The dragon stuck his landing.
Universal’s live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” remake, about a young Viking and his winged sidekick, Toothless, will take in about $83 million at North American theaters from Thursday through Sunday, box office analysts said. Based on advance ticket sales and surveys that track moviegoer interest, analysts had expected the film to sell closer to $70 million.
The PG-rated movie, which cost at least $250 million to make and market, was on pace to collect an additional $118 million overseas, for a worldwide opening-weekend total of roughly $201 million. Reviews were mostly positive.
Universal and its parent company, NBCUniversal, have been counting on “How to Train Your Dragon” to do more than revive a theatrical franchise dormant since 2019. The characters are a prominent part of an ambitious expansion at the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. NBCUniversal has also been trying to build “How to Train Your Dragon” into a bigger consumer products business.
In other words, nothing short of blockbuster opening-weekend ticket sales for the new movie would do — and families cooperated.
All of a sudden, live-action PG movies have been propping up the movie business. “A Minecraft Movie,” released by Warner Bros. in April, has sold a colossal $952 million in tickets worldwide. Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” remake has taken in more than $800 million since arriving late last month.
PG movies (especially live-action ones) have long been viewed by Hollywood as somewhat limited in box office appeal: It’s better to go for a broader audience — teenagers and older adults in addition to families — by making movies that get a PG-13 rating. Studios made 771 movies with the edgier rating from 2019 to 2024, according to The Numbers, a box office database. There were 467 rated PG over the same period, and many were animated.
PG movie output peaked in 2011, with 119 releases. Last year, studios made 71, a 40 percent decline.
These movies may be resonating now because parents, even in the streaming age, still need ways to keep their children occupied. Moviegoing remains a relatively affordable family activity, especially compared with professional sporting events and traveling. “Some have speculated that a more financially conservative, recessionary environment has led to increased theatrical moviegoing as consumers forgo vacations and seek escapism in theaters,” Greg Durkin, the founder of Enact Insight, an entertainment research firm, said in an email.
“A Minecraft Movie,” “Lilo & Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon” also arrive from studios — and not by accident — at just the right moment to tap into nostalgia among some parents. The Minecraft video game was first released in 2009; teenage players then are now in their late 20s and early 30s. “Lilo & Stitch” debuted as an animated movie in 2002. The animated “How to Train Your Dragon” series started in 2010.
There may also be a pandemic boost: Some children and families rediscovered older animated movies while stuck at home.
DreamWorks Animation, which became part of Universal in 2016, made three animated “How to Train Your Dragon” movies, with the final chapter released in 2019. The trilogy collected $2.3 billion at the box office, after adjusting for inflation. Spinoff cartoon series, video games and a touring arena show have been met with varying degrees of popularity.
The live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” was directed by Dean DeBlois and produced by a team that included Marc Platt (“Wicked”). It will easily rank as the No. 1 movie at the North American box office over the weekend, ending three weeks of dominance by “Lilo & Stitch.”
Brooks Barnes covers all things Hollywood. He joined The Times in 2007 and previously worked at The Wall Street Journal.
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