dragon is bolstered by a stellar 99 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a "certified fresh" rating from critics, currently sitting at 77 percent.
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The How to Train Your Dragon animated trilogy, which grossed a combined $1.6 billion worldwide and earned four Oscar nominations, set a high bar for success. The live-action remake, however, is poised to soar even higher at the box office. The strongest opening of the original trilogy came from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in 2019, which earned $55 million in its first weekend.
Also debuting this weekend is Celine Song's Materialists from A24, the highly anticipated follow-up to her Oscar-nominated feature debut, Past Lives. Meanwhile, Mike Flanagan's The Life of Chuck, a potential awards contender and winner of the People's Choice Award at last September's Toronto International Film Festival, expands to wide release courtesy of Neon.
Gold Derby readers predict that How to Train Your Dragon will win the June 13-15 weekend with between $75 million and $100 million domestically. Lilo & Stitch is the runner-up selection of our oddsmakers.
NEW RELEASES
Director: Dean Deblois Distributor: Universal Pictures As an ancient threat endangers both Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together. The live-action remake, starring Mason Thames, Nico Parker, and Gerard Butler, has a running time of two hours, five minutes, and is rated PG. How to Train Your Dragon is certified "fresh" with a 77 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; "mixed" reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 60 percent.
Director: Celine Song Distributor: A24 A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. The romantic comedy, starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal, has a running time of one hour, 56 minutes, and is rated R. Materialists is certified "fresh" with a 87 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; "generally favorable" reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 70 percent.
BOX-OFFICE PREDICTIONS
How to Train Your Dragon will keep the box-office fires burning with an $80 million opening weekend, with more optimistic projections suggesting it could reach the $100 million mark. Holding steady in second place is Disney's Lilo & Stitch, which will add another $14 million to its $348 million domestic total (and $807 million worldwide), cementing its status as the year's second-biggest release behind Warner Bros.' A Minecraft Movie.
The Materialists is expected to debut in third place with a strong $13 million opening. Completing the top five are Lionsgate's Ballerina, which is expected to earn $12 million, and Paramount's Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, pulling in $9 million.
Here are Gold Derby's predictions box-office rankings for the top five:
1. How to Train Your Dragon 2. Lilo & Stitch 3. Materialists 4. Ballerina 5. Misson: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
Do you agree or disagree with those rankings? Make your predictions right now — it's fun and easy! Join the box-office discussion in our forums.
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