How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake recovers its budget within two days of its release: Here are the box office collection stats

DreamWorks and Universal's How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake has made a splash on its opening weekend, earning over $197 million at the worldwide box office. With these numbers, the movie has already recovered its $150 million production budget (before marketing) and is reportedly well on its way to becoming one of the year's biggest hits.

Released on June 13, 2025, How to Train Your Dragon has beaten another live-action remake (Lilo & Stitch) to secure its top spot in the domestic market. Disney's remake of their 2002 animated movie has proven lucrative since its release on May 23, and in its fourth weekend, it earned about $15.5 million domestically. However, it was behind the domestic collection of the DreamWorks remake, which earned about $83.7 million. However, considering their momentum at the box office, the live-action reimagining formula might be here to stay.

How to Train Your Dragon is DreamWorks' first shot at this trend, which roughly began with some Disney projects in the early 2010s. It is directed by Dean DeBlois, who co-directed the original animated film. Still, it has become one of the most profitable live-action renditions, entering the top 10 highest-grossing charts domestically, internationally, and worldwide.

The How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake is winning over the audiences.

Dean DeBlois' original animated film franchise followed Hiccup, a young Viking boy, who decides to be friends with and teach Toothless, a dragon, against his father's wishes. The original trilogy was admired upon its release, with every project receiving a positive reception from the critics and the audiences alike. At the time, the audience was predominantly millennial, unlike the remake, which is reportedly pulling in more of the Gen Z crowd in ages between 18 and 24.

Regardless of the familiarity of the original stories, the remake has received a favorable response from the critics. However, the audiences have appreciated it even more, taking its Popcornmeter rating to 98% and securing an A CinemaScore grade from North American audiences. It becomes even more evident from its box office collection since its Friday release, which has shown significant growth on Saturday.

On Friday, it earned about $35.6 million domestically, which includes the preview screenings' collection of about $10 million. Per The Hollywood Reporter, it earned almost double on Saturday. So, even if it earned less on Friday than Lilo & Stitch (about $43 million), it is off to a more than promising start, considering the growth in its box office gross.

Behind these two live-action remakes lies A24's Materialists in the North American theaters. With $12 million in earnings on its opening weekend, Oscar-nominated Past Lives director Celine Song's sophomore feature has secured a third spot in the domestic market. It has become the third biggest debut for the studio, behind Civil War and Hereditary.

The live-action How to Train Your Dragon is doing well against its animated counterparts.

The three animated How to Train Your Dragon films earned about $494 million, $621 million, and $540 million, but the live-action remake has already earned $197 million overall. Besides that, its Friday collection is only $10 million behind the opening weekend collection of the 2010 original.

Some sources suggest that the remake has also benefited from the higher ticket prices of IMAX and similar premium options, which make up almost 40 percent of its total collection so far. It has taken over many IMAX screens from Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, which is still doing well for the last movie star.

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Also read: From animation to reality: See the Lilo & Stitch live-action cast next to their cartoon counterparts

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