2025 Box Office Hits: ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Soars with Fourth-Biggest Opening Day, While ‘Materialists’ Lands in Third Place

Universal’s latest film, "How to Train Your Dragon," have made a strong start in North America. It raked in $35.6 million on its opening day from over 4,300 theaters. This puts it among the top openings of 2025, following popular films like “A Minecraft Movie” and “Captain America: Brave New World.”

Now, it is projected to earn around $82.7 million over the first three days. This would smash the previous record for the franchise, where “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” debuted at $55 million in 2019. With a budget of $150 million, this film marks a significant success for Universal, which plans to release a sequel in June 2027.

The film has received positive feedback. Audiences gave it an “A” grade from CinemaScore, indicating they enjoyed it. Director Dean DeBlois returns, ensuring fans get the same charm as the previous entries.

In another exciting release, A24’s "Materialists," a romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans, also performed well. It brought in approximately $5 million so far, with expectations of about $12 million by the end of the weekend. Critics have praised the film, but audience reactions vary, reflected in its “B-” grade from CinemaScore.

On the charts, Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” is still doing great, earning another $4.7 million recently. Its total stands at $355 million, even after a significant drop in ticket sales.

For action fans, Lionsgate’s “Ballerina,” a spin-off from the “John Wick” series, is also in the mix. It earned $2.35 million on Friday, suggesting a steep drop in ticket sales. Total earnings might hit $41.1 million by the end of its second weekend, which is less than expected given its $90 million budget.

Meanwhile, “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” brought in $2.2 million, with projections of around $165 million through the weekend. While it’s doing better than the last film, it’s still trailing earlier entries in the franchise.

This dynamic landscape shows how film audiences are shifting. As tastes evolve, studios are adapting, giving us a mix of remakes and original stories that spark the viewers’ interest.

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A24,How To Train Your Dragon,Materialists,Universal Pictures