How to Train Your Dragon has overtaken a recent Disney live-action remake as it continues to fly up the box office rankings. DreamWorks’ first remake of one of its animated films is a tremendous success for the studio, and likely won’t be its last. The Viking-dragon family adventure is proving once again that these remakes can be wildly profitable.
While Disney is still the leader in live-action remakes, DreamWorks is proving it can compete. According to The Numbers, HTTYD has earned $588.9 million, surpᴀssing 2023’s The Little Mermaid, which made $569.6 million. In addition to the box office, HTTYD also defeated The Little Mermaid among critics, earning a 77% score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the latter’s 67%.
Toothless and friends have also moved past a few other family films on the worldwide box office charts, including Night at the Museum and Monsters Inc. Despite HTTYD recently debuting on digital VOD, it is still performing well at the box office. However, it still has ways to go before coming close to some of Disney’s best-performing remakes.
What This Means For 2025’s How To Train Your Dragon
HTTYD Is A Success, But Still Well Behind Other Disney Remakes
Disney has always been a juggernaut when it comes to family entertainment. They have their own catalog of classics, and added Pixar to their library long ago. However, DreamWorks has been a solid compeтιтor with the studio, producing franchises like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar. Still, it’s hard to replicate the same success Disney has had in this sector of entertainment.
2025’s HTTYD is a significant victory for DreamWorks, but it is still working to meet Disney’s consistent level of success. While it has beaten The Little Mermaid, HTTYD is still way behind Disney’s best-performing remakes, such as 2019’s Aladdin, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, and 2019’s The Lion King.
HTTYD also lost to Disney’s Lilo & Sтιтch in the 2025 summer box office battle. While HTTYD earned better reviews, Lilo & Sтιтch has crushed box office expectations and recently pᴀssed the billion-dollar mark. HTTYD is carrying on well, but it likely won’t reach $1 billion before its theatrical run ends.
Our Take On HTTYD’s Box Office Win
The Sequel Is In Good Shape
Before 2025’s HTTYD debuted, Universal announced that a remake of How to Train Your Dragon 2 was in development and is set to hit theaters in 2027. The studio showed confidence in this film, and it paid off. While Disney has five live-action remakes in the billion-dollar club, DreamWorks could get close with its upcoming sequel after reinvigorating the franchise.
The animated sequel performed better than its predecessor worldwide, and there’s a good chance the live-action one could do the same. The remake itself is performing under the animated sequel, which made $621.5 million worldwide. How to Train Your Dragon was a win with audiences and critics, and many will likely return to theaters to watch the beloved follow-up when it debuts in two years.
Source: The Numbers
