Those who were worried that the How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake wouldn’t live up to the original animated movie can now take a sigh of relief, as it has a great Rotten Tomatoes score. Leading up to the highly anticipated release of the film, reviews for How to Train Your Dragon have been great, with Screen Rant’s own Sarah Moran giving it a score of 8 out of 10. Since many previous live-action remakes haven’t sat well with people, there was worry that the live-action adventures of Hiccup and Toothless would tarnish the legacy of the beloved series.

Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, How to Train Your Dragon’s Rotten Tomatoes score is currently higher than Disney’s last 16 live-action remakes. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Dean DeBlois, who also served as co-director on the original animated film, wanted to make the live-action How to Train Your Dragon to avoid “yet another soulless remake.” Therefore, based on its impressive Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s clear that a lot of heart and pᴀssion was put into the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake.

How To Train Your Dragon’s Live-Action Remake Has A Pretty Great Rotten Tomatoes Score

The Live-Action Remake’s RT Score Could Still Change

As of this writing, the new How to Train Your Dragon film has a score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes (via Rotten Tomatoes). Since the movie has not officially been released in theaters yet, this score will likely still shift either up or down. However, even if it changes slightly, this is still a great score for the How to Train Your Dragon remake, and proves that DreamWorks and DeBlois’ decision to adapt the 2010 animated film into live-action was worth it.

This score also suggests that the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake will be a major success at the box office. According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, the movie is already tracking to earn about $175-185 million in its opening weekend at the worldwide box office. Since it is receiving positive reviews, How to Train Your Dragon will defintiely be a major box office juggernaut in the coming weeks. In fact, there’s a strong chance that the live-action movie will make more than any of the animated movies in the franchise.

How To Train Your Dragon’s Animated Trilogy Has Rotten Tomatoes Scores That Are Even Better

The Animated How To Train Your Dragon Films Are Beloved

Even though the live-action film could potentially make much more money than the animated movies, its Rotten Tomatoes score probably won’t come close to matching any of them. All three movies in the How to Train Your Dragon animated trilogy received amazing reviews upon their releases. The first film has a 99%, its sequel has a 92%, and the trilogy capper has a 90%. Even though the live-action movie’s score is lower, it is still great and once again proves that audiences and critics love watching Hiccup, Toothless, and the other characters in How to Train Your Dragon.

The live-action How to Train Your Dragon’s positive Rotten Tomatoes score bodes well for the upcoming sequel, as well. Before the release of the remake, it has already been announced that a sequel has been greenlit and will also be directed by DeBlois. All three films in the animated trilogy were well-received, which means that the live-action series will also be a huge success if it continues to adapt the original movies faithfully. Therefore, a Rotten Tomatoes score of 81% is a great start for the live-action era of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

How To Train Your Dragon’s Live-Action Remake Was Never Going To Live Up To The First Film’s RT Score

Comparisons Between The Animated Movie & The Live-Action Remake Are Inevitable

Even though 81% is a great score, some fans will inevitably point out that the live-action remake doesn’t come close to matching the near-perfect score of the original film. The first How to Train Your Dragon movie’s score of 99% was always going to be practically impossible to beat. Since the new movie is a remake which some fans believe to be unnecessary, it was always going to face some backlash. Therefore, it would have been unrealistic to believe that the new movie would ever be able to come close to the animated movie’s score.

When the live-action movie officially releases in theaters, there will definitely be some more criticisms raised by fans of the animated film. Reviews suggest that the live-action How to Train Your Dragon faithfully adapts the story of the first animated movie, but there are bound to be some changes that people won’t appreciate. It’s impossible for the live-action movie to please everyone, so it’s not at all a surprise that it has a lower Rotten Tomatoes score. In fact, I’d be shocked if any of the live-action sequels come close to matching the scores of the animated movies.

Despite this, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon films can still be great in their own right. Based on reviews of the first remake, it seems like How to Train Your Dragon includes an emotional story, great acting, and exceptional visual effects, especially when it comes to the dragon’s designs. Therefore, even though it won’t please all the fans of the animated movie, there are still a lot of reasons to be excited about the live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie.

How To Train Your Dragon’s Remake Might Have A Lower RT Score, But The Franchise Is Still Acclaimed

The How To Train Your Dragon Franchise Will Continue Its Winning Streak

Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that it’s incredibly rare for all the films in a franchise to have Rotten Tomatoes scores above 80%. It’s easy to look at the difference between the score of the first animated movie and the live-action remake and call the latter inferior. However, when comparing the How to Train Your Dragon series to other popular franchises, it is clear that it is one of the most acclaimed properties in Hollywood.

Even though it has a lower score than the animated movies, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake is still considered “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes by a wide margin. Additionally, as long as it stays above 75%, the film will be considered “Certified Fresh” soon, which would continue an impressive franchise streak. Therefore, instead of focusing on the negatives and noting that the score of the live-action movie is lower than the animated films, it is more worthwhile to appreciate just how acclaimed the How to Train Your Dragon franchise is overall.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline