In less than a month since its global release, Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake is on track to surpass the original animated classic, which first graced theaters 15 years ago. This highly anticipated remake has exceeded the $450 million threshold at the global box office this past weekend, while also achieving an impressive $200 million domestically. Such remarkable earnings place it ahead of one of the most successful World War II films in cinematic history. Additionally, How to Train Your Dragon is currently outpacing the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, Captain America: Brave New World, on domestic revenue charts, as it aspires to finish its theatrical run among the top 200 highest-grossing films ever produced.
With a domestic gross of $200 million, the film has already surpassed Michael Bay‘s Pearl Harbor, which was released in 2001 and ultimately grossed $198 million in the U.S. and $450 million worldwide. Notably, Pearl Harbor had a production budget of around $140 million and received mixed reviews from critics. The film starred prominent actors like Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsale, but it holds a dismal 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus on the aggregator site states, “Pearl Harbor tries to be the Titanic of war movies, but it’s just a tedious romance filled with laughably bad dialogue. That said, the 40-minute action sequence is visually spectacular.”
Renowned film critic Roger Ebert delivered a particularly harsh critique of Pearl Harbor, describing it as “a two-hour movie squeezed into three hours, centered on how, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese executed a surprise attack on an American love triangle.” This film marked the second collaboration between Affleck and Bay, following the massive success of Armageddon. Although the film cemented Affleck’s status as a leading man in Hollywood, this acclaim was short-lived, as he faced several significant career challenges shortly thereafter. Nowadays, Affleck primarily appears in direct-to-streaming films, with his most recent project being The Accountant 2, which garnered just over $100 million worldwide.
Exploring Michael Bay’s Diverse Filmography Beyond Franchise Success
Bay’s latest film, Ambulance, underperformed at the box office despite receiving generally favorable reviews. Following the release of Pearl Harbor, he directed the lesser-known science fiction film The Island, before launching into a series of five films in the popular Transformers franchise. However, Bay has made efforts to diversify his portfolio between these franchise titles, producing original standalone films such as Pain & Gain, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, and Ambulance. Rumor has it that he is considering a return to the Transformers franchise for future projects. Meanwhile, you can catch How to Train Your Dragon in theaters now, and stay updated with Collider for further news and insights.
How to Train Your Dragon
- Release Date
- June 13, 2025
- Runtime
- 116 Minutes
- Director
- Dean DeBlois
- Writers
- Dean DeBlois
- Franchise(s)
- How to Train Your Dragon
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Mason Thames
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
-
Nico Parker
Astrid Hofferson
