The live-action How to Train Your Dragon has set a record-breaking Rotten Tomatoes audience score. It’s the first DreamWorks to get the live-action treatment, which follows Hiccup’s (Mason Thames) bond with the dragon Toothless. After early reactions to the remake were overwhelmingly positive at CinemaCon 2025, critical reviews have also been generally positive, leading to a 77% Rotten Tomatoes score debut. While the score is the lowest in the whole franchise, How to Train Your Dragon is nevertheless getting a lot of hype as it starts to roll out in theaters.
Now, per Rotten Tomatoes, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon debuts with a record-breaking audience score. Based on over 500 audience ratings, the live-action remake currently holds a near-perfect 99% Popcornmeter. While the audience score will fluctuate as more moviegoers see the movie, it currently beats out the original 2010 movie, which had 91%.
|
How To Train Your Dragon Movies |
Tomatometer |
Popcornmeter |
|---|---|---|
|
How To Train Your Dragon (2010) |
99% |
91% |
|
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) |
92% |
90% |
|
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) |
90% |
87% |
|
How To Train Your Dragon (2025) |
77% |
99% |
Why The Audience Score For How To Train Your Dragon Is A Big Win For DreamWorks
Many Criticized The Remake’s Necessity Ahead Of Its Release
The How to Train Your Dragon audience score is a big win for Universal as it dispels one of the biggest criticisms before the movie’s remake. While the live-action remake faced several controversies, including Nico Parker’s casting as Astrid, many netizens questioned the necessity of the latest adaptation. The first trailers indicated that the live-action remake was nearly a scene-by-scene replication of key beats from the original movie. However, director Dean DeBlois, who also directed the original trilogy, defended this decision, as he accepted the challenge to see if there was a way to elevate the content.
While the live-action How to Train Your Dragon covers most of the beats from the original movie, there are a few small, subtle changes. The remake removed a few scenes, including Hiccup being bombarded by the Terrible Terrors and the blacksmith stall. In addition, the adaptation adds another 23 minutes of footage, which includes a deeper take on Astrid’s story. Furthermore, the movie’s tone is more dramatic and serious, which is expected given its transformation into live-action. Nevertheless, it seems that audiences have responded positively to the remake, mostly due to its faithfulness to the 2010 original and the few changes being well-reviewed.
In addition, the remake is already looking to become a major success, with a projected $75 million opening weekend.
ScreenRant‘s Sarah Moran awarded How to Train Your Dragon an 8 out of 10 stars, applauding the studio’s first attempt at making a live-action movie. Some of these praises included the stunning visuals, the cast performance, and the direction by DeBlois. Here is an excerpt from the review:
DeBlois has crafted a movie that is both a loving homage to the animated original and an exciting summer blockbuster full of spectacle and heart. It delivers the same thrills that came from watching it the first time. He knows which scenes should remain the same and which could use some tweaking, particularly now that it’s in live-action. It’s actually a little astonishing how well How To Train Your Dragon works, given that so many live-action remakes haven’t. But DeBlois clearly came to this project determined to, if not elevate what he helped make before, then at least equal it.
Our Take On The Record-Breaking RT Score For How To Train Your Dragon
The Live-Action Movie Nails The Nostalgia
While a 99% Popcornmeter is a rarity, it’s not surprising that audiences are responding so well to the live-action movie since it is super nostalgic and nails key details like Toothless’ design. However, it’s worth noting that this is far in contrast with how audiences respond to Disney remakes, which tend to be a bit more divisive. This has already been the case for Snow White and Lilo & Sтιтch, even post-release. That doesn’t seem to be the case with How to Train Your Dragon, although that could change over the next weeks.
The remake is projecting a $75 million opening weekend. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if it exceeds even the early estimates due to the word-of-mouth and positive reviews.
Nevertheless, the audience’s positive reception to the live-action remake also sets a huge relief for the franchise’s future. A month before the movie’s release, Universal had already confirmed the development of How to Train Your Dragon 2. While this can sometimes be a risky move, it’s already clear that the seal of approval only further hypes the anticipation for the sequel, which is currently scheduled for June 2027.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
