Why ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Might Not Launch a Wave of Live-Action DreamWorks Remakes
The success of Universal’s YA-skewing action fantasy is due to specific elements that, all contained within this one animated franchise, made it uniquely suited for the live-action redo treatment.
Universal and DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon has now earned $176 million in North America, already doubling its $85 million Fri-Sun debut. Even noting two boosts from “Cheap Ticket Tuesday” (soon to be joined by “Cheap Ticket Wednesday” at least at AMC in two weeks) and Juneteenth on its seventh day, that multiplier is below Inside Out ($400 million on day 13 from a $154 million debut) but right in line with both The Lion King ($385 million/$191 million in 2019). It’s currently as leggy as Jurassic World ($437 million/$208 million in 2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($298/$148 million in 2018) and How To Train Your Dragon 2 ($106 million/$50 million in 2014) while running slightly ahead of Jurassic World Dominion ($272 million/$145 million in 2022). Speaking of which, Comcast’s well-reviewed and well-received $150 million live-action remake is about to A) pass $400 million global and B) top the unadjusted domestic total ($177 million) of How to Train Your Dragon 2.
The inflation-adjusted total for what remains among DreamWorks’ best films would be around $245 million, which still looks to be around where this redo will end. Whether it ends globally closer to How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($520 million in 2019) or How to Train Your Dragon 2 ($620 million in 2014), its domestic finish should be above everything else this summer save for Elio & Stitch and — presuming best-case-scenario for next month’s biggies – Jurassic World: Rebirth, Superman and Fantastic Four: The First Steps. Any one of those could underperform for any number of reasons (I still think Fantastic Four Version 4.0 doesn’t look that different than the Tim Story-directed duology), but this certainly bodes well for the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon 2 arriving theatrically on June 11, 2027. So… is this the start of Universal’s next tentpole ecosystem, or is How to Train Your Dragon the Batman (happy 36th birthday) of the DreamWorks Animation library?