As Universal’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake arrives at the box office, the film opens to a stronger debut than any previous entry in the franchise. Boosted by premium formats, fan nostalgia, and strong audience turnout, the remake surpasses the opening weekends of all three original animated films and sets a new benchmark for the series.
How to Train Your Dragon remake’s box office overperforms on opening weekend
The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon opened to $83.7 million domestically during its debut weekend, exceeding projections that ranged from $65 to $75 million. Internationally, the film earned $114.1 million, bringing its worldwide opening total to $197.8 million. Forecasts had estimated a global opening between $175 and $185 million.
The original How to Train Your Dragon (2010) opened with $43.7 million in North America. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) followed with a $49.5 million domestic debut. The Hidden World (2019) held the franchise’s previous opening record with $55 million. The 2025 remake now ranks as the highest domestic opening for any film in the series, up 52 percent from the prior record.
The remake’s $83.7 million domestic debut accounted for 42.3 percent of its global earnings, while the remaining 57.7 percent came from overseas markets. Key international grosses include $14 million from Mexico, $4 million from South Korea, and $553,000 from Italy. Hong Kong, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria also contributed to the film’s international earnings. (via Box Office Mojo)
The film, which runs 2 hours and 5 minutes and carries a PG rating. Universal launched the movie in Hong Kong on June 5, 2025, followed by a wide release in the United States on June 13, 2025.
The film’s $197.8 million global opening sets a new record for the franchise. In comparison, The Hidden World reached a worldwide total of $539.9 million, although its global opening figure remains unlisted.
The 2025 remake now leads the series in both domestic and worldwide opening weekend grosses.
