Exhibitor Notes & Boxoffice Estimate - HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON - PG

Published Jun 10, 2025

Synopsis

Distributed By: Universal | Release Date: 6/13/25 | Run Time: 116 Minutes

Adventure. Live Action. On the rugged isle of Berk, a Viking boy named Hiccup defies centuries of tradition by befriending a dragon named Toothless..…Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, Nico Parker

Screening Notes

Summed up in one sentence…perfect summer PG adventure movie. Turning a beloved animated film into a live-action feature is always a risky proposition—some fly, many fizzle. Thankfully, this one soars. The live-action How to Train Your Dragon stays true to the heart of the original…fans will find comfort in its familiar emotional beats, and newcomers will be swept up in some crazy world-building. Mason Thames is a standout—his awkward charm mirrors the animated Hiccup in both spirit and appearance. The visuals are well-crafted and will put some doubt in moviegoers who believe dragons simply don’t exist.

Boxoffice Estimate

The original trilogy averaged a $50M opening weekend and went on to earn roughly $248M domestically, with an impressive 3.7x multiple and a 90% average Audience Score. Historically, June PG titles have performed well, averaging $70M openings since 2016—nearly twice the norm for the month’s wide releases.

With minimal family competition until Elio (6/20) drops the following week, How to Train Your Dragon should enjoy a strong three-week runway before Jurassic World: Rebirth and Superman arrive. Audience Scores north of 90% are likely, and modeling suggests a $73M opening, with a projected range between $66M and $80M. Given the upcoming competitive slate, the multiple might land closer to 3.6x, putting the film’s domestic total in the $238M to $291M range.

If those numbers hold, the opening will outperform the original animated films by +48%, surpass the comparable comp set by +23%, and top the average June PG title by +5%. In baseball terms, this is a solid stand-up double—one that could stretch into a triple if word-of-mouth takes flight.

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