'How to Train Your Dragon' soars to top of North America box office
Mason Thames is the star of the new live-action version of 'How To Train Your Dragon'
"How to Train Your Dragon," a live-action reboot of a popular 2010 animated film, roared to the top of the North American box office with $83.7 million in weekend ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.
The family-friendly film from Universal and DreamWorks Animation tells the story of a friendship between a Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) and a dragon called Toothless.
"This is an excellent opening for a live-action animation remake, and it's especially good for the fourth episode in a series like this," said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
Disney's "Lilo & Stitch," another live-action remake, kept up its excellent summer returns with $15.5 million, Exhibitor Relations said.
So far, the film about Hawaiian girl Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and her blue alien friend Stitch (Chris Sanders) has grossed nearly $860 million worldwide.
Debuting in third place is A24's "Materialists," a sophisticated rom-com starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, at $12 million.
"It's a grown-up story that's well-timed as summer counter-programming," Gross said.
"Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning" -- the latest, and ostensibly last, in the hugely successful Tom Cruise spy thriller series based on a 1960s TV show -- held its own in fourth place at $10.3 million.
The Paramount film has now topped the $500 million mark worldwide.
In fifth place was Lionsgate's "Ballerina," a "John Wick" spin-off starring Ana de Armas as a dancer turned contract killer, and co-starring Anjelica Huston. Keanu Reeves makes a brief appearance as the hitman Wick. It took in $9.4 million.
© 2025 AFP
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Yomiuri Shimbun
10 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
‘How to Train Your Dragon' Soars in Box Office Debut with $83.7 Million, Beating ‘Lilo & Stitch'
(Universal Pictures via AP) This image released by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames, as Hiccup, riding Night Fury dragon, Toothless in a scene from 'How to Train Your Dragon.' LOS ANGELES (AP) — 'How to Train Your Dragon' took flight at the box office this weekend, proving that some remakes still have teeth. The Universal live-action adaptation of the beloved animated franchise soared to a strong $83.7 million debut in North American theaters, according to Comscore estimates Sunday. The film, directed by franchise veteran Dean DeBlois, follows the unlikely friendship between a young Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) and a dragon called Toothless. The reboot easily outpaced 2019's 'How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,' which opened with $55 million. The latest film earned more than $114.1 million internationally, bringing the global total to $197.8 million. 'This is yet another example of a live-action remake really delivering on the promise of the marketing,' said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 'I think the longevity and playability of some of these films particularly in the summer has been nothing short of miraculous.' 'How to Train' also claimed the No. 1 spot ahead of Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch,' which slipped to second place after topping the charts for three weekends. That hybrid live-action remake added another $15 million, pushing its domestic total past $386.3 million. 'Materialists,' a modern-day New York love story starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans, rounded out the top three films of the week with a $12 million debut. The romantic dramedy features Johnson as a savvy matchmaker caught between two suitors: a broke, struggling actor who happens to be her ex, and a wealthy 'unicorn' who seems too good to be true. 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' slid to fourth place, taking in $10.3 million and avoiding a dip into single-digit territory. The John Wick spinoff 'Ballerina' fell to fifth place with $9.4 million, despite strong reviews from both critics and audiences. Directed by Len Wiseman, the action film stars Ana de Armas and features Keanu Reeves reprising his role in a supporting turn. Dergarabedian said 'Ballerina' could have a surge later down the line similar to 2014's 'John Wick.' 'It took a while for that franchise to really catch on,' he said. 'You saw a huge outpouring of interest for the first 'John Wick' when it hit home video or streaming, I should say, and I think the same will happen here.' In sixth place, 'Karate Kid: Legends' earned $5 million followed by 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' at seventh with $3.9 million. Wes Anderson's latest 'The Phoenician Scheme' brought in $3 million eighth place. 'The Life of Chuck,' based on a Stephen King story, placed ninth with $2.1 million. Rounding out the top 10 was 'Sinners.' The Ryan Coogler film starring Michael B. Jordan, drew $1.4 million – which is impressive since the movie is available to watch at home through online and digital platforms after being released two months ago. Overall, the box office is up 23% from this point in 2024. Dergarabedian said he's looking forward to films in the coming weeks that could have a positive presence at the box office, such as 'Eilo,' 'F1,' 'Superman' and '28 Days Later.' Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'How to Train Your Dragon,' $83.7 million 2. 'Lilo and Stitch,' $15.5 million. 3. 'Materialists,' $12 million. 4. 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,' $10.3 million. 5. 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,' $9.4 million. 6. 'Karate Kid: Legends,' $5 million. 7. 'Final Destination: Bloodlines,' $3.9 million. 8. 'The Phoenician Scheme,' $3 million. 9. 'The Life of Chuck,' $2.1 million. 10. 'Sinners,' $1.4 million.
Japan Today
15 hours ago
- Japan Today
'How to Train Your Dragon' soars to top of North America box office
Mason Thames is the star of the new live-action version of 'How To Train Your Dragon' "How to Train Your Dragon," a live-action reboot of a popular 2010 animated film, roared to the top of the North American box office with $83.7 million in weekend ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday. The family-friendly film from Universal and DreamWorks Animation tells the story of a friendship between a Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) and a dragon called Toothless. "This is an excellent opening for a live-action animation remake, and it's especially good for the fourth episode in a series like this," said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. Disney's "Lilo & Stitch," another live-action remake, kept up its excellent summer returns with $15.5 million, Exhibitor Relations said. So far, the film about Hawaiian girl Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and her blue alien friend Stitch (Chris Sanders) has grossed nearly $860 million worldwide. Debuting in third place is A24's "Materialists," a sophisticated rom-com starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, at $12 million. "It's a grown-up story that's well-timed as summer counter-programming," Gross said. "Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning" -- the latest, and ostensibly last, in the hugely successful Tom Cruise spy thriller series based on a 1960s TV show -- held its own in fourth place at $10.3 million. The Paramount film has now topped the $500 million mark worldwide. In fifth place was Lionsgate's "Ballerina," a "John Wick" spin-off starring Ana de Armas as a dancer turned contract killer, and co-starring Anjelica Huston. Keanu Reeves makes a brief appearance as the hitman Wick. It took in $9.4 million. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Japan Today
Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement
FILE - A Darth Vader costumed character poses at the Hasbro and Amazon Star Wars interactive Imperial March experience at the Empire State Building on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, file) By SHAWN CHEN and MATT O'BRIEN Disney and Universal have filed a copyright lawsuit against popular artificial intelligence image-generator Midjourney on Wednesday, marking the first time major Hollywood companies have enter the legal battle over generative AI. Filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, the complaint claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios to generate and distribute 'endless unauthorized copies' of their famed characters, such as Darth Vader from Star Wars and the Minions from Despicable Me. 'Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing," the companies state in the complaint. The studios also claimed the San Francisco-based AI company ignored their requests to stop infringing on their copyrighted works and to take technological measures to halt such image generation. Midjourney didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. In a 2022 interview with The Associated Press, Midjourney CEO David Holz described his image-making service as 'kind of like a search engine' pulling in a wide swath of images from across the internet. He compared copyright concerns about the technology with how such laws have adapted to human creativity. 'Can a person look at somebody else's picture and learn from it and make a similar picture?' Holz said. 'Obviously, it's allowed for people and if it wasn't, then it would destroy the whole professional art industry, probably the nonprofessional industry too. To the extent that AIs are learning like people, it's sort of the same thing and if the images come out differently then it seems like it's fine.' The Recording Industry Association of America, which is engaged in its own legal battles against generative AI companies, came out in support of Disney and Universal's lawsuit. 'This action by Disney and Universal represents a critical stand for human creativity and responsible innovation,' RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier said in a statement. But the music industry representative did point out that there are paths forward through partnerships that can advance both sectors. Major AI developers don't typically disclose their data sources but have argued that taking troves of publicly accessible online text, images and other media to train their AI systems is protected by the 'fair use' doctrine of American copyright law. The studio' case joins a growing number of lawsuits filed against developers of AI platforms — such as OpenAI, Anthropic — in San Francisco and New York. Meanwhile, the first major copyright trial of the generative AI industry is underway in London, pitting Getty Images against artificial intelligence company Stability AI. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
