‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Opening $82M+ Franchise Best

Updated Friday Midday: The live-action take of How to Train Your Dragon is coming in ahead of projections with $82.5M at 4,356 theaters. The weekend is still young, and Saturday could fly this dragon to a higher atmosphere and Sunday looks to get a lift too as this is the quintessential father-son story for Father’s Day. Friday is $35.5M which includes $11.1M in previews.

At $82.5M, that’s the best opening ever in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, and it’s the fourth highest opening weekend of the year stateside behind A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stich and Captain America: Brave New World.

RelishMix reports that the social media universe for HTTYD stand at 608.3M across Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube which is higher than the SMU reach for Lilo & Stitch before opening (552.2M) and it’s ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (530.1M).

A24’s Materialists is also ahead of projections with $12M in third place at 2,844 theaters after a $5M Friday (that includes $1.5M in previews).

Second is Disney’s Lilo & Stitch with a fourth weekend of $16M, -50%, after a $5M Friday and a running cume of $367M.

Fourth is either Lionsgate’s Ballerina at 3,409 theaters with $2.2M today and an estimated $9M in weekend 2, -63%, and a ten-day of $41.4M, or it’s Paramount’s fourth weekend of Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning which is also looking at $9M+ (-38%). Booked at 2,942 theaters, the Tom Cruise eighthquel is looking at $2.2M today and a running cume by Sunday of $165.2M.

Updated Friday AM: Universal is reporting $8.6M for last night’s previews at 3,200 sites for How to Train Your Dragon and when Wednesday early access screenings are included that number rises to $11.1M. Excellent start. Similar to Lilo & Stitch, there’s a lot of millennial love for How to Train Your Dragon. The Dean DeBlois directed family epic is booked at 4,356 theaters this weekend including all premium upcharge formats.

A24’s Materialists from Celine Song is off to a great start with $1.5M in Thursday previews at 2,844 locations. That figure isn’t that far from Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers ($1.9M previews, $15M opening). The Dakota Johnson-Pedro Pascal-Chris Evans movie stands at 77% with Rotten Tomatoes audiences (audiences may be divided in Johnson’s choice of dudes in the film) with critics making heart eyes with 87% certified fresh. Outlook for Materialists was $7M-$8M. There’s hope especially after last night that it’s bound to be better. Previews for Materialists are also ahead of Universal’s George Clooney-Julia Roberts romcom Ticket to Paradise which did $1.1M on its way to a $16.5M start. Materialists cost around $20M before P&A.

Rest of the week went down as follows:

1.) Lilo & Stitch (Dis) 4,185 theaters, Thu $2.8M (-14% from Wed), Wk $47.5M (-44%), Total $350.8M/Wk 3

2.) Ballerina (LG) 3,409 theaters, Thu $1.3M (-15%), Wk $32.4M/Wk 1
For its Monday through Thursday stretch, Ballerina made $7.9M, which is $1M more than Mission: Impossible 8 over the same frame this past week ($6.9M). On Wednesday, each film made $1.5M.

3.) Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning (Par) Thu $1.27M (-16%), Wk $21.7M (-44%), Total $156M/Wk 3

4.) Karate Kid: Legends (Sony) 3,859 theaters, Thu $705K (-14%), Wk $12.3M (-54%), Total $39.1M/Wk 2

5. Final Destination: Bloodlines (NL) 2,867 theaters, Thu $642K (-16%), Wk $9.6M (-40%), Total $126.7M/Wk 4

PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE: Universal’s live action take of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon is eyeing around $8M-$9M in Thursday previews. As we always say, these are industry estimates, so they could fluctuate by the time Universal reports in the morning. The studio didn’t return request for comment on what we were spotting.

While early week projections were $65M-$75M, exhibition has been pushing this one in hopes they can wrangle a $100M opening. We could use more of those this summer post Memorial Day weekend.

The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes for this Dean DeBlois directed movie (he did the original animated trilogy) is an epic 99% with critics at 77% certified fresh (that’s a little higher than Lilo & Stitch‘s 72% fresh; that pic’s audience score settling at 93%). Previews began today at 2PM.

How to Train Your Dragon‘s preview money isn’t far from Frozen 2‘s ($8.5M, $130.2M opening), but it’s below Lilo & Stitch‘s $14.5M ($146M opening). It’s also north of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ($7.6M, $61M opening).

Hands down, How to Trian Your Dragon‘s early money is ahead of the third animated pic, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($3M previews, $55M opening) and it’s also ahead of How to Train Your Dragon 2‘s $2M in cash (that sequel released by 20th Century Fox when DWA had their distribution deal there) which turned into a $49.4M 3-day opening.

The How to Train Your Dragon trilogy of movies have grossed close to $1.7 billion at the global box office.

We’ll have more updates in the AM.