The dragons weren't supposed to fly this high.
That's the thing with legacy remakes—they're either soft landings or skybursts. And this weekend, Dean DeBlois' live-action How To Train Your Dragon didn't just take off—it went full wildfire, scorching Disney's Lilo & Stitch off the top spot with a fiery $83.7 million opening. Not bad for a franchise once known for “respectable” openings and long box office legs.
Let's be real: $83.7 million isn't just a win—it's a war cry.
When the Underdog Isn't
Midweek projections were tepid. “Conservative,” the trades said. Maybe $65–75 million, if the wind blew right. But somewhere between cautious estimates and opening night, the needle tilted. Hard. The final number? Fourth biggest domestic debut of 2025—just behind Minecraft ($162.8M), Lilo & Stitch ($146M), and Captain America: Brave New World ($88.8M).
That's right. A DreamWorks remake of a 2010 animated film outpaced Marvel's latest by $5 million. Let that marinate.
Part of the victory lies in optics. The original Dragon—brilliant, soulful, oddly under-marketed—opened to $43.7M. Its sequel? $49.5M. Even Hidden World, the trilogy's dramatic finale, topped out at $55M on opening weekend. So what changed?
Nostalgia, Yes. But Also Timing, Texture, and Teeth.
This isn't a soulless CGI paintover. DeBlois returned, and you can feel it. The film leans hard into texture—weather-beaten skies, dragon scales you can almost smell, and a lead performance that actually breathes. It's tactile in a way most remakes aren't. It feels like something.
And timing? Lilo & Stitch had a clean runway—two weeks alone in the family lane. Dragon, on the other hand, drops into a meat grinder. Pixar's Elio opens this Friday. 28 Years Later hits the same day for the adults. It had one weekend. And it nailed it.
Stitch Still Sticks the Landing
Let's not bury the blue guy. Lilo & Stitch may have slipped to second place, but it still pulled $15.5M in its third weekend—down 52% but far from fading. Its domestic total? A hulking $366.4M. Worldwide? $810.5M. That's not a remake; that's a global event.
And yet… momentum is a cruel thing. For all its dominance, Lilo had a free pass to the top. Dragon fought for it. That narrative matters.
Looking Ahead: Can Dragons Outfly the Past?
The animated Dragon trilogy topped out at $614.6M globally, with How To Train Your Dragon 2 holding the crown. This new live-action beast? It's already at $197.8M worldwide—and climbing.
But here's the dragon-sized question: can it crack $600M+ without losing steam to Elio? The budget (around $150M) helps, undercutting its animated ancestor's $165M tab. But the real test will be how long it holds theater space with competition closing in.
Final Thought: Toothless Has Teeth Again
Maybe this is what happens when studios don't just repackage, but reinvest. When they let the original voice steer the ship. When they actually trust the material.
Because here's the truth: How To Train Your Dragon didn't just win the weekend. It reminded us that sometimes, the fire still burns.
Let's see how long it roars.
Here's the updated Box Office Top 10 Table based on the weekend ending June 9, 2025:
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross | Domestic Gross | LW | Theaters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How To Train Your Dragon (2025) | $83,700,000 | $83,700,000 | N/A | 4,356 |
| 2 | Lilo & Stitch | $15,500,000 | $366,371,809 | 1 | 3,675 |
| 3 | Materialists | $12,000,424 | $12,000,424 | N/A | 2,844 |
| 4 | Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | $10,300,000 | $166,316,000 | 3 | 2,942 |
| 5 | From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina | $9,400,000 | $41,832,000 | 2 | 3,409 |
| 6 | Karate Kid: Legends | $5,000,000 | $44,153,000 | 4 | 3,008 |
| 7 | Final Destination: Bloodlines | $3,900,000 | $130,648,000 | 5 | 2,138 |
| 8 | The Phoenician Scheme | $3,050,000 | $12,777,000 | 6 | 1,731 |
| 9 | The Life Of Chuck | $2,144,250 | $2,441,423 | 18 | 1,072 |
| 10 | Sinners | $1,470,000 | $275,484,000 | 9 | 951 |
