Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon is off to a roaring start, flying past expectations with an impressive $82.5 million opening weekend in North America.
The film began its flight with $11.1 million from previews alone—$8.6 million from Thursday night and another $2.5 million from early Wednesday access. That preview performance ranked among the best of 2025 so far, setting the tone for a strong debut.
Friday brought in $35.5 million including previews, and weekend totals now place it as the highest opening for the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. It’s also the fourth biggest opening of the year behind A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, and Captain America: Brave New World.
The film is expected to make a strong impact internationally as well, with early forecasts pointing toward an additional $110 million from overseas markets. With a production budget of $150 million, Universal is already looking ahead—announcing a sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, slated for 2027.
Audiences have embraced the film, awarding it a near-perfect 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics’ score currently stands at a respectable 77%.
“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,” wrote Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge.
Directed and written by Dean DeBlois—who also helmed the original animated trilogy—the film stars Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, and Nick Frost. The story once again follows Hiccup, a young Viking, and his bond with the once-feared dragon Toothless.
This marks Universal and DreamWorks’ first venture into turning one of their animated hits into a live-action film, following Disney’s successful model. The film has taken over Imax and other premium screens, previously occupied by Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
With Father’s Day weekend giving it an extra lift, How to Train Your Dragon is proving that dragons—and heartfelt stories—still have box office fire.