‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Near Milestones

It’s a PG box office boon as two live-action remakes are notching impressive theatrical milestones.

Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon” is flying to $200 million globally in its debut, while Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” has surpassed $850 million worldwide after four weekends of release. Both films are successfully selling tickets despite catering to similar demographics.

“How to Train Your Dragon” collected $114 million while landing in 81 overseas markets, ranking as the No. 1 movie at the international box office. The film also topped the charts in North America with $83 million for a global start of $197.8 million. Top territories include Mexico with $14 million, the United Kingdom and Ireland with $11.2 million and China with $11.2 million.

Dean DeBlois wrote and direct the $150 million-budgeted “How to Train Your Dragon” remake, having previously steered the animated trilogy, which includes the 2010 original, 2014’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2” and 2019’s “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” to $1.6 billion globally. Set on the mythical viking village of Berk, the story follows the adventures of a scrawny misfit teen named Hiccup, who befriends an injured dragon he calls Toothless. A live-action sequel, “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” is already set for 2027.

Family audiences turned out in force over the weekend as “Lilo & Stitch” collected $31.3 million from 52 international markets, bringing its overseas tally to $492 million. The kid friendly comedy has generated $366 million domestically, boosting its worldwide total to $858 million since the Memorial Day holiday frame. “Lilo & Stitch” is readying to become the year’s first billion-dollar release.

In another box office milestone, Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” has crossed $500 million worldwide. The eighth entry in Tom Cruise’s action franchise brought in $21 million from 66 territories over the weekend, boosting its haul to $340.5 million overseas and $506 million worldwide. Since Paramount spent roughly $400 million on production and movie theater owners get to keep about half of ticket sales, “The Final Reckoning” won’t come close to breaking even in its box office run.