Universal’s live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon soared to the top of China’s box office over the June 13–15 weekend, pulling in an impressive $11.1 million (RMB 79.7 million), according to Artisan Gateway. The family-friendly fantasy adventure, directed by Dean DeBlois, captured audiences with its tale of Hiccup and Toothless, boosted by $1.6 million from IMAX screens, which accounted for 15% of the weekend’s total. The strong opening pushed Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning down to second place after its two-week reign at the top.
The How to Train Your Dragon remake, based on the 2010 animated hit that kicked off a trilogy grossing over $1.6 billion worldwide, saw a particularly strong Saturday in China, with ticket sales jumping 104.3% from Friday, driven by positive word-of-mouth. Social audience scores were stellar, with a 9.5 rating on Maoyan, the highest for any Hollywood film in China this year. The opening outperformed recent live-action remakes like Lilo & Stitch ($8.7 million), Mufasa: The Lion King ($7.8 million), and Moana 2 ($6.5 million), marking the biggest debut for a live-action remake in China’s post-COVID era.
In second place, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning added $4.7 million, bringing its China total to $55.8 million, making it one of 2025’s top Hollywood imports. The Chinese animated fantasy Endless Journey of Love took third with $3.1 million in its third weekend, pushing its cumulative gross to $24.7 million. Lilo & Stitch, Disney’s live-action remake, earned $2.4 million for a $29.3 million total, while Lionsgate’s Ballerina, a John Wick spinoff, rounded out the top five with $1.4 million, bringing its local cume to $5.9 million.
China’s box office saw a total of $27.1 million over the weekend, a slight uptick from the previous frame. The year-to-date box office in China now stands at $3.91 billion, a healthy 24.6% ahead of last year. With How to Train Your Dragon’s strong start and a sequel already slated for June 2027, Universal’s latest remake is proving it has the wings to keep flying high in the global market.
Source: Variety