How to Train Your Dragon Earns $37 Million in Second Weekend Pixar's Elio Fails with $21 Million Opening 28 Years Later Opens with $30 Million

“How to Train Your Dragon” maintained its top position at the North American box office over the weekend, earning $37 million in ticket sales in its second weekend. This live-action remake from Universal Pictures outperformed new releases such as “Elio” and “28 Years Later.” The film has accumulated $358.2 million worldwide since its release.

Directed by Dean DeBlois, “How to Train Your Dragon” has revitalized the DreamWorks Animation franchise, six years after its last entry. The film, which is a remake of the 2010 animated tale about a Viking boy and his dragon, has already sparked plans for a sequel. The production cost for this film was $150 million.

Pixar’s “Elio,” a science fiction adventure about a boy dreaming of meeting aliens, had a challenging weekend. Despite Pixar’s history of launching major titles in June, such as “Cars,” “WALL-E,” and “Toy Story 4,” “Elio” managed only $21 million in its opening weekend, marking Pixar’s weakest opening ever. This performance is notably below Pixar’s usual standards, as David A. Gross from FranchiseRe pointed out.

“Elio” faced several production hurdles, including a mid-production change in directors from Adrian Molina to Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian. The film’s release was originally planned for early 2024, and it underwent significant changes, including the removal of a character announced at Disney’s D23 conference in 2022. Despite spending at least $150 million on production, “Elio” did not perform well internationally, earning just $14 million from 43 territories.

Pixar has had a mixed performance post-pandemic, with “Elemental” ($496.4 million worldwide) and “Inside Out 2” ($1.7 billion) being notable successes. “Elemental,” which had the previously lowest opening for Pixar at $29.6 million, eventually rallied to nearly half a billion dollars. “Toy Story,” Pixar’s first movie, opened with $29.1 million in 1995, or $60 when adjusted for inflation. It remains to be seen whether “Elio’s” decent reviews and positive audience feedback can lead to a similar trajectory.

With most schools on summer break, the competition for family audiences was intense. Disney’s live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” continued to attract young moviegoers, grossing $9.7 million in its fifth weekend and bringing its global tally to $910.3 million.

“28 Years Later,” directed by Danny Boyle, marked the return of a gory franchise. The film, a sequel to “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later,” opened with $30 million, giving Boyle his biggest opening weekend ever. The film, which cost $60 million to make, follows a 12-year-old venturing out of his family’s protected village nearly three decades after the outbreak of the so-called rage virus. The film received positive reviews but mixed audience reactions.

“28 Years Later” added another $30 million in 59 overseas markets. The film’s success has led to plans for a sequel, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” directed by Nia DaCosta, set to release next year.

After a strong start last weekend with $12 million, A24’s “Materialists” held well with $5.8 million in its second weekend. The romantic drama, directed by Celine Song and starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans, has collected $24 million so far.

Next weekend is expected to be competitive, with the release of “F1” from Apple and Warner Bros., and Universal’s “Megan 2.0” in cinemas.