HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON in its second weekend led all other movies with $37.0M in new ticket sales. The live-action animated feature from Universal and DreamWorks has done well so far, and is on track to set a new box office record for the DRAGON franchise, taking over from the original animated version from 2010.
With additional support from two new openers, Sony’s horror sequel 28 YEARS LATER and Pixar’s original animation ELIO, the total for all movies playing in theatres was $126.3M. This fell short of the box office last year on this same weekend, which came in at $153.7, largely on the strength of INSIDE OUT 2 with $101.2M in its second weekend. Next Friday, Warner Bros. will launch Apple Studios’ F1: THE MOVIE, which should keep the positive momentum of the second quarter going in its final weekend.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON’s $37.0M was down 56% from last weekend’s record opening of $84.6M. After ten days, the remake has sold $160.5M domestic and $358.2M worldwide. Universal went all in to make the movie by spending $200M, a record amount for the franchise, and now their gamble appears to be paying off.
With a franchise-best 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the positive word of mouth around the movie should help it do well over many weeks ahead, as is often the case with a top-tier family-oriented movie. One concerning note is that DRAGON is not doing as well in international markets, where it has produced only 55% of its sales.
Earlier movies in the franchise were international stars, with DRAGON 2, as one example, earning 72% of its total worldwide box office. Will the increase in this film’s domestic gross be enough to offset its decline in foreign markets? Subsequent weeks will tell. Here is how all films in the DRAGON franchise compare after ten days in theatres.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2025) Live-Action vs. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010, 2014, 2019) Animated
- HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (6/13/2025) – Domestic Opening $83.7M (4,356 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $37.0M (-56%), Domestic 10-Day $160.5M, Budget $200M, RT Critics/Audience 77%/98%
- HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (3/26/2010) – Domestic Opening $43.7M (4,055 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $29.0M (-34%), Domestic 10-Day $92.1M, Domestic Total $217.6M, Worldwide Total $494.9M, Budget $165M, RT Critics/Audience 99%/91%
- HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (6/13/2014) – Domestic Opening $49.5M (4,253 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $24.7M (-50%), Domestic 10-Day $94.6M, Domestic Total $177.0M, Worldwide Total $621.5M, Budget $145M, RT Critics/Audience 92%/90%
- HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD (2/22/2019) – Domestic Opening $55.0M (4,259 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $30.0M (-45%), Domestic 10-Day $97.7M, Domestic Total $160.9M, Worldwide Total $540.0M, Budget $129M, RT Critics/Audience 90%/87%
Sony’s dystopian horror film 28 YEARS LATER took second place with $30.0M in its opening weekend. It added another $30M in foreign markets to create a worldwide opening weekend total of $60.0M. This is the third entry of the 28 franchise, which began with 28 DAYS LATER in 2002 and continued with 28 WEEKS LATER in 2007.
The 2002 original was instrumental in establishing Danny Boyle as a top-tier Hollywood director, and also starred a then 26-year-old Irish actor named Cillian Murphy. The plot of the first movie focuses on the immediate aftermath of a deadly virus spreading across the United Kingdom, with a handful of survivors struggling to find sanctuary.
The story of 28 WEEKS LATER picks up six months later, with the U.S. Army having secured a small area of London where survivors are trying to restart society despite many challenges. The current 28 YEARS LATER moves ahead 28 years, when a group of survivors are living on a small island.
When a member of the group goes off-island on a mission into the mainland, he discovers horrible mutations that have impacted both the infected and other survivors. Danny Boyle is back in the director’s chair for the new movie, having stepped aside for the second movie.
In order to create the feel of a documentary, Boyle chose to shoot this film with a modified iPhone 15 Pro Max using cinematic lenses, making it the most ambitious feature ever shot with an iPhone. The cast is full of A-listers, led by Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes.
Comer (FREE GUY from 2021) plays Ilsa, and Taylor-Johnson (TENET from 2020) plays her husband, Jamie. While Taylor-Johnson is also in the running to be named as the next James Bond, don’t expect any tuxedos or shaken-not-stirred martinis in this apocalyptic movie. Fiennes (CONCLAVE from 2024) plays John, the antagonist in the unfolding chaos.
Judging by Rotten Tomatoes scores, critics have responded with a strong 89% Tomatometer while audiences are less impressed with their 65% Popcornmeter. Variety’s reviewer explains, “Where the original film tapped into society’s collective fear of infection… this installment… zeroes in on two even more primal anxieties: fear of death and fear of the other… few have stared death directly in the bloodshot eyes quite so effectively.” The Hollywood Reporter says, “One of the chief rewards of 28 YEARS LATER is that it never feels like a cynical attempt to revisit proven material; the filmmakers returned to a story whose allegorical commentary on today’s grim political landscape seems more relevant than ever. Intriguing narrative building blocks mean they can’t come fast enough.”
The Film Verdict’s Alonso Duralde sums it up by saying, “Danny Boyle and Alex Garland reteam for a sequel that’s got a lot of heart – and other organs.” Deadline reports, “Most threequels tend to go bigger, but 28 YEARS LATER bucks that trend by going smaller, a chamber piece about a boy trying to hold onto his mother. The biggest of them all is the jaw‑dropping final scene that Brits, in particular, are likely to have a very, very visceral reaction.”
As is typical for a movie series, the production budget has grown with each successive chapter. Whereas the original cost $8M in 2002 and the first sequel cost $15M in 2007, this one was much more expensive to make with its $75M budget. As a result, 28 YEARS LATER needs to earn on the order of $188M worldwide to make a profit, and this could be a challenge.
28 DAYS LATER came back with $72.6M worldwide in 2002 dollars ($129.7M inflation-adjusted), and 28 WEEKS LATER earned $72.3M in 2007 ($112.1M inflation-adjusted). These current dollar figures are only 69% and 60% of the target $188M, which the new movie will need to make to break even.
Another concern is the lackluster 65% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Typically, initial audience reactions come from fans who are drawn to the material. Lacking a strongly positive response from this core audience, the movie may have a hard time convincing other moviegoers to come see it, especially with stiff competition arriving in the weeks ahead with the 6/27 opening of F1: THE MOVIE, the 7/2 release of JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH, and the 7/11 arrival of SUPERMAN.
Regardless, the studio is said to be moving forward with two additional chapters in the 28 franchise, with the next installment, 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE, already in production and scheduled for release in only 7 months on 1/16/2026.
“28” Franchise Movies
- 28 YEARS LATER (6/20/2025) – Domestic Opening $30.0M (3,444 locations), Budget $75M, RT Critics/Audience 90%/65%
- 28 WEEKS LATER (5/11/2007) – Domestic Opening $9.8M/$15.2M* (2,303 locations), Domestic Total $28.6M/$44.3M*, Worldwide Total $72.3M/$112.1M*, Budget $15M/$23.3M*, RT Critics/Audience 73%/66%
- 28 DAYS LATER (6/27/2002) – Domestic Opening $10.1M/$18.5M* (1,260 locations), Domestic Total $45.1M/$80.6M*, Worldwide Total $72.6M/$129.7M*, Budget $8M/$14.3M* RT Critics/Audience 87%/85%
* Inflation-adjusted numbers
Disney and Pixar’s latest ELIO finished in third place with an underwhelming $21.0M debut. Red alert: this is Pixar’s lowest opening weekend ever, even lower than ELEMENTAL’s $29.6M opening in 2023. With $14.0M in foreign markets, its first three days produced a shocking $35.0M worldwide.
This is the 28th feature from Pixar, it has been quite a run up until now. It began 30 years ago with the release of TOY STORY, which opened for the holidays on 11/22/1995. The ground-breaking feature was the third highest grossing movie of the year, earning $146.2M domestic by the end of December and $191.8M over its entire run.
TOY STORY was the first animated film to be created entirely using CGI and established Pixar as a giant in the animated film universe. Up through last year’s supremely successful INSIDE OUT 2, which earned $1.7B worldwide, Pixar movies have grossed $7.0B domestic and $15.4B worldwide, making for a stunning per film average of $570.3M.
While ELIO is another well-made family film, it has no chance of attaining INSIDE OUT 2’s success. It tells the story of a young boy named Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination, who finds himself on a cosmic adventure where he must form new bonds with alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and discover who he was truly meant to be.
The film is credited with three directors: Adrian Molina, who directed COCO in 2017, Domee Shi, who directed TURNING RED in 2022, and first-time feature director Madeline Sharafian. Molina was replaced after doing much of the planning for ELIO but was called away by Pixar to head up a “priority project,” which was later revealed to be COCO 2.
Eleven-year-old Yonas Kibreab takes on his first role as the voice of Elio. He is backed up by veterans Zoe Saldana (AVATAR from 2009) as Aunt Olga and Brad Garret as Lord Grigon, who is best known for his role as Ray Romano’s brother in the TV series “Everybody Loves Raymond” from 1996-2005.
Even though the film is intended for young audiences, directors Shi and Sharafian’s have given it subtle undertones of horror where were inspired by sci-fi classics including ALIEN (1979), THE THING (1982), CONTACT (1997), E.T. – THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (1982), and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977).
Critics have given ELIO a solid 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences even more positive at 91%. The New York Times says, “The film is beautifully animated, offering comforting life lessons, though it plays things safe emotionally.” Variety says, “ELIO is right at home in the Pixar catalog but lacks those undeniable signs of intelligent life (wit, surprise, and the capacity to expand the medium) that set the studio’s best work apart.”
The Associated Press said the movie explores themes of empathy, belonging, and self-acceptance, but “adheres too closely to Pixar’s established formula and delivers its emotional messages in a heavy‑handed manner.” Finally, RogerEbert.com calls it “Schmaltzy yet sincere… predictable as they come but as tender as they can get.”
The production budget of the film was $150M, which maps out to a total worldwide gross of $375M to become profitable. While INSIDE OUT 2 is completely out of range, a result closer to ELEMENTAL’s is a reasonable target. That film opened with $29.6M and stayed in theatres for months, winding up with $496.4M in the global box office. If ELIO matches that, it would make everyone behind this film very happy. Here is a comparison between ELIO and ELEMENTAL.
ELIO vs. ELEMENTAL
- ELIO (6/20/2025) – Domestic Opening $21.0M (3,750 locations), Budget $150M, RT Critics/Audience 84%/91%
- ELEMENTAL (6/16/2023) – Domestic Opening $29.6M (4,033 locations), Domestic Total $154.4M, Worldwide Total $496.4M, Budget $200M, RT Critics/Audience 73%/93%
Disney’s live-action LILO & STITCH finished in fourth place with $9.7M, a decline of 38% from last weekend. After 31 days, its totals stand at $386.7M domestic and $910.3M worldwide, making it the #2 domestic-grossing movie of the year after Warner Bros.’ A MINECRAFT MOVIE, which has earned $423.9M.
We expect LILO & STITCH to finish with around $410M domestic. It already has a tremendous 15.2 to 1 ratio comparing its worldwide gross to production cost. Here is how LILO & STITCH compares to the original animated version and last year’s INSIDE OUT 2 after 31 days.
LILO & STITCH (2002), LILO & STITCH (2025), and INSIDE OUT 2 (2024) after 31 Days
- LILO & STITCH (5/23/2025) – Domestic Opening $146.0M (4,420 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $63.0M (-57%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $32.5M (-47%), Domestic 4th Weekend $15.5M (-52%), Domestic 5th Weekend $9.7M (-38%), Domestic 31-Day $386.7M, Budget $60M, RT Critics/Audience 72%/93%
- LILO & STITCH (6/21/2002) – Domestic Opening $35.3M/$62.9M* (3,191 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $21.5M/$38.3M* (-39%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $12.6M/$22.5M* (-41%),
Domestic 4th Weekend $8.0M/$14.3M* (-37%), Domestic 5th Weekend $5.0M/$8.9M* (-38%), Domestic 31-Day $128.4M/$229.4M*, Domestic Total $145.8M/$260.0M*, Worldwide Total $273.1M/$487.0M*, Budget $80M/$159M*, RT Critics/Audience 86%/78% - INSIDE OUT 2 (6/14/2024) – Domestic Opening $154.2M (4,440 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $101.2M (-34%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $57.5M (-43%), Domestic 4th Weekend $30.3M (-47%), Domestic 5th Weekend $20.0M (-34%), Domestic 31-Day $571.8M, Domestic Total $653.0M, Worldwide Total $1.699B, Budget $200M, RT Critics/Audience 91%/95%
* Numbers Adjusted for Inflation
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING, in its fifth week, keeps chugging along, earning a fifth-place finish with $6.6M in new sales, a drop of 38%. After 31 days, it has grossed $178.4M domestic and $540.9M worldwide and is the sixth highest-grossing film of the year.
It should finish with around $200M domestic and $600M globally, which would amount to a ratio of 1.5 to 1 in its worldwide gross to budget, well short of the 2.5 to 1 ratio that it would require to break even. With an exceptionally high production cost of $400M, it was always unlikely to get there.
Tom Cruise has a decision to make whether he feels it’s time to close the curtain on Mission: Impossible, which began in 1996 and has played out through 8 movies in 29 years. Here is where THE FINAL RECKONING stands after 31 days.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (2025), MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT (2018), and TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022) after 24 Days
- MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (5/23/2025) – Domestic Opening $63.0M (3,857 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $27.3M (-57%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $15.0M (-45%), Domestic 4th Weekend $10.3M (-31%), Domestic 5th Weekend $6.5M (-38%), Domestic 31-Day $178.4M, Production Budget $400M, RT Critics/Audience 80%/90%
- MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT (7/27/2018) – Domestic Opening $61.2M (4,386 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $35.3M (-42%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $19.4M (-45%), Domestic 4th Weekend $10.8M (-44%), Domestic 5th Weekend $8.1M (-25%), Domestic 31-Day $194.0M, Domestic Total $220.2M, Worldwide Total $824.2M, Production Budget $178M, RT Critics/Audience 98%/89%
- TOP GUN: MAVERICK (5/27/2022) – Domestic Opening $126.7M (4,735 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $90.0M (-29%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $51.9M (-42%), Domestic 4th Weekend $44.7M (-14%), Domestic 5th Weekend $29.6M (-34%), Domestic 31-Day $520.8M, Domestic Total $718.7M, Worldwide Total $1.496B, Production Budget $170M, RT Critics/Audience 96%/99%
Where Are We as of 6/19/2025
After 24 weeks, the domestic box office in 2025 stands at 120% compared to the same point in 2024 and 73% compared to 2019.
