The third time’s the charm for “How to Train Your Dragon”, with the third film in DreamWorks’ animated franchise soaring to the top of the weekend box office with a series-high opening.
As Variety reports, “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” has debuted in the #1 spot at the box office with a $55.5-million domestic opening in its first weekend, the biggest opening of any of the “Dragon” films to date.
In addition, the film has also set a new record for the biggest opening weekend of 2019 so far, surpassing the previous record set by the $40-million opening of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass”.
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“We’ve been eagerly awaiting our first DreamWorks Animation release, and it’s great to celebrate this milestone with a No. 1 opening,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution. “[Director] Dean DeBlois has delivered a stunning film for a franchise that’s truly beloved.”
“Alita: Battle Angel”, last week’s top performer, shifted to second place, with an additional $12 million in its second weekend for total take of $60 million (which, Variety points out, is a steep 58-per-cent drop from its opening weekend, meaning the film is highly unlikely to recoup the $200 million it cost to make; industry estimates indicate “Alita” needs to earn $500 million to hit profitability).
“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” took third place, with $10 million in its third weekend for a domestic total of $83 million, while Dwaye Johnson’s WWE drama “Fighting With My Family” captured fourth place with $8 million in its first weekend of wide release.
The Rebel Wilson-starring rom-com “Isn’t It Romantic” landed in fifth place, with an additional $7.5 million adding to a domestic take that now totals $33.7 million.
