‘How to Train Your Dragon’ tops North American box office with US$83 million

[LOS ANGELES] How to Train Your Dragon, a live-action reboot of a popular 2010 animated film, roared to the top of the North American box office with US$83.7 million in weekend ticket sales, industry estimates showed on Sunday.

The family-friendly film from Universal and DreamWorks Animation tells the story of a friendship between a Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) and a dragon called Toothless.

“This is an excellent opening for a live-action animation remake, and it’s especially good for the fourth episode in a series like this,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, another live-action remake, kept up its excellent summer returns with US$15.5 million, Exhibitor Relations said.

So far, the film about Hawaiian girl Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and her blue alien friend Stitch (Chris Sanders) has grossed nearly US$860 million worldwide.

Debuting in third place is A24’s Materialists, a sophisticated rom-com starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, at US$12 million.

“It’s a grown-up story that’s well-timed as summer counter-programming,” Gross said.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning - the latest, and ostensibly last, in the hugely successful Tom Cruise spy thriller series based on a 1960s TV show - held its own in fourth place at US$10.3 million.

The Paramount film has now topped the US$500 million mark worldwide.

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In fifth place was Lionsgate’s Ballerina, a John Wick spin-off starring Ana de Armas as a dancer turned contract killer, and co-starring Anjelica Huston. Keanu Reeves makes a brief appearance as the hitman Wick. It took in US$9.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

Karate Kid: Legends (US$5 million)

Final Destination: Bloodlines (US$3.9 million)

The Phoenician Scheme (US$3.1 million)

The Life of Chuck (US$2.1 million)

Sinners (US$1.5 million). AFP