Universal Pictures’ much-anticipated live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon has finally taken flight in cinemas, and early signs suggest a promising box office run. With an estimated $8M–$9M from fan screenings and Thursday previews, the movie is already stirring up excitement across the industry.
Directed by Dean DeBlois, who also helmed the original animated trilogy, this remake delivers a nearly shot-for-shot retelling of the beloved 2010 film. But while the bones of the original remain intact, the transition from animation to live action has not come without its growing pains.
Dean DeBlois was present at the Los Angeles premiere of DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon, hosted by Universal Pictures at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on June 7, 2025. [Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
Strong Early Returns Set High Expectations
The early preview numbers for How to Train Your Dragon are comparable to Disney’s Frozen 2 ($8.5M previews) and stronger than Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ($7.6M previews), indicating that Universal may have a summer hit on its hands. While projections earlier in the week suggested a $65M–$75M opening, insiders now hope the film could soar past the $100M mark — a feat sorely needed in this sluggish post-Memorial Day box office.
Importantly, these early figures also eclipse the preview earnings of the animated franchise: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World earned $3M, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 just $2M during their respective preview runs. Clearly, fans are eager to see their favourite dragons take flight in live action.
A Shot-for-Shot Remake With Familiar Heart
This live-action take on How to Train Your Dragon remains obsessively faithful to its animated predecessor. Starring Mason Thames as Hiccup and Nico Parker as Astrid, the film retells the story of a young Viking boy who defies his warrior culture by befriending a dragon — the elusive Night Fury he names Toothless.
As in the original, Hiccup struggles with his place in a village that values brute strength over brains. After downing a dragon and realising he cannot bring himself to kill it, Hiccup forges a secret bond with Toothless, discovering that dragons are misunderstood creatures rather than monsters.
This central relationship — tender, brave, and transformative — remains the emotional core of the film. The flight scenes are still magical, and John Powell’s Oscar-nominated score soars once again, giving longtime fans much to celebrate.
Toothless and Hiccup, played by Mason Thames, in the 2025 live-action How to Train Your Dragon, from Universal Pictures.
Cast Highlights and Mixed Receptions
Gerard Butler returns, this time in front of the camera, as Hiccup’s imposing father, Stoick the Vast. His transition from voice to live-action performer is seamless. Meanwhile, Mason Thames delivers a committed performance, though the limitations of translating a highly expressive animated character into human form are evident. As Hiccup, his earnestness occasionally falls flat against the grounded visual style.
Gerard Butler embraces stepping in front of the camera as he takes on the role of Viking King Stoick. (Image: Universal Studios/ABC)
Astrid, played by Nico Parker, brings more agency and sharpness than in the original — though her character still battles outdated tropes. She begins as a fierce warrior-in-training but is soon relegated to supporting Hiccup’s journey. “I just don’t care,” Parker said of the online backlash surrounding her casting, underscoring the pressure placed on actors bringing animated roles to life.
Writer-director Dean DeBlois (left), Gabriel Howell (centre), and Nico Parker (right) pictured on the set of Universal Pictures’ 2025 live-action How to Train Your Dragon. [Credit: Universal Studios]
Animation to Reality: Gains and Losses
One of the biggest questions surrounding How to Train Your Dragon is whether the magic of animation can truly be recaptured in live action. The short answer: not entirely.
The original trilogy was known for its expressive visuals, dynamic camera movement, and larger-than-life character designs. Much of that charm is lost in the live-action version, where grounded lighting and physical limitations prevent the same level of wonder. The animation’s exaggerated expressions and kinetic energy simply don’t translate with the same impact.
Critically, the film scores a respectable 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audience scores soar at an impressive 99%. This suggests that while critics find the remake conventional and creatively restrained, fans are embracing the nostalgic return to Berk.
Rehash or Reinvention?
The debate around live-action remakes continues, with How to Train Your Dragon landing somewhere in the middle. Unlike some of Disney’s more controversial efforts, this film does what many fans have long asked for: it doesn’t tamper with what already worked.
However, in doing so, it also fails to innovate. “There is not a single interesting creative choice visible on screen,” noted one reviewer, reflecting a broader sentiment that this adaptation is more reverent than revolutionary.
It’s hard to shake the sense that the live-action How to Train Your Dragon exists to fulfil commercial demand rather than creative necessity. Composer John Powell said it best in a recent interview: “If I’ve done my job right, people will think I haven’t done anything different at all.”
A Box Office Dragon in the Making?
Commercially, things are looking bright. With a projected global start of $175 million–$185 million, this could be one of the biggest live-action remakes of the year. The franchise itself has already grossed nearly $1.7 billion worldwide, and this instalment could push that figure well past the $2 billion mark.
For those who adored the original trilogy, the new How to Train Your Dragon offers a faithful — if familiar — flight through beloved skies. While it may lack the spark of originality, it delivers enough heart to remind us why the story mattered in the first place.
Final Verdict
How to Train Your Dragon (2025) is a lovingly crafted retelling that plays it safe, much to the delight of longtime fans. If you’re looking for surprises, you won’t find many. But if you’re chasing that same feeling of wonder from 15 years ago, buckle up — Toothless is ready to fly again.
