‘Dragon' Projected To Top ‘28 Years Later,' ‘Elio' At Weekend Box Office

Forbes

18-06-2025

Mason Thames and Nico Parker in "How to Train Your Dragon."
Elio and 28 Years Later appear to be no match for How to Train Your Dragon, which is projected to keep its No. 1 spot at this weekend's box office.
DreamWorks and Universal Pictures' live-action version of the 2010 animated hit of the same name, How to Train Your Dragon opened with $84.6 million in ticket sales from 4,356 North American theaters in its opening frame last weekend.
The film's massive opening tally was more than enough to bump Disney's live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch from the top spot at the box office after three weeks.
Heading into its second weekend at the box office, How to Train Your Dragon is projected by Deadline to earn $40 million-plus Friday through Sunday. Deadline also forecasts a $28 million to $30 million opening for Sony Pictures Entertainment's horror thriller 28 Years Later and a $20 million-plus opening for Disney-Pixar's animated sci-fi adventure Elio.
The third film in director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland's zombie movie series, 28 Years Later is opening in 3,300 theaters domestically, while Elio will be playing in 3,750 North American theaters.
Elio (voice of Yonas Kibreab) and Glordon (voice of Remy Edgerly) in a scene from "Elio."
The opening weekend projection of a $20 million-plus opening for Elio is not good news for Disney-Pixar.
In a long-range tracking report by Box Office Pro on May 30, Elio was forecasted by the box office tracker to have an opening weekend in the $35 million to $45 million range. Box Office Pro's long-range tracking estimate for 28 Years Later, meanwhile, was for a $30 million to $40 million opening.
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Jack O'Connell and Emma Laird, 28 Years Later had a production budget of $60 million before prints and advertising, Deadline reported. Elio, meanwhile, cost $150 million to produce before P&A, the trade publication noted.
The movie marketplace will only get more crowded next week when Brad Pitt's Formula 1 race car thriller F1: The Movie opens, as well as the Blumhouse horror sequel M3GAN 2.0, starring Allison Williams.
After that, the Jurassic World reboot Jurassic World Rebirth, starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, opens on July 2 to kick off the July 4 holiday moviegoing weekend.