“How to Train Your Dragon” outperforming the rivalry. Family-oriented movies continued to dominate the box office this weekend, with Universal Pictures‘
According to studio estimates, the live-action version of DreamWorks Animation’s animated franchise earned $83.7 million during its debut weekend in the United States and Canada.
It defeated Walt Disney Co.’s live-action remake “Lilo & Stitch,” which earned $15 million this weekend and has a total of $366 million after 24 days. The top five were completed by Lionsgate’s “Ballerina,” Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” and A24’s “Materialists.”
The Universal movie, which brings back a lucrative franchise for the studio, had high hopes.
The original animated film, which debuted in 2010, brought in almost $495 million worldwide. In 2014, a sequel was released that grossed over $621 million globally. The most recent installment of the trilogy, “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” was released in 2019 and earned over $540 million worldwide.
“How to Train Your Dragon” arrives at a good moment for family movies. Following a lackluster first quarter at the box office, theater attendance has been boosted, at least in part, by the popularity of family-friendly films like Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “A Minecraft Movie.”
Though family audiences were initially slow to return after the pandemic, movies that appeal to those theatergoers have turned out to be box office juggernauts.
At a time when the industry was universally lamenting a slow Memorial Day weekend, Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” and Universal and Illumination Entertainment’s “Despicable Me 4” drove theater revenues last summer.
According to David A., the hybrid film’s effectiveness— which blends live performers with computer-animated animals— has been demonstrated by “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Lilo & Stitch” this summer. Gross, who contributes to the movie business newsletter FranchiseRe.
Although the trend started way back in 1988 with Robert Zemeckis’ “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” it has recently gained popularity with movies like Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series and StudioCanal’s “Paddington” films.
