Half a million cheese cones. Five Million riders (or nearing it) on most of the marquee attractions. Families coming to the parks in IP clothing starting on Day 1. The Epic Universe team has seen a lot of milestones in its first year, and they believe it all happened because of the one rule they had in place when dreaming up the portals.

Seriously, there was one rule the Universal Orlando team stood by as the metric for determining whether an idea might move forward or not. Otherwise as Chef Jens Dahlmann mentioned to CinemaBlend and other outlets, ‘there were no restraints.” The dreamers could go as far as they dared to go.

In a Q&A, Executive VP and General Manager of Epic Universe Jeff Polk shared this one rule the entire creative team, from the chefs to the ride designers and VPs, all had when coming up with new ideas in the parks.

It sounds simple, but honestly it was anything but. Epic Universe is made up of thousands and thousands of compounded ideas that all lead to one seamless experience. Just look at Super Nintendo World as an example. You take an escalator through a portal to get into that section of the park. The world is immersive from the moment you step into it, but if you have a Universal Mario band there are even more options to go interactive and to play games leading to other secrets in that section of the park. You can have a wild DK float that’s as big as your face. You can meet Princess Peach and dance with Toad. It all looks like this:

Or, look to Dark Universe, where Ygor roams around, the well lights up at night, and werewolf footprints are “stamped” into the concrete of the forest on Curse of the Werewolf. All these things took people to dream them up.

The creatives knew when they had hits, as Ariana Morabito, VP of Entertainment for Epic Universe and some of the others involved with the park’s creation all cited the Meet-and-Greet with Toothless as a moment they really specifically felt they hit the highest bar. In fact, they were all on hand to watch Toothless roll out.

As someone who has met Toothless, the feeling of touching the dragon is pretty indescribable, and special, even for a grownup. The wonder when kids get to do it will leave an impression. It all came back to the one word though. Per Jeff Polk, “epic” was the only way to measure every single thing that came into being, and it led to over 161 patents being created just for the one theme park.

One a year later, Universal’s park is still going strong. Epic Universe has made adjustments to its schedule in the first year, staying open later to accommodate the wishes of guests, and other changes are being cemented as we speak. The parks recently started testing Universal Celestial Goodnight, a new fireworks show set to officially debut next month on July 7th. There’s rumors about new attractions heading to the Ministry of Magic and other areas of the parks. It’s only a year in, and all I see are growth opportunities ahead. I’m guessing that one rule is still in place for the creative team and will be for awhile.

The live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 film is now in production, with Dean DeBlois back in the director’s chair. Production kicked off earlier this year in Belfast and has been going since then. Now, unfortunately, it would appear that a crew member has experienced a significant injury. It was just reported that one of the production’s craftspeople was involved in a gruesome incident that saw a few of their fingers get severed.

Apparently, this situation occurred earlier in the month and reportedly happened at Sky Studios Elstree. While filming is currently underway at that same facility, the injury reportedly happened away from the set, as the crew member – a special effects technician – was reportedly using a saw in one of the workshops. Variety didn’t provide exact details on the sequence of events that led to the injury, but the trade confirmed that several digits on one of the person’s hands were cut off as a result.

Said crew member eventually underwent major surgeries but, unfortunately, the fingers were unable to be reattached. As of this writing, Universal Pictures has not issued a formal statement on the matter. Variety also doesn’t specify whether the production schedule was impacted in any way by the situation.

As noted by the trade, this situation comes in the aftermath of Bectu – the U.K.-based crew members’ union – releasing a joint statement with the producers’ union, Pact. That message put emphasis on the importance of health and safety protocols on film and TV sets. Both organizations concluded, after doing research, that some work hazards on set can be attributed to employees working beyond their specific periods of rest.

When it comes to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, it remains a major IP for DreamWorks and Universal, and it has the receipts to prove it. The first live-action HTTYD film performed well at the box office, ending its run with over $636 million worldwide against a reported $150 million production budget. Dragon also received positive reviews from critics, who cited the vast scale of series shepherd Dean DeBlois’ vision. That aside, though, DeBois was also lauded for the way in which he captured the essence of his original 2010 animated film.

The story for 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 is bigger than the original movie, meaning that the scale for its live-action counterpart should also be quite massive. However, there are also plenty of sentimental moments in Dragon 2, which may get viewers emotional all over again when they see them in the remake. As for the cast, lead actor Mason Thames returns for the sequel as Hiccup and is joined by the likes of Nico Parker, Gerard Butler and Nick Frost, with Cate Blanchett also reprising her role as Valka from the OG animated film.

It’s unclear how much longer it’ll be before HTTYD 2 wraps production overseas. That aside, of course, I’m just hoping for some comfort for the worker who lost his fingers. Here's hoping that as principal photography continues, there won’t be any other serious medical situations either in front of the camera or away from it.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 flies into theaters on June 11, 2027. In the meantime, fans can stream the first of the live-action remakes with a Netflix subscription along with the first two animated movies.

When we return to the world of dragons a vikings, a new actor will be taking over the role Kit Harington originated in How to Train Your Dragon 2. In a stroke of inspired casting, Phil Dunster will step in to play Eret in the live-action adaptation of the sequel. So, when I interviewed the Ted Lasso actor, I asked what he’d like to replicate from the Game of Thrones star's original voice performance.

Dunster has some big shoes to fill here, in the animated movie Harington voices the “finest dragon trapper alive,” and he does it with a lot of swagger and humor. In How to Train Your Dragon 2, Eret steals and sells dragons to Drago Bludvist (who will be played by Ólafur Darri Ólafsson in live-action). So, he’s working for the bad guy, and he’s doing it with a cocky yet charming attitude.

When I interviewed Dunster for his new show on the 2026 TV schedule, Rooster, I also asked him about HTTYD 2 and what he’d like to take from Harington’s performance to add ot his own. He said:

I totally see what he’s saying here. While Eret isn’t as free-spirited as Johnny Depp’s pirate, he does operate with a confidence and goofy swagger like the lead pirate of Pirates of the Caribbean. Like Jack, Eret has some very funny moments in the HTTYD movies, and Harington balances them and his character’s cool and kick-butt attitude perfectly.

I know Dunster will be able to do this, too. Like his beloved Ted Lasso character, Jamie Tartt, Eret is cocky and bad at first; however, he’s also very funny and eventually quite lovable.

Overall, it sounds like the Emmy-nominee is enjoying his time on the Isle of Berk, and he’s taken inspiration from the actor who came before him, as he told me:

Along with having a template to go off of with the animated movies, How to Train Your Dragon 2 also features actors from the OG films. Both Gerard Butler and Cate Blanchett are reprising their roles as Hiccup’s parents. Plus, Dean DeBlois, who directed both the animated movies and the first live-action film, is helming the live-action sequel. Speaking specifically about working with the director who has been in charge of this universe since its inception in 2010, Dunster told me:

It’s always seemed like these movies are a joy to make, and Dunster made it very clear to me that that’s been the case on How to Train Your Dragon 2, which has been in production since January.

Now, to watch Dunster in action as Eret, and to see Mason Thames, Nico Parker and more back as Hiccup, Astrid and co., you’ll be able to catch How to Train Your Dragon 2 in theaters on June 11, 2027. In the meantime, you can see Phil Dunster in his newest show, Rooster, by streaming the premiere with an HBO Max subscription at 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 8. And you can hear Kit Harington as the OG Eret by streaming the How to Train Your Dragon movies with a Netflix subscription.

If you’ve lurked around CinemaBlend on the interwebs for a while, you may already know how obsessed we are with the How To Train Your Dragon live action film. Bringing the animated movie to life on the big screen literally made me tear up when I saw it at CinemaCon last year. However, the cast would be the first to tell you that even though the movie ultimately panned out, it did not come without some “cringe” moments.

Even weirder? Sometimes actress Nico Parker says watching the movie back makes her “cringe” just because she may not have been as in character as she should have been. She told CinemaBled that was especially true on days she and co-star Mason Thames got to shoot out in nature and not on the giant blue screen set that made up most of their day-to-day.

Honestly, filming the “people days” felt really refreshing to the actress… but that was perhaps the whole problem.

The two actors went on to joke with CinemaBlend that cringing is a hallmark of Nico watching herself back on film in general. The scene where Hiccup and Astrid bond on the cliff’s edge later on in the movie, after having been awkward with one another through most of its runtime, was a prime candidate for attracting the “cringe.”

• Nico: Though that scene makes me cringe when I watch it just because I was having such a nice time that day.
• Mason: She was cringing watching the whole movie…
• Nico: I feel like I can just see that I was having a nice time. I’m just like, ‘Oh shut up.’

I think in general a lot of actors and actresses have trouble watching themselves back on screen. This may be because of how they felt their performance might not have fit the tone of the film. Or, they might be seeing a mistake they felt they made that made it into the director’s final cut. Sometimes people don’t even like hearing their voice back in certain scenes. Or, the premise is too “whacked out,” as Nicholas Cage revealed withThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Sometimes there’s even a more tragic reason an actor won’t watch back, as happened with Christian Bale and The Dark Knight Rises.

Having seen the first movie and knowing where the second one leads, I think Nico Parker should be “proud” of the “people days” on How To Train Your Dragon. They’ll only get more intense with the already-announced How To Train Your Dragon 2, as Cate Blanchett will be coming back, and the cast is rapidly rounding out. But without the more emotionally-charged people days, I’d argue remaking the franchise in live-action has less of a point.

As the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 has started filming this week, we just got a fantastic update about a new cast member joining the Isle of Berk. In the 2014 animated movie, you may remember the character of Eret, who fancies himself as the "finest dragon trapper alive." Well, one fan-favorite actor from Ted Lasso will apparently play him after Kit Harington originated the voice role.

That person is none other than Jamie Tartt (do-do-do-doo-doo) actor Phil Dunster, per THR.

The Ted Lasso star is an English actor who most famously played fictional football star Jamie Tartt on Ted Lasso for three seasons from 2020 to 2023.

In How To Train Your Dragon 2, he'll have the chance to play a notable character in the live-action remake who captures dragons and sells them to the movie's main villain, Drago Bludvist.

Not unlike Jamie Tartt, the character is a healthy combination of cocky and charming, making Dunster's casting pretty much perfect. As you may recall in the How to Train Your Dragon movies, Eret has quite the character arc in the second movie that carries into the third installment as well.

Since Phil Dunster is reportedly not going to be in Ted Lasso Season 4, due to scheduling conflicts, this is a great treat for fans to see the actor take on another big role in the vein of Jamie Tartt. Meanwhile, Ted Lasso is set to return this summer for those with an Apple TV subscription.

Now, How to Train Your Dragon 2 officially started filming just a couple of days ago. The director posted this to mark the occasion:

How To Train Your Dragon 2 comes from Dean DeBlois (who also made all the previous movies). The filmmaker previously told CinemaBlend he found adapting the sequel to be "kind of overwhelming" due to the fact that the storyline involves "masses of dragons" and a large "scale of battle".

Dunster is the third new cast member to join the How to Train Your Dragon 2 live-action movie. First, it was announced that Cate Blanchett would reprise her role of Hiccup's mom, Valka, after originating the role in animation. Then, we learned that Ólafur Darri Ólafsson will take on the role of Drago Bludvist. They should be joining Mason Thames' Hiccup, Nico Parker's Astrid and Gerard Butler's Stoick.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 already has a release date set for June 11, 2027, which has the movie between Star Wars: Starfighter, coming out on May 28, and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, hitting theaters on June 18. Keep following along with CinemaBlend as production continues on the new live-action movie.

While the live-action How To Train Your Dragon movies have recast the majority of the human characters, there are some who just can't be replaced. In the first film, for example, it would have been downright insane to see any actor other than Gerard Butler play the role of Stoick, so it was a natural choice to have him reprise the part. That same philosophy has now been applied to How To Train Your Dragon 2 as well: it would have been a major challenge for the audience to see anyone other than Cate Blanchett as Hiccup's mother Valka, and today we've learned that we won't have to worry about that.

The Hollywood Reporter has gotten word that the two-time Academy Award-winning star has signed a deal that will see her play the live-action version of her character from director Dean DuBlois' 2014 animated sequel. She joins a cast that presently also includes Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James and Harry Trevaldwyn – all of whom will be reprising their roles from the hit remake released last summer. Filming is set to begin soon in advance of the June 2027 release date that Universal Pictures has already planted a flag on.

For those who don't recall the lore from How To Train Your Dragon 2, the sequel picks up years after the previous movie and sees Hiccup and the his friends in conflict with a collection of dragon trappers who aim to militarize the mystical creatures. It is during this conflict that the protagonist has a run-in with his long-lost mother, who left the village of Berk long ago because of the society's prejudice against dragons.

Blanchett is coming off of a standout 2005 that saw her in two features from acclaimed directors in addition to having a surprise cameo in the finale of Squid Game Season 3. Earlier in the year she starred alongside Michael Fassbender in Stephen Soderbergh's acclaimed spy thriller Black Bag, and last month audiences got to see her as part of the ensemble cast in Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother.

As far as other upcoming projects, she has completed work on the David and Nathan Zellner-directed sci-fi comedy Alpha Gang with Dave Bautista and Chris Pine, and she is also in writer/director Alice Birch's fantastical drama Sweetstick.

It goes without saying that getting Cate Blanchett back in the role of Valka is a massive win for How To Train Your Dragon 2, but there is still more casting to come. For example, will the film bring Djimon Hounsou back as the nefarious Drago Bludvist, the leader of the dragon trappers, or will the project aim to bring in a new name?

Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend in the coming weeks/months for more updates about How To Train Your Dragon 2 as we get ever closer to its planned theatrical release on June 11, 2027.

Mason Thames has had an impressive year as a rising star. In the summer, he was front and center playing Hiccup in the live-action remake of How To Train Your Dragon, and in the last month, he has been on the big screen in both Regretting You and Black Phone 2. It’s been a wild 2025 for the actor, and as he prepares to start work on How To Train Your Dragon 2 – which will soon begin production – he has reflected on the honor he has been bestowed to reprise beloved characters on the big screen.

Black Phone 2 sees Thames return as Finney Blake from 2021’s The Black Phone, the young protagonist having matured significantly since we last saw him, and when I spoke with the actor last week, I asked how his experience making the sequel is impacting his approach to How To Train Your Dragon 2. He couldn’t say too much about the anticipated blockbuster, but he noted one constant is recognizing the love of the fans, and he added that the animated feature from 2014 is a movie that means a lot to him personally:

While all of the movies in the original How To Train Your Dragon trilogy were acclaimed, Mason Thames is most certainly not alone in his particular love for the first sequel, which jumps ahead five years and finds the world of Berk remade thanks to accepted co-existence with dragons. In addition to the plot involving Hiccup working to stop a crew of dragon trappers, the story also sees him reunited with his long last mother, Valka (who is voiced by Cate Blanchett).

Continuing, Thames added that he recognizes that the vast majority of actors don’t get the opportunity to reprise one film character let alone multiple, and his excitement for what’s on the way apparently can match anyone’s:

Written and directed by original trilogy-helmer Dean DeBlois, How To Train Your Dragon 2 follows up the massive blockbuster success of its 2025 predecessor, which earned over $600 million worldwide at the box office during its theatrical run. Fans will have to exhibit some patience waiting for the new release, as it won’t be in theaters until June 11, 2027 – but those of you who want to see what Mason Thames can do when he really gets to sink his teeth into a character can check out Black Phone 2, which is now available for digital rental and purchase from all major online outlets.

Look, it’s been a weird fall for movies. Between Taylor Swift breaking AMC’s servers, new horror movie sequels shuffling around the charts, and anime dominating one weekend only to disappear the next, October’s box office has been unpredictable at best and discouraging at worst. But, amid the chaos, one thing is now undeniably true: Mason Thames had a better month than most studios.

Some people may probably know Thames from his breakout role in The Black Phone and, this October, he made waves again—well, twice. First, he returned as Finney in Black Phone 2, which earned a solid $8 million over Halloween weekend, bringing its domestic total to $61.5 million and, per Box Office Mojo, pushing it past $104 million globally. Then, he popped up again in Regretting You, a Colleen Hoover book-to-screen adaptation that also managed to snag $8.1 million domestically over the same weekend, narrowly edging out his own horror sequel for the top spot.

According to CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg's box office breakdown, this is shaping up to be one of the slowest Halloween weekends on record, with most moviegoers busy with costumes, candy, and a World Series finale. In that kind of market, pulling decent numbers is an achievement. Leading two of the weekend's only real box office wins? That’s a flex.

Thames’ October one-two punch is impressive on its own but, when you factor in that he also led the 2025 movie release of the How to Train Your Dragon live-action reboot, it’s clear this 18-year-old is quietly building a stacked resume. He’s dipping into horror, fantasy IP, and now young adult melodrama. Is he Gen Z’s most versatile leading man?

It’s worth noting that neither Black Phone 2 nor Regretting You had ideal conditions. Scott Derrickson's flick faced the usual horror sequel skepticism and a competitive spooky season with The Long Walk still playing in select theaters, the limited release of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, and the much-talked-about Shelby Oaks, Meanwhile, the Josh Boone-helmed rom-com followed in the enormous footsteps of It Ends with Us, which cleared nearly $350 million globally last year. Expectations were high and, even if it didn’t match its predecessor, $50.8 million worldwide in two weeks isn’t nothing.

What these films do share, besides a common lead, is a committed audience base. Horror fans showed up for Finney and The Grabber’s return. Hoover’s loyal readers turned out to see their latest book brought to life. And both crowds came away with something else to talk about. Mason Thames.

If October belonged to anyone, it wasn’t a franchise, a studio or even Taylor Swift. It was a teenager with a penchant for emotionally bruised characters and quiet intensity. As the fall release calendar makes way for winter and then the 2026 movie schedule, Thames might be stepping back for now, but I expect to see him everywhere soon enough, because he is clearly a bankable young star.

Both Black Phone 2 and Regretting You are currently playing in theaters, so be sure to check your local listings for showtimes. As for Thames' other big 2025 release, How to Train Your Dragon, it is available for streaming with a Peacock subscription.

After the live-action How To Train Your Dragon was one of the biggest 2025 movies, I’m starting to look forward to the sequel that was announced back in April. In anticipation, I decided to rewatch 2014’s How To Train Your Dragon 2 for the first time in many years, and man, I didn’t see one major plot point coming. I want to talk about it, and why it has me realizing I need to bring tissues for the 2027 live-action sequel.

I Totally Forgot About One Major Death In How To Train Your Dragon 2

Directly after watching the live-action How To Train Your Dragon on streaming, Peacock directed me right to the animated sequel. I do remember loving it when it came out, but shortly after turning it on, I realized there’s a lot I had forgotten about the movie (and, it’s over a decade old at this point anyways). I knew that Hiccup ends up reuniting with his long-lost mother, Valka Haddock, who is a dragon rescuer akin to him, but whoa, I forgot about the whole Bewilderbeast storyline.

Basically, Toothless and his Viking friends come across dragon trappers, who become enamored with stealing away the dragons of Berk. They hail to a warlord named Drago, who wants to enslave all dragons into his own army. Drago has an alpha dragon called the Bewilderbeast, who can control smaller dragons with hypnotic sound waves, and he uses these powers to get to Toothless, who almost kills Hiccup with one of his fatal purple blasts. However, Hiccup’s father, Stoick, gets into the blast’s path and sacrifices himself for his son. How absolutely tragic. I couldn’t believe what I was watching take place in the family fantasy film.

After Revisiting It, I Expect To Be In Shambles For The Live-Action Sequel

One of the reasons why I loved the live-action How To Train Your Dragon movie was for the more emotional journey between Hiccup and his father. I love the fact that Gerard Butler came back to play the role in live action, and seeing human expressions are always going to underline relationship moments in a new way. Now that I am caught up on Hiccup and Toothless’s journey further, I just know how sad it’s going to be to see Hiccup’s best friend accidentally kill his father because he’s protecting him. It’s even more difficult because Hiccup and Stoick have a complicated relationship, and have only started repairing things.

Oh, and it happens very soon after they reunite with Valka, making it way more bittersweet. Even though I’m not emotionally ready, watching the 2014 sequel did get me more excited for how the live-action remake will go. Will Cate Blanchett reprise her role? Writer/director Dean Deblois has already spoken about how “challenging” it will be to recapture the events in the medium, and I totally agree. There’s dragon racing, and huge sequences with lots of dragons, and Hiccup literally flies through the air himself with his new suit. It could make for an absolutely epic live-action movie.

As we get ready for the film, which Mason Thames recently said would start production on November 1 when speaking to The Direct, planning for the new film is well underway. After seeing the second animated movie, I can say it’s one of the rare sequels that might be better than the original, so my excitement for the remake, coming out on June 11, 2027, has only heightened after witnessing all that the story includes.

After Mason Thames debuted his role as the live-action Hiccup in How To Train Your Dragon over the summer, the 18-year-old actor has two more 2025 movies coming out this month, The Black Phone 2 and Regretting You. Since he filmed them all basically back-to-back, it’s not surprising that the actor got his roles mixed up, and he has a funny story about the time that happened on The Black Phone 2.

The first Black Phone was Mason Thames’ first movie, which came out when he was just 14. When he was asked if it was tough to keep the character of Finney straight four years later, he had this to say:

Thames’ story, which he told to Dead Meat at the premiere of The Black Phone 2, is totally understandable considering he spent almost a year embodying Hiccup on the set of the live-action How To Train Your Dragon. As you can imagine, the kind of performance the director of How To Train Your Dragon would want from Thames would be rather different than how the director of the new horror movie, Scott Derrickson, would want to see. But hey, it totally makes sense that Thames needed to be reminded about it a couple times on set.

It’s pretty funny when you think about it, imagining Hiccup finding himself on the set of a completely different movie that is about a teenager being haunted by Ethan Hawke’s The Grabber, whom he killed in the first movie, but still haunts his dreams every time he closes his eyes. It’s also worth noting that the audience is completely different here considering The Black Phone 2 is rated R. It features Thames’ character smoking a lot of weed and dealing with the built-up anger and PTSD he has after the events of the first film, per Thames additional comments on the premiere’s red carpet.

The new horror movie is getting high praise from critics including through CinemaBlend’s own The Black Phone 2 review giving the movie 4 out of 5 stars for being “haunting, hypnotic” and surpassing all the reviewers “expectations.” You can see Thames in The Black Phone 2 now, and also catch him in the romantic drama, Regretting You in theaters on October 24.

How To Train Your Dragon was one of the 2025 new movie releases to really blow my mind in its scale and execution, and while I hope everyone got to see it on the big screen, it is streaming for those with a Peacock subscription starting this weekend. That won’t be the end of the live action franchise, either, as director Dean DeBlois and lead Gerard Butler already announced How To Train Your Dragon 2 at a CinemaCon event I attended earlier this year.

Despite the new movie feeling like it just came out, those involved have very much been looking ahead, and when I spoke to DeBlois he told me he’s been really thinking about the “challenges” of the upcoming How To Train Your Dragon 2 live action movie already. It’s one thing to have hordes of dragons animated for the big screen, and another to do it with more practical effects, more intensive CGI, and opposite real-life human actors.

The dragon sanctuary, AKA Valka's Mountain, comes into play in the next movie, so there really will be a ton of additional multi-dragon scenes to figure out. It’s not just the big details that need to be factored into the budget, either. The animated How To Train Your Dragon 2 also has a famous scene where Hiccup flies with Toothless thanks to the aid of a wing suit. It’s pretty cool in animation, but if you throw the fact that Mason Thames would likely need to be suited up in real life, things could get a little bit tricky.

The director has been thinking about this, but says he's lucky to be able to rely on his super creative team to help him do the heavy lifting, here.

It sounds like they may need to take some notes from that Superman flying scene with David Corenswet. Still, he sounds confident they'll figure out all the Hiccup and Astrid stunt stuff in a timely manner. Both Nico Parker and Mason Thames also told me the second movie is their "favorite" of the original trilogy, so challenges aside, I think there's going to be a lot to look forward to.

I’ve been excited to watch two big How To Train Your Dragon moments thanks to it heading into homes, so I’m excited for the latest streaming release so I can watch the flick again, but honestly all this dragon talk has me champing at the bit for the next movie. June 11, 2027 can’t come soon enough.

October is here, and while that may mean wall-to-wall horror movies for a lot of fans with streaming subscriptions, there’s actually a great deal more to enjoy streaming this week. Here’s a look at six non-horror movies and series that might be worth checking out.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Season 2 - October 8 (Disney+)

If there’s something to be said for traditional television, it’s that the gap between seasons of new TV is still pretty small. Such is the case with Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, the Disney Channel series that is responsible for most of the world being introduced to Selena Gomez. The second season of the reboot series, co-produced by Gomez makes its debut with your Disney+ subscription this week.

Maintenance Required - October 8 (Prime Video)

In an era where smaller movies continue to struggle theatrically, streaming has become a key platform for classics like the old-fashioned rom-com. Maintenance Required stars Madelaine Petsch and Jacob Scipio as anonymous online friends with a spark between them who are also real-life business rivals.

How To Train Your Dragon - October 10 (Peacock)

While Disney may get the credit for creating the concept of the live-action remake of an animated film, other studios have clearly gotten the memo. The live-action version of How To Train Your Dragon was a solid box office hit, and a sequel is already on the way. If you’re one of the few who didn’t catch the movie the first time around, or you just want to see it again, you can do so with a Peacock subscription this week.

John Candy: I Like Me - October 10 (Prime Video)

John Candy is one of the most beloved comedians of all time. John Candy: I Like Me, the new documentary film from director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds, takes a look at the life and career of Candy, including numerous interviews from his friends, family, and co-stars. After debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, you’ll need a Prime Video subscription to see it this week.

The Woman In Cabin 10 - October 10 (Netflix)

Keira Knightley stars in The Woman in Cabin 10 as a journalist covering a charity event on board a luxury yacht when she witnesses what she believes is a woman going overboard. The problem is that, according to everybody else, everybody on board is accounted for. With a cast that includes Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham, and fellow Pirates of the Caribbean alum Kaya Scodelario, this one looks to be a suspenseful thriller worth having your Netflix subscription ready.

The Last Frontier - October 10 (Apple TV+)

Jon Bokenkamp, the creator of The Blacklist, is back with a brand new series, The Last Frontier. Jason Clarke stars as a U.S. Marshall stationed in Alaska when a planeload of convicts goes down, leading to multiple escapes. This one looks to have plants of twists and turns in the plot, not unlike Bokenkamp’s previous effort. To see this one, you’ll need an Apple TV+ subscription.

If more horror is what you’re looking for, fear not. The coming weeks will have plenty of spooky stuff coming to streaming, including the debut of IT: Welcome to Derry, something fans of the recent film won’t want to miss.

Nico Parker is only 20 years old, but she’s well on her way to solidifying herself as a star. She made her film debut in the live-action Dumbo in 2019, and from there, she’s been flying high. Literally, flying too, because she’s one of the stars of the highly successful and well-reviewed live-action How to Train Your Dragon. Now, she’s being recognized as a rising star, and her The Last of Us co-star, Pedro Pascal, penned a sweet tribute to his “first daughter” that’s making me emotional.

As I alluded to, Nico Parker was named one of the World’s Most Influential Rising Stars by Time. So, to prove that, Pedro Pascal penned the tribute to her. He started by gushing:

Well, that’s the sweetest thing ever. It’s also so meaningful considering who the roles they played in The Last of Us cast. When it comes to that show, we spend most of our time talking about Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie. However, Parker played Pascal’s on-screen biological daughter, Sarah, who tragically dies at the start of the series (which you can stream with an HBO Max subscription).

While she wasn’t on screen for long, she made a huge impact on the video game adaptation and clearly on Pedro Pascal. Continuing his tribute, the Fantastic Four: First Steps actor wrote:

I’m sorry, but I simply cannot handle this. It’s far too sweet, heartfelt and further proof that both Pedro Pascal and Nico Parker are class acts.

However, to prove that note about Parker further, let’s talk about everything she’s doing to get this kind of acknowledgment. Along with How to Train Your Dragon, she has another project on the 2025 movie schedule called Poetic License. She’s also going to be filming those flying scenes on dragons again, because the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 is in the works, and she will return as Astrid. And, she’ll be diving into the horror genre eventually, too, by way of Osgood Perkins’ The Young People.

Really, her work and what’s to come speak for itself. However, Pascal’s tribute amplifies it and tells us about the person Nico Parker is. According to The Mandalorian star, she’s intelligent, sensitive, and utterly stunning.

So, if you weren’t on board the Nico Parker train yet, you should be now. While I wipe my tears over this sweet tribute from her Last of Us co-star and on-screen dad, you can see them in the show over on HBO Max. Meanwhile, we’ll keep you updated on the actress’s growing career, and I’ll also be hoping that she and Pascal do get the chance to collaborate again someday.

I never got into the How to Train Your Dragon animated movies, and I missed the big live-action remake when it hit the 2025 movie schedule earlier this year, but I decided to check it out when it came out on home release after hearing so many good things about it. My wife, kids, and I recently kicked off a weekend with this family-friendly adventure film, and while I expected it to be fun, exciting, and fantastical, the emotional tone genuinely caught me off guard.

Sure, with this being a film marketed towards children, I had a feeling there’d be some emotion sprinkled in between massive action set pieces and dazzling special effects. However, this movie shot an arrow straight through my heart.

Going In, I Thought The Movie Would Just Be About Vikings Fighting Dragons

Going into How to Train Your Dragon (again, I didn’t watch the original DreamWorks animated films), I thought this was going to be a big movie about the Vikings fighting dragons. Don’t get me wrong, this is very much a movie where Vikings team up to fight all kinds of dragons that keep stealing their food, killing their families, and burning their villages to the ground.

I didn’t really know what to expect, but I thought I’d spend a couple of hours watching Gerard Butler looking cool as can be, wearing layers of fur and an awesome helmet as he led his people to a better tomorrow while his on-screen son tried to find a different approach to the whole dragon problem. Both are true, but the movie is so much more than that…

Instead, This Is About A Father And Son Repairing Their Fractured Relationship And Overcoming Grief

At the core of How to Train Your Dragon is the story of a father (Gerard Butler’s Stoick the Vast) and son (Mason Thames Hiccup Horrendous) trying to repair their broken relationship and overcome grief in their own ways. Those ways, as we see multiple times in the early goings of the movie (and even later after Hiccup reveals he’s been training Toothless), largely don’t work for the most part, and the father and son are pulled further apart from one another.

Once I found that father-son angle, I was hooked and down for the ride. Don’t get me wrong, there were other emotional elements throughout this movie, but How to Train Your Dragon’s story of two people trying to find meaning in life after experiencing a devastating tragedy just hit really hard.

I Don't Know If The Animated Movies Are This Emotional, But Now I Want To Check Them Out

Like I said, I haven’t watched a single frame of the animated How to Train Your Dragon movies, and I know next to nothing about them. That said, I want to check them out, and I plan on making that happen sooner rather than later. The franchise is one of the few newer series my kids haven’t watched yet, so I think it could make for another great Friday Movie Night experience. Because let’s be real, I’m all about watching movies with my kids, especially when it’s something none of us has seen before.

If you haven’t watched How to Train Your Dragon and you’re looking for something that both audiences and critics seem to love, why not add it to your list!

I’ve been a Jeopardy superfan for years, and one of the things I really enjoy is when the show occasionally brings in a celebrity guest to introduce a category. This summer, they did so with Gerard Butler, Nico Parker and Mason Thames from the How To Train Your Dragon cast. The category was about Viking culture and would have been tough for me as a contestant, but as it turns out, filming for the show isn’t super easy, either.

It was a whirlwind summer for Nico Parker and Mason Thames, who have been busy promoting How To Train Your Dragon across the globe. As part of this whirlwind tour, I spoke with the two actors about some of their other fun side gigs, and of course I had to know about what it was like filming for the long-running game show. Turns out, it was more “difficult” than one might expect.

Nico said the teleprompter and the nature of the questions didn’t make it the most comfortable gig, but her rambunctious co-star didn’t help. Parker said he was trying to prank her and get her to mess up, and his strategy worked.

Mason also jokingly told CinemaBlend he "kept throwing things at her" to get her off her a-game.

You can’t tell in the end result. Nico actually got to ask two questions for Jeopardy! while Mason asked one, though both are very professional. Gerard Butler has a funny moment where he introduces the category and host Ken Jennings joked that he “can’t compete with that accent,” too. And some of the answers are quite hard. I, for one, would never have gotten “Île de la Cité.”

I’d always wondered how Jeopardy! filmed those fun spots with actors, and it was interesting to find out they’d just schedule the filming in the middle of a normal press day. I’m still left wondering how the game show decides what movie and TV categories to highlight and what actors should be involved. But that’s a question for the writing staff.

Stay tuned!

The debate about how AI impacts the world of entertainment has been ongoing. Streamers have started using it to assist content development, and AI-generated photos and clips are starting to look more and more realistic. Now, Universal is trying to get ahead of things by protecting its copyrighted material from being used to train AI. The studio has decided to become aggressive with its protection tactics, and one of its films on the 2025 movie schedule, How to Train Your Dragon, offers a warning to big tech.

In an article by The Hollywood Reporter, the publication chronicles Hollywood’s ongoing battle with AI using licensed content to train, infringing on laws that protect copyrighted material. This comes after Universal and Disney filed a lawsuit against the AI company Midjourney for stealing intellectual property for training. Universal is considering any of its properties being used to train AI models to be theft, and starting with How to Train Your Dragon, it has begun to put warnings at the end of their films. The warning states:

Some warnings in countries outside of the United States also cite a 2019 law in the European Union where studios can decide that their material can't be used for scientific research. How To Train Your Dragon isn’t the only film offering this warning, even if it was the first film to do it. Universal’s box office hit, Jurassic World: Rebirth and The Bad Guys 2 also have the same statement in the credits, showing that the studio is serious about protecting its intellectual property, and sees AI as an infringement on this.

While this may be a measure used to prevent AI from completely taking over the filmmaking world, it still feels unstoppable, despite Ben Affleck’s claims that it's not something to worry about. THR revealed the AI-based platform Showrunner is being shopped around to major investors and streamers, which would allow fans to insert their own episodes and characters into existing films and TV shows. The first AI-generated film is also being shopped around.

Netflix feels like it’s ahead of the game, and has stated that artificial intelligence use was inevitable to lower budgets after the platform’s new show, The Eternaut used AI to assist the generation of VFX.

I see this Universal copyright warning as a positive, as it hopefully forces more conversations about copyright protections, and where the use of AI starts violating this. The AI takeover continues to be a problem plaguing Hollywood that is constantly debated, and we will have to wait and see if these legal warnings in Universal’s movies actually work as protection from AI.

You can see Universal’s 2025 release, How To Train Your Dragon, now, as the film is still playing in theaters nationwide and is available to purchase on VOD at home as well. You can also revisit the original animated How to Train Your Dragon, by renting it on Amazon. We will continue to follow this story as AI becomes more prevalent in entertainment.

When I was watching How To Train Your Dragon at the theater, it was noticeable how good the scenes with leads Mason Thames and Nico Parker on dragonback looked. As Toothless and Stormfly flew, wind whipped through the cast’s hair and the shifting motions in the air felt organic, and well, like they were fully in live action.

So, when I got to speak with the cast ahead of July 15th's Digital drop of the 2025 movie release, I had to know how they made those scenes look so realistic. As it turns out, though, filming with the dragons is a little more unglamorous than you might assume.

How The How To Train Your Dragon Cast Really ‘Rode’ On Dragonback

A pivotal moment in How To Train Your Dragon live action comes when Hiccup outfits Toothless with a new tail and the two fly over land and gorgeous waters for the first time. Director Dean DeBlois previously told me when they had screened the movie for the first time, the flying scene was the moment they knew HTTYD was working in live action. But it took a lot of work and some practical effects to get there, with Mason Thames telling me:

Nico Parker went on to call the wind machine "The Beyoncé fan" and the two had a fun exchange about the Beyoncé effect.

"Nico: The Beyonce’ fan.
Mason: That sounds much cooler. There we go. I had a bunch of Beyonce’ fans. Nico: Mason is Beyonce.’ "

The creative team hooked the cast up with some gimbals, aka rotational devices allowing the actors to be seen pivoting, swooping and swishing through the air. Thames told CinemaBlend essentially these operated in the same way a mechanical bull might –and were equally as uncomfortable, though the two still felt it was a “cool” task to challenged with, one that took quite a while to film and led to them getting pretty close on set.

"Mason: People know. It’s really cool. We were on it for about a month. It got really uncomfortable at times. Especially when Nico was on the dragon with me. Because that saddle is NOT made for two.
Nico: No, it’s NOT made for two. There’s not that much space.
Mason: Not any space.
Nico: I was having a brilliant time."

Intriguingly, if you want to see Nico and Mason filming as Astrid and Hiccup, the extras on the new home release really go behind-the-scenes and show fans what filming those flying moments looked like. In addition, viewers will learn more about how dragons were recreated for live action, and this included things like puppets being used during filming, special touches that allowed the actors to really get more into the emotional narrative (and I’d assume have a better eye reference point) while filming.

With a live-action HTTYD sequel on the way, I’m interested to see how the process changes and stays the same during Round 2. With any luck, maybe Nico and Mason can petition for a little extra room.

You can catch all of this, as well as How To Train Your Dragon deleted scenes and so much more --literally 75 minutes worth -- as the flick is available to rent or own right now.

How To Train Your Dragon does a lot of work to honor the spirit of the 2010 animated movie, while still creating some new updates and a look and feel of its own. In its initial draft, the new live action film would have included another popular scene from the original. In fact, there was one scene director Dean DeBlois told me he absolutely thought would make it into the theatrical version.

The live action How To Train Your Dragon hit homes to rent or own on July 15th. If you previously had a chance to see the flick in theaters, you may remember one scene missing with Toothless and the Terrible Terrors, a slew of tiny dragons that are cute but mischievous.

Actually, that scene made it very far into the movie process before the director and creative team decided it had to go. Speaking to Dean, the director really hardcore believed the audience needed to know dragons aren’t “fireproof on the inside” and thought the scene was key to that understanding.

However, the film was already running over 2 hours – significantly longer than the 98 minute animated version that hit theaters 15 years ago. Something had to go.

So, What Happened To The Terrible Terrors Scene?

Ultimately, while the director was quite partial to the adorable scene, which is a fun moment for both Toothless and the tiny winged dragons, it had to go. I asked him what happened, and he noted:

If you are quite partial to the Terrible Terrors, there is good news. As How To Train Your Dragon live action hits Digital and later Blu-ray and DVD, a slew of special features will also be available. Amidst those – you guessed it – we’ll be able to catch a glimpse of Toothless and the Terrible Terrors and see the scene that almost was. It’s one of two big deleted scenes with the release, the other being a scene called "Beach Break," which was only partially realized before the film was fully fleshed out.

Following it's Digital release into homes on July 15th, How To Train Your Dragon will also be hitting Blu-ray and DVD to own on August 12th. A slew of other bonus features will also be including, totally over 75 minutes of extra content. If you love the Isle of Berk as much as idea, they're worth perusing.

How To Train Your Dragon Live Action’s been a buzzy topic all summer, as families flocked to theaters to see it worldwide, bringing in more than $500 million globally and launching to positive reviews (including CinemaBlend’s). It’s easy to see why, too; it has the same enchanting narrative as the original, but with stunning dragon sequences and some tweaks that really update the film nicely. If you somehow haven’t caught the movie yet, there are really two things you need to know.

1. The movie is (already) headed onto VOD and Digital platforms on July 15th, which is so very soon.
2. There are two moments you absolutely need to watch out for.

How To Dragon 2 has already been greenlighted by Universal as part of its CinemaCon lineup this year, so there’s plenty of reason to check this one out for the first time, or give it a second or third or fourth watch.

How To Train Your Dragon Live Action Just Released In Theaters A Month Ago

I still can’t believe How To Train Your Dragon hit theaters one month ago. In truth, time has flown, pun intended, since How To Train Your Dragon released in theaters. But the flick will be hitting homes to own or rent starting on July 15th. About a month later, 4K and Blu-Ray releases will also go out on August 12th.

Honestly, I’ve already perused through the extras on the disc and if you are interested in things like ‘Building Berk,’ goofy gag reels heavily featuring Gerard Butler or more behind-the-scenes looks and facts about the making of the movie, there’s a lot to dive into. Even if you aren’t into Butler goofing around on set, the extras go out of their way to show us how much the movie filmed practically the first time around.

There’s a lot to unpack with the set, including some fun tidbits:

• Director Dean DeBlois has a fun cameo in the movie.
• That puppets and more were used practically to give sightlines and also give the Vikings something real to interact with.
• That the handmade book of dragons was the most expensive practical prop on set! Who knew?

For me, I’m gonna give the movie a second whirl after seeing it on the big screen, because there are two major moments I’m pumped to dive into again.

The Two Moments I Can’t Wait To Rewatch

[To note, I'm about to talk some movie scenes, but this is not particularly spoiler-y, particularly for anyone who has even just seen the animated flicks.]

When I was at Epic Universe earlier this year, I spoke with Dean DeBlois and producer Adam Siegel about the big moment in the movie they both referred to as the How To Train Your Dragon "test drive." This would be none other than the scene where Toothless and Hiccup fly together over gorgeous, lush landscapes for the first time.

I’m not overstating when I say there were claps in the theater and a wave of emotion actually came over me during that scene. Both the director and the producer told me that they knew if the audience liked that one moment, they'd done their job correctly.

For me it's also the scene I want to revisit most from the comfort of my own home. It's not the only scene though. There are a lot of fun dragon training moments, but one other particular scene between Gerard Butler and Mason Thames also stuck out to me while watching. It really highlights the on set father-son relationship the two were able to cultivate to get the movie to work, and the distance between the two characters and their priorities and beliefs.

The scene is so great, the book's author Cressida Cowell also told me it's what stands out to her when she thinks of How To Train Your Dragon's live action merits, and it's definitely one I'd like to revisit.

All in all, there's a lot to see and do once the movie hits homes, and you literally don't have to wait much longer!

I’ve been thinking a lot about Epic Universe since the opening of the aptly named theme park at the end of May. I’ve been thinking about amazing queues, food and vibes, but also the 11 rides and additional other attractions populating the new park. The more I think about it, the more I must accept one truth: My CinemaBlend co-worker and I are just not on the same page about the best ride.

Our Theme Park Expert Dirk Libbey Was Shocked To Find Out He’s In Love With Harry Potter And The Ministry Of Magic

While Dirk Libbey and I agree on a wide swathe of things when it comes to theme parks, he is not a huge Harry Potter guy. He didn’t grow up with the books in the same way my millennial soul did, and I also went with him one time to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and (unlike Tom Felton) I couldn’t even get him hyper on board even with butterbeer. So, I was absolutely shocked when he ranked all the Epic Universe rides and Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magic came up as Number 1.

He loved the opening into the cavernous space at the Ministry of Magic and the intricacies of the queue. However, above all, he loved the mix of screens and natural components on the ride and had a blast following the cast taking on Umbridge on this unique journey.

As a huge Potterhead myself, naturally, I thought I would agree this was the best of the best the new park would offer. Was I in for a surprise...

I Was Shocked To Find Out Monsters Were My Vibe

Unlike my well-esteemed coworker, I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and also a big fan of Harry Potter and The Escape From Gringotts, a ride which shares some of the same hallmarks as the new Battle At The Ministry Of Magic Ride at Epic Universe. Both rides feature some OG Potter cast members and utilizes interactive components in the queue as well as screens on the actual ride, though the delivery and experience is very different.

With this in mind, and knowing the queue itself was a transformative experience for some Potter fans, I fully expected this to be my ride. Yet when I walked through the doors at Darkmoor, my expectations changed drastically. Both Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Battle At The Ministry of Magic are indoor rides with unique ride mechanisms, but I truly love the storyline in The Frankenstein Experiment. It's so fully fleshed out, I'd like to see it on the big screen.

I also love all the little details with the animatronics, including the one surprise fans get if they are stuck in the loading room with Frankenstein for longer than expected.

Couple that with the fact I love all the practical effects, and I even enjoyed the KUKA-Arm technology this time around! To be honest, the latter absolutely makes me feel sick every time I ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, so I was really nervous going in, but there's a new thing to look at every single time I've been on the ride.

Anther cool thing about the practical effects is they are still eerie even if they aren't moving quite how we expected or something is messed up. It's the perfect type of ride with a solid queue and not super long wait times, as well.

The whole Dark Universe portal works. I wouldn't have considered myself a Dark Universe girlie before I entered the land, but in a surprising turn of events, it wasn't Harry Potter or How To Train Your Dragon that stuck with me in the days after I said goodbye to Epic Universe.

The Moral Of This Epic Universe Story?

Every year, we cover Halloween Horror Nights, and every year I bow out as my expertise tends more toward romance, serialized TV, or animated films. Now that I’ve been on Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, I feel I’ve been depriving myself of an awesome experience. Perhaps this year is the year to cut loose and try something new.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that Epic Universe is not at all what I expected based on ride descriptions, ride types, and themes. Opening myself up to new experiences turned out to be the best thing I did in the parks.

Ultimately, neither Dirk nor I had the same experience, nor did we expect to like some of the attractions we loved the most as much as we did. But I think that's the thing that is most attractive about Universal Orlando's theme parks: it has something for everybody. In truth, something different may tug your own heartstrings, and that's cool, too.

In the fall of 2023, Apple Film took a couple of major swings with a pair of internationally beloved directors, and things didn't work out precisely as planned. Both Martin Scorsese's Killers Of The Flower Moon and Ridley Scott's Napoleon earned acclaim and awards upon their theatrical release, but they had huge budgets and failed to do much business at the box office. And then things went from bad to worse when Matthew Vaughn's Argylle flopped in early 2024. It was a tough stretch for a studio trying to establish itself as a major player in the industry – and a little over a year later, a bounce back effort has started on the 2025 movie release schedule.

Joseph Kosinski's F1, featuring the star power of Brad Pitt, is Apple's biggest theatrical release since the disaster of Argylle, and while being just as expensive to make as the three features mentioned above, the film has begun its box office run on much stronger footing domestically. The early results for the weekend are in, and after you check out the full Top 10 below, join me for analysis!

F1 Easily Finishes In First Place With Apple Film's First $50 Million-Plus Domestic Debut

Like Killers Of The Flower Moon, Napoleon and Argylle, F1 cost a hell of a lot of money to make. If you think the globe-trotting sports movie epic from the director of Top Gun: Maverick looks expensive, you're absolutely right, as The Hollywood Reporter says that the production operated with a $200 million budget (that figure not including marketing and publicity costs). It's likely going to take a minute before the film gets into the black, but here are a couple feathers in its cap: it just had Apple's biggest opening weekend yet, and it took just three days to outgross the studio's last attempt at a blockbuster.

According to The Numbers, F1 easily took the top spot at the domestic box office this weekend with a $55.6 million take. That's obviously not Top Gun: Maverick money (the Tom Cruise feature made $126.7 million in the United States and Canada when it took off in 2022), but it is enough to count as the thirteenth biggest debut of the year so far (just ahead of Len Wiseman's Ballerina) and it is notably the best performance for a Brad Pitt-led title since Marc Forster's World War Z all the way back in 2013.

The ticket sales are more than double what Killers Of The Flower Moon ($23.3 million) and Napoleon ($20.6 million) made when they respectively launched. It's not unexpected given that F1 's summer blockbuster vibe is generally more appealing to mass audiences than historical epics, but it's still significant.

The picture gets rosier when one factors in foreign box office as well – which was definitely expected given the tremendous popularity of Formula 1 racing outside of North America. Padding the $55.6 million haul domestically is $88.4 million coming from theaters abroad, bringing its three day total to $144 million.

Again, the title has a long way to go to be considered a true success given the amount of money that went into the making of it, but sighs of relief are earned given that what we're seeing is definitely not the start of a box office disaster.

Of course, it should be noted that getting off to a fast start was extremely important for F1 – because this is the one and only weekend when it will be getting the spotlight at the box office. Formula 1 racing may be the favorite sport of many around the world and Brad Pitt may be one of the last true movie stars, but the slate of blockbusters coming up in July are expected to be a force. We're now just days away from the mid-week arrival of Gareth Edwards' Jurassic World: Rebirth, and no title with "Jurassic World" in its title has made less than $145 million in its opening weekend. James Gunn's launch of the DC Universe is coming a little over a week after that, and Matt Shakman's Fantastic Four: First Steps is waiting at the end of the month.

Can F1 avoid a devastating 60-plus percent weekend-to-weekend drop come next Sunday? That will definitely be something I will be keeping my eye on for my box office column next week.

M3GAN 2.0 Fails To Inspire The Hype Of Its Predecessor And Lands In Fourth Place In Its Debut

In a weird way, Gerard Johnstone's M3GAN 2.0 has has the exact opposite box office narrative of F1. In the case of the Brad Pitt movie, it cost a hell of a lot to make, but expectations were really low for it after Apple's previous blockbusters, so it's performance can ultimately be seen as a success. Conversely, the new killer doll film, which had one-eighth the budget of its competition this weekend, was expected to live up to the tremendous success of its predecessor, and signs point right now to it ultimately being viewed as a disappointment.

After becoming a viral sensation prior to its release, the first M3GAN made $30.4 million when it arrived on the big screen in January 2023 (a big deal for what is generally seen as a down time for movie-going), and it went on to make $95.2 million domestically and $181.8 million globally. Shot-callers at Blumhouse decided that the best course of action for the sequel would be to make it a summer tentpole, and that decision has turned out to be a mistake: M3GAN 2.0 made just $10.2 million had to settle for fourth place behind Dean DuBlois' How To Train Your Dragon ($19.4 million) and Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina's Elio ($10.7 million).

Pre-release, critics weren't as enamored with M3GAN 2.0 compared to the first movie, though CinemaScore surveys suggest audiences are preferring the sequel (it has a "B+" grade compared to M3GAN's "B"). It's not obvious at this point why the follow-up is underperforming, but the situation does recall another time that Blumhouse attempted a season switch with one of their franchises: Christopher Landon's Happy Death Day was a big hit when it came out during spooky season in 2017 (making $125 million globally), but Happy Death Day 2U was released in time for Valentine's Day 2019 and it made just $64.7 million during its theatrical run.

How will the arrival of Jurassic World: Rebirth shake things up when it arrives in theaters this Wednesday? Will cinemas see a boost thanks to the Independence Day holiday, or will people be too distracted by fireworks on Friday to see a new blockbuster? Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday for a full breakdown of everything that happens.

It’s hard to believe How To Train Your Dragon’s live action movie has already been out for several weeks on the 2025 movie schedule and made more than several hundred million dollars at the box office globally. The movie has already nabbed a How To Train Your Dragon 2 live action sequel and many people have seen it, but I was curious to know what original author Cressida Cowell, who wrote the books with the same series name, had to say about the movie.

What Cressida Cowell Thinks Of The Live Action Movie

The good news is she was on hand for the opening of Epic Universe at Universal Studios recently. As the stars took a break from riding the new rides, I was able to ask her about her favorite How To Train Your Dragon moments. I wasn’t sure what she’d say, but she seemed tickled pink about the relationship between leads Mason Thames and Gerard Butler, whom she calls Gerry.

She revealed to me she'd actually cried when she'd seen the movie on the big screen, and got candid about the moments that stood out when she saw them play out. This squares with our How To Train Your Dragon review, which noted the emotional nature of the film. For her, though, it was "personal."

Ultimately, How To Train Your Dragon is a story about a father and a son, and the son coming into his own among the pressures of the community his father is in charge of. But there's honestly a more sentimental reason these moments were so standout for Cressida Cowell.

Cressida Cowell Based How To Train Your Dragon On Her Own Childhood

The Isle of Berk may connect its lore to Scandinavia and Norway specifically, but when Cowell was writing her novels, she was actually using her own childhood experiences to craft the narrative, which I'd never realized. As a child, she'd head from London to the islands of Scotland, and that's where her mind kept returning when she was writing the books.

I'd never known that Gerard Butler's performance as Stoick the Vast was so personal to the author, but it's easy to see now why scenes between Mason Thames and Butler were so emotional for her. It's been years since her last island adventure, but it's clear those memories hold a dear place in her heart.

The authoress previously told Coast it was quite the "Robinson Crusoe" experience to be dropped off in the wilderness like that, and it led to her fascination with nature, Vikings and dragons. In 2003, she published How To Train Your Dragon, the first in a serious of 12 books that have sold millions of copies. The first movie with Dean DeBlois came out in 2010, and has spawned streaming spinoffs, an entire section of a theme park at Epic Universe, and a new series of Live Action movies.

At this point in my life, I've been a ridiculously huge Harry Potter fan for a long time, with an entire wardrobe consisted of Gryffindor T-shirts. I love rewatching the Harry Potter movies, re-reading the books, and even just watching and reading fan theories about the franchise over and over again. However, one thing making me a little nervous has been HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV show.

Do I trust HBO a lot? Of course. The network has delivered iconic shows that have gotten the world talking, and have helped to change the culture of entertainment as we know it, with The Wire, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, The Sopranos and more proving its value, even if not everything is a clear-cut winner.

But it's the beloved character Hagrid that I've been worried about, as it was announced some time ago that Shaun of the Dead vet Nick Frost would be taking over the role of Hagrid for the TV series. Though I've had my doubts, my thoughts on the matter have actually changed in the meantime.

It's Always Hard To Fill The Shoes Of A Character's Original Actor

Let's get one thing straight – no one's ever going to fully replace the live-action characters from the Harry Potter movies. If those were the actors who played the characters that you grew up on, then those are yours to keep. No one can truly take their place in anyone's hearts.

I'm approaching the Harry Potter TV show with an open mind because while I still don't think anyone could quite replace Robbie Coltrane (may he rest in peace) as Hagrid, this is an opportunity to introduce the series to a new generation. I could see another actor playing Hagrid and becoming the love of this generation of kids.

Even so, it's hard to let things go, and when Nick Frost was cast, I was a little concerned. I knew he was a great comedic actor, but would he be able to bring the zaniness to Hagrid that we love, as well as the devotion he has for magical creatures and his students? Could he show just how warm those giant hugs would truly be? I didn't know.

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long to find out.

Nick Frost's Performance In How To Train Your Dragon Changed My Mind

I freaking loved the live-action How To Train Your Dragon movie. I mean, everyone did, considering the film smoked the competition at the box office. But if we're talking about all these live-action movie remakes, this one takes the cake. It's better than most other Disney live-actions out there.

And one of the best parts was Nick Frost as Gobber the Belch. He perfectly captured the essence of the animated character and elevated it to a level I didn't think possible. He was hilarious and heartwarming, and I honestly cannot see another actor playing him.

That's what makes me so sure of Hagrid. If he can somehow capture that crazy character who sicked dragons on his students to try and teach them a lesson, then I really think he could rock it as Hagrid.

I Have Full Faith He'll Bring Hagrid To Life

There have been some casting decisions for the HP TV show that I haven't been massively supportive of fromt he start. Some have been great, to be sure, while others are more questionable.

But honestly, Nick Frost is the kind of actor that will really take it to another level. He has the skills and the comedic chops. And now, I know he can act well under loads of costuming and make-up – so Hagrid is the perfect choice for him.

Whether this series will end up being just as good as the original HP films, which have become some of the best fantasy movies of all time, is still up for debate. We'll have to wait and see – and maybe reread the books and watch the film again in the meantime.

Guess who's entirely back on the live-action adaptation train, woo-hoo!

Alright, not completely, but after seeing the live-action How To Train Your Dragon that came out on the 2025 movie release schedule, there's a part of me that is. And it's for the reasons you probably think.

But since we're all talking about how incredible this film is, it's time for us to look at another fantastic piece of DreamWorks Animation that could so easily get a tremendous live-action adaptation. That, my friends, is The Prince of Egypt. Do you recall that film? If not, here are the reasons below as to why it should be the next live-action project that Universal undertakes.

The Live-Action How To Train Your Dragon Changed The Game For Adaptations

Before I get into why, the only reason I am writing this is due to the HTTYD adaptation. If you haven't seen it yet, I'm not sure what you're doing here.

I have been an adamant opponent of live-action adaptations, specifically all those upcoming Disney live-action adaptations. I used to support them, but there has been heavy market fatigue within that industry. Most of these adaptations feel like cash grabs and not at all like the original. I mean, even rewatching Snow White on streaming reminded me of why I’m not a huge supporter of them anymore.

But HTTYD took this to another level. Yes, in specific ways, it was a play-by-play of the original movie, so it was bound to be a hit regardless. But it's the way they changed it up in certain spots that made it great. That includes how they easily adapted Nico Parker's casting as well as several others, into Viking lore; how they made the side-characters more loveable; and how great Toothless looked because he was freaking adorable.

Universal knocked it out of the park and so much more, and I could not be more excited for what's to come – which is why I bring up The Prince of Egypt.

I Think The Prince Of Egypt Would Hit Hard As A Live-Action

I know that there's a sequel already lined up for this live-action film – or at least in active development, so in 2027, we'll be seeing live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 and all of its glory, and Hiccup and Astrid being adorable once again. However, I think that The Prince of Egypt would have a potent impact as a live-action film.

I've talked about The Prince of Egypt several times. It's one of the few DreamWorks Animation movies made in 2D animation before the CGI takeover, and it's hands down one of the best films I have ever seen – and that's saying a lot considering I have watched many movies.

Not only is it a great adaptation of the story of Moses for anyone who wants to learn about him, but this is a visually stunning film. I wonder how the animators nailed it so incredibly because even 27 years later, this animation still looks fantastic on my living room's 85" television. It also has a great villain with Ramses II, and the added background of his familial relationship with Moses creates a complex and interesting tale.

Overall, it's one of the best DreamWorks movies. Full-stop. I would recommend this film over the dragons that we all know and love in How to Train Your Dragon, and that's saying something, mainly when translating it into a live-action movie. Oh, it would hit hard because honestly, the story is truly what drags you in.

The Music Would Be Outstanding

You want to know what else is perfect for this? The soundtrack and the score. The Prince of Egypt is a musical featuring some of the most powerful and emotionally charged musical pieces you will ever hear. Do you know why? Because Hans Zimmer wrote the score.

That's right, it's the man behind iconic scores such as The Lion King, Dune, Pirates of the Caribbean, Inception, Dunkirk, and Interstellar – I could go on and on. His score for The Prince of Egypt, and it's absolutely stunning.

And you want to know who wrote the soundtrack? The songs that are sung? Stephen Schwartz, the same man behind Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Pocahontas, Enchanted – ugh, the talent here! It would be amazing to hear all this music in a live-action adaptation!

The Scenery Would Be So Easy To Replicate

This isn't that surprising, but the scenery would be pretty easy to replicate.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want them to pull their punches and do a half-decent job. However, I also feel that because this takes place in ancient Egypt, it's one of those movies that could be filmed pretty well in live-action and could transform easily.

I'd still want it to look the part, but no one can deny that filming a movie in a desert or in front of pyramids is more straightforward than filming with fake dragons. Or I'm just ignorant and don't know how complicated it'd actually be, but that's what I believe. It would still look incredible, especially with today's cameras.

It's Already A Critically Praised Animated Film, So It Would Certainly Live Up To A Live-Action Musical

My biggest reason for believing The Prince of Egypt would be great in live-action is that it is already a critically acclaimed animated film. The blueprint is right there.

Sure, it's not quite up there with HTTYD, and it's probably its an adaptation of a Biblical story, which can lead to certain things getting lost in translation. However, the number of people who love this film nearly 27 years later is large. Its fan base has only grown larger over time – especially with its soundtrack. I feel like I hear "The Plagues" on social media everywhere now.

If, for some reason, this was to become a live-action adaptation, it would likely do very well. There are plenty of other animated movies out there, but this is one I would love to see the most.

Either way, it's only a matter of time before DreamWorks starts rolling out more live-action adaptations. So for now, I'll wait until The Prince of Egypt takes its turn – if I get that lucky.

Since last Sunday, this weekend's box office competition has always been perceived as a race for second place. Dean DeBlois's How To Train Your Dragon did so well in its debut that a repeat at the top of the domestic chart was basically inevitable, so that left the big questions centered around the first runner-up: would it be Danny Boyle's long-awaited horror sequel 28 Years Later or Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina's Elio (a.k.a. the latest arrival from Pixar).

Now, the early numbers are in, and the results are modestly surprising. Perhaps because young audiences are still flocking to the dragon-tormented island of Berk, speedy zombies were able to take home the silver medal. Check out the ticket sales in the Top 10 chart below and join me after for analysis.

How To Train Your Dragon Holds On To First Place With A Not-So-Great Drop

Last weekend, the live-action remake of How To Train Your Dragon got off to a hot start, having a Top 5 for 2025 opening weekend by earning $84.6 million. It was particularly notable because while its animated predecessors were all hits, none of them were particularly fast starters.

Seven days later, the movie has seen a steep dive in its ticket sales, but it remains well on pace to be a bigger hit domestically than any of the other movies in the franchise.

According to The Numbers, How To Train Your Dragon made an estimated $37 million since Friday, which represents a mediocre 56 percent weekend-to-weekend drop from its opening. Thus far, the feature has made $160.5 million, which is certainly a healthy number at this stage. The title has risen to become the seventh biggest earner domestically so far this year, having surpassed the $134.8 million made by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein's Final Destination: Bloodlines, and it's only about $18 million away from passing Christopher McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning for sixth place (of course, one should note that both of those films are still playing on the big screen nationwide).

As noted, where the remake really shines is in comparison to the animated How To Train Your Dragon movies. None of the three features prior successfully made $100 million before its tenth day in theaters, and the 2025 release has already done that. It's also just about ready surpass the full domestic gross of 2019's How To Train Your Dragon : The Hidden World ($160.8 million), and it won't take more than a couple weeks for it to fly past 2014's How To Train Your Dragon 2 ($177 million) and 2010's How To Train Your Dragon ($217.9 million).

The bigger challenge for the film will be becoming the highest grossing title in the franchise globally. To date, the 2025 remake has made $358.2 million, but that means it still has a long way to go before it can be dubbed the highest grossing title. It will need to make over $495.1 million to crawl out of last place, and it will need to make over $614.6 million to become the most successful title yet.

Ticket sales are guaranteed to slow down once we hit July, as audiences of all ages around the world are going to be turning their attention to major blockbusters like James Gunn's Superman and Matt Shakman's Fantastic Four: First Steps, so if the film is going to make any big leaps in the box office record books, its going to need to perform them before the month comes to an end.

28 Years Later Nabs Second Place With A Franchise-Best Opening Weekend

There are going to be a lot of eyes on 28 Years Later's box office given that the movie's success directly correlates with the future of the franchise. Filmmakers Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have a vision for a full trilogy follow-up to Boyle's 28 Days Later and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's 28 Weeks Later, but it was revealed earlier this year that the capstone project of this vision has not yet gotten the green light (the next film, Nia DaCosta's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, has finished production and will be arriving in January).

So did 28 Years Later do well enough to ensure the trilogy gets completed? While there hasn't been news yet of any official decisions, it can be said that the new horror movie is off to a strong start.

28 Years Later made $30 million both domestically and in foreign markets over the last three days, bringing its global total to $60 million worldwide in its opening weekend. That's equal to the reported production budget of the title (not including advertising and publicity), and it's already well on its way to becoming the biggest hit in the franchise. The original, the most successful title in the series, made $82.8 million at the time that it finished its theatrical run, and the first sequel finished its time on the big screen making $64.2 million. Fans have been waiting nearly two decades for this follow-up, and it does seems presently that the juice was worth the squeeze.

The film has gotten a very warm reception critically (CinemaBlend's Mike Reyes gave 28 Years Later a five-star review), and audiences are digging it too – as indicated by the "B" grade delivered in CinemaScore surveys. If I were a betting man, I'd say that the chances of Boyle and Garland getting to make their full trilogy are very strong.

Elio Struggles Against Big Box Office Competition

While this weekend's box office report has been mostly filled with good news for How To Train Your Dragon and 28 Years Later, the loser in the mix is sadly Elio. While not exactly viewed as one of Pixar's best (a very, very high bar), the movie has gotten positive responses (I gave it a three-and-a-half star review for CinemaBlend), but it failed to attract a lot of attention on the big screen this weekend.

Pixar had a nice bounce back streak going in the last couple of years, with Peter Sohn's Elemental being a surprise hit in 2023 and Kelsey Mann's Inside Out 2 being the biggest film of 2024, but Elio made just $21 million in its opening weekend – which actually ranks as the weakest debut ever for a film from the studio. That total is less than the $29.1 million that John Lasseter's Toy Story made in 1995 when it arrived in theaters. If one is hunting for a silver lining, however, Elemental only made $29.6 million in its first three days domestically, and it went on to earn $484.8 million before the end of its global run.

Arriving in the wake of both Dean Fleischer Camp's Lilo & Stitch and How To Train Your Dragon, Elio debuted in a very busy marketplace... and while things aren't exactly slowing down at the box office any time soon, it will be interesting to see if it can linger around in the Top 10 for a couple months.

Looking ahead, next Friday will see a diverse trio of wide releases arriving in cinemas, as Joseph Kosinski's F1 starring Brad Pitt, Gerard Johnstone's M3GAN 2.0, and Eva Victor's Sorry, Baby from A24 will all be in theaters. How will they compete with the films now playing? Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday to find out.

Animated and cartoon titles used to often be classic Disney and Saturday morning staples, or raunchy adult counterpoints. Though there was some common ground, it was sparse (and dependent on a kid’s guardian’s perspective--this list included). Today, a lot has changed–the once semi-no man’s land has ballooned to offer plenty of palatable watches for all ages. Below you’ll find cartoon pioneers, today's hits, and some stellar hidden gems outside of typical Disney titles, because that could be a whole separate list! Without further ado, let's get surfing through some great picks.

Peanuts

Charlie Brown and co. are another one of those enduring and endearing cartoons that continue to win generations' hearts. While most of us only consider watching any Peanuts fodder during the holidays, there’s plenty more to choose from, including the 2015 film The Peanuts Movie. And let’s face it, we’re all holding on hope that one day Charlie won’t be tricked by Lucy.

Batman: The Animated Series

Plenty of classic comic book characters could’ve filled out this list with some ease, but Batman naturally won top spot to rep the DC list. The 1992 series was a true highlight for Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, even though it only ran for four seasons. And though there were plenty of BAM!’s and POW!’s to go around, minimal footage of foes being hurt was shown.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Like DC, Marvel’s top comic goes to Spider-Man. And though there are endless iterations, the 2018 film following Miles Morales’ experience getting bitten is an exciting refresh. Regardless of whether you’re a newcomer or a vet of the Peter Parker world, it’s nice to see a new angle on him.

Scooby-Doo

Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Fred and Daphne, aka “Mystery Incorporated,” have been a sustaining staple since their 1969 introduction. The gang has a huge, comedic, family-friendly franchise that spans multiple shows and movies, and continues to win audiences time and again through their humorously balanced sleuthing skills. Those meddling kids and their dog nailed simple storylines with smart but accessible jokes.

Tom And Jerry

As more or less the OG ‘cat and mouse’ duo, Tom and Jerry are Hollywood royalty. With roots tracing back to the 1940s, their frenemy relationship entertained countless kids, who then, in turn, shared it with theirs. Whether it’s a nostalgia watch or some regular weekday fodder, these two still make the cut.

The Smurfs

Another great vintage cartoon, which has been introduced through a series of blockbuster franchises, is The Smurfs. The comic turned show turned movie is a nostalgia fun fun-filled ride that continues to appeal to old and new fans alike. Although I’m sure, for some stans, Rihanna’s first new song in quite some time being included in the Smurf’s new trailer doesn’t hurt things.

Robin Hood

From a historical standpoint, Robin Hood may be the oldest and, without a doubt, the most recognizable name on the list. With roots tracing back to the 1300s, the Prince of Thieves continues to be a world everyone can enjoy, especially the animated Disney version.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Brothers Mario and Luigi have long been a staple for generations of gamers. Sweetly animated and endlessly fun, they’ve gone on to create quite a world beyond saving Princess Peach from Bowser. This 2023 blockbuster pays homage to the sibling plumbers’ legacy.

Shrek

Boy, does this ogre have layers. When Shrek arrived on the scene in 2001, it was bursting at the seams with bathroom humor created a lot of discourse. Behind it though, was a compelling reimagine of classic fairy tale tropes that left many wanting more. Even though he’s rough around the edges to some onscreen and off, his character arc is genuine and magnetic. Those makings cemented the fictional world and the big green guy himself to sustain in pop culture.

SpongeBob SquarePants

From the jump, everyone’s favorite animated sea sponge has been ready to win the hearts of his audience, both young and old. And to his luck, many continue to adore him and his silly, silly friends of Bikini Bottom long after we grew out of kids' TV. A prime example of how SpongeBob influences a much wider audience is that Nosferatu’s director, Robert Eggers, cited the Nickelodeon icon's influence for the 2024 remake.

The Yogi Bear Show

Like the other vintage pulls on the list, Yogi Bear has lived on and been introduced to new generations of viewers over the decades. The picnic basket-loving bear and his pal Boo-Boo’s antics are simple and routine, yet they continue to steal the hearts of their viewers.

Arthur

As one of the best animated shows ever, Arthur, his family and pals showcased a lot of social, emotional and mental topics in inclusive ways. PBS paired that with realistic familial and friend relationship dynamics (D.W. fan here), which galvanized Marc Brown’s fictional aardvark in an honest way for the masses.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Since its premiere, the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender has been a fan favorite. Many regard this as one of the ultimate cartoons, noting that it again has a perfect blend of adventure, humor and heart. It’s not your typical easy animated series, but prepare for a great ride.

Bluey

Disney really hit it out of the park with their blue dog show (no offense to Blue of Blue’s Clues). While clearly marketed, made and designed for kiddos, the themes and honest reflections of familial relationships hook plenty of those who have aged out of tuning into the Mouse Ears channel.

Power Puff Girls

I don’t think you can get much better with sugar, spice and everything nice when it comes to a stellar kids’ cartoon. The lab-created superhero sisters of Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles were a thrill from their unmistakable theme song to defeating Mojo Jojo (or any other foe) before the credits rolled. I’m not the only one who believes it’s a show from the ‘00s that still holds up watching as an adult.

How to Train Your Dragon

As one of DreamWorks' best animated movies, How to Train Your Dragon really hits all the right notes of adventure, humor and heart, perfect for a universal audience. Hiccup and his sweet but brave dragon, Toothless, continue to draw crowds 15 years later. And the live-action remake, coming out later this month, is expected to do the same.

The Lego Movie

This kid's favorite toy-turned-movie is the perfect homage to illuminating all there is to create with the plastic blocks. Pair that with some comedy giants a la Will Ferrell, and you’ve got a blockbuster anyone from age 5 to 95 can enjoy.

Ponyo (many other Studio Ghibli films)

Hayo Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli offer a whole collection of exhilarating animated movies, though not all may be suitable for everyone. Ponyo, though, is essentially a Ghibli counterpoint to The Little Mermaid (although it’s not a musical). Although Ponyo, the magical fish girl, doesn’t have sea-faring friends who accompany her after she comes ashore.

Recess

For some, Recess was a paramount Saturday Morning classic during the late 90s-00s. As the title implies, the show centered around every elementary school-aged kid’s favorite part of the day and the goings-on during that quick 20-minute block. T.J. and his friends are funny yet kind, making it a perfect watch for anyone with a nostalgic bone that needs to be itched or can directly identify with the gang.

Wallace & Gromit franchise

The British claymation duo is another visual world that has found its place in pop culture. Now, with seven titles to their name, the dog and owner pairing continue to find new ground (their 7th was made in partnership with Netflix). While the duo seems straightforward, there’s plenty to take away from each installment.

Phineas And Ferb

Another Disney Channel hit for the masses is Phineas and Ferb. It’s aimed roughly at an age group who’ve graduated from Bluey-esque television but still need pretty straightforward content. What makes the jump into watchable territory for all the silly stepbrothers is the smart writing and goofy jokes, and possibly having a platypus as a family pet.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox, the movie, based on the short children's book and directed by Wes Anderson, is just as magical as the Roald Dahl classic. The retelling has a perfect kid-friendly stop animation aesthetic blended with an A-list cast including George Clooney and Meryl Streep.

The Little Prince

Another excellent book adapted into a movie (a couple of times over). This French classic has been collecting fans of all ages since 1943 worldwide, and the 2015 flick continues to carry on that torch. The simple and sweet story reminds us all that it’s the connections we make that matter most while exploring fantastical worlds.

Over The Garden Wall

As one of the great under-the-radar animated shows out there, 2014’s Over the Garden Wall has earned quite a fan base. Brothers Wirt and Greg accidentally find themselves in a captivating, somewhat spooky, and at times adventurous world after jumping over a mysterious wall. From start to end, it’s a simple but compelling tale of the bros finding their way home.

The Hobbit

While the Lord of the Rings trilogy may be the most well-known J.R.R. Tolkien movies based on modern literature, it’s not the only one. For the purposes of this list, we’ll stick to the subject at hand and highlight the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit. While it does depict some violence via battles, it’s a classic gem that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Gravity Falls

Gravity Falls came to Disney long after many of us had moved on, but it hasn’t stopped its popularity among adult audiences. The Pines twins visit their uncle in the Pacific Northwest for the summer, only to unlock a longstanding mystery. It’s a perfect blend of silly-sweet kid humor braided with PG Twin Peaks vibes (be warned, for some kids, there is one dark moment on the Mouse Ears show near the end). You may come for the mystery but you’ll stay for Mabel, Dipper, Grunkle Stan and Soos.

Adventure Time

What starts as a candy-colored quest quickly unfolds into an emotional, often existential journey. With layered characters, sharp humor, and simple but profound themes, it’s a show that’ll appeal to all. There’s something in the Land of Ooo that'll speak to any viewer, exactly why Adventure Time endures.

Klaus

We all knew at least one Christmas movie had to make the list, for good measure. Compared to some of the classics, Klaus could’ve easily gotten lost in the shuffle for many. The Netflix original is a story following a down-on-his-luck postman who befriended a toymaker and set up a deal to help one another.

The Secret Of The Kells

The Secret of Kells is a visual and emotional Irish treasure, first premiering in 2009. Its stunningly hand-drawn animation, paired perfectly with mythic storytelling, holds kid and adult viewers equally. Cellach and Brendan’s story is filled with creativity, fear, and hope as aggressive Vikings near and a revered illuminator comes to town.

Wolfwalkers

Like The Secret of the Kells, Wolfwalkers is another animated Irish folk-like tale that comes to life. While there are a bit of dark tones throughout the film, including hunting wolves, the fairy-tale-like story that follows Robyn as she meets Mebh is true magic.

The Iron Giant

Don’t be fooled by the animation style or color palette for young ones, The Iron Giant is an epic adventure for all to enjoy. The cast is stacked (Vin Diesel, Jennifer Aniston, Christopher McDonald, Harry Connick Jr) and the gentle sincerity of the giant will have you head over heels. Just be warned, it is a tear-jerker!

The Secret of NIMH

Another vintage gem presented as a children's story with a more complex storyline. The Brisby family experiences some strife as conflict arises in the surrounding area, and they must seek help from an unlikely friend. Admittedly, I haven’t watched this, but it’s now on my list!

With the live-action remake trend, another common trend has taken shape. If a cast member of a different race than the original character is chosen, a lot of angry internet comments follow. It happened with Halle Bailey being chosen to lead The Little Mermaid, Rachel Zegler for Snow White, and more recently when Nico Parker was cast as Astrid in How To Train Your Dragon. Now that the live-action movie has become a big hit, the director has shared his thoughts on the initial backlash.

Twenty-year-old Nico Parker is of mixed British-Zimbabwean heritage, which some fans took issue with since How To Train Your Dragon’s characters are Vikings (who are generally considered to be people from the Scandinavian region). But it’s also a fantasy movie about dragons, so what’s the big deal if it’s not completely period accurate? Here’s what director Dean DeBlois had to say about the backlash to Variety:

How To Train Your Dragon is already a big commercial hit thanks to its opening weekend box office and it’s been receiving praise among audiences and critics alike (check out our How To Train Your Dragon review), so clearly the love is already outweighing the hate, and that also counts for Nico Parker as Astrid.

The director (who also wrote and directed the original animated movie) shared that he decided to “expand” the mythology of the movies to include more people from different regions, which certainly helps explain Nico Parker’s presence. Additionally, DeBlois said the actress was simply the best person for the job from everyone who auditioned. He also said this:

When the actress has been asked about the backlash, she said that while she hopes that for people who are simply upset the remake isn't an "exact play-by-play," that they "find something that you love" about the new movie. However, she just doesn't care about "the people that just hate inclusivity, hate change" and doesn't value their opinion. Parker's Astrid itself received a lot more depth from the animated version. Plus, Parker and Mason Thames brought some serious chemistry to their roles as well.

There was a lot against the remake of How To Train Your Dragon, between worries the Toothless design wouldn’t translate or if audiences would question why it even exists, but following the positive reaction, the director can rest easy. He’s even already working on the live-action sequel following all the love for the movie that’s set to come out in the summer of 2027.

Along with the movie now playing in theaters, you can watch our own How To Train Your Dragon cast and director interviews while you’re here.

Dragons, dragons, and more dragons – it feels like my life has been jammed with dragons over the last few years.

Whether it was BookTok and Fourth Wing becoming a huge thing – with a Fourth Wing TV show in the works, or it was House of the Dragon and all their dragons, there was always some winged beast that lured me to my couch or the movie theater – and now, it just so happened to be the live-action How To Train Your Drago., Of course, I had to see it in theaters. It’s dragons.

And I have to admit that this live-action remake kicked butt. Hard, strong Viking butt. But there’s one thing about it that they improved upon that made it that much better – let’s talk about it.

The Live-Action Remake Was Done So Incredibly Well

Before I delve into what it was, I must say that this movie was great. Like, on another level, great.

I feel like in this modern age of live-action remakes – especially all the Disney live-action remakes – we’ve come to expect a level of quality that is pretty low. Rarely does a live-action remake capture the magic of the original animated film without somehow compromising it in the process. We’ve only had a little success with things like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast – and I guess, in some ways, the others have succeeded, but haven’t been nearly as great.

However, this one was done perfectly well. If we’re being honest, there’s really not much else they could have done to improve upon it. The story was basically completely the same as the original How To Train Your Dragon movies, so it’s not like we were being thrown around with a new tale. The characters were great, and the effects were amazing – I walked out of the theater wanting my own Toothless yet again.

But there’s one aspect of the story that they improved upon this time around, which made it significantly better for me.

This Time Around, I Actually Liked The Side Characters

Let’s be honest: most of us watch How To Train Your Dragon for Hiccup and Toothless. If it weren’t for this dynamic duo of a misfit and a wounded dragon, we would never have these movies in the first place.

Or, you could be like me and love the love story between Astrid and Hiccup and how it truly feels like it’s one of the most realistic animated relationships I have ever seen – and how amazingly perfect they are together. I could talk about them for ages.

But let’s be real, the side characters from the original movies – while fun – were pretty forgettable. Sure, there were villains and other characters that stood out, but the student Vikings that Hiccup trains with? They were just…so forgettable in so many ways.

However, in the live-action, I genuinely loved them.

In the animated films, it always felt like they were just there to be a foil for Hiccup, which is fine, but as the movies went on, their presence only grew more irritating to me. They made silly comments that had no impact on the story, and I feel like they didn’t grow much at all. By the time the third movie in the trilogy was over, I was over it.

But the live-action gave them a lot more personality and a lot to work with this time around, and I genuinely found myself laughing out loud at many points because of what they said, not what the other side said.

Giving Them A Little More Backstory Was Such An Amazing Idea

This is a surefire way to make you care about side characters – don’t just have them there for comedic effect; give them a backstory that actually makes you remotely care about them.

A prime example of this is the inclusion of Snotlout’s backstory with his father. Yes, I know that we get tiny glimpses of it in the TV series, but let’s be honest – many people who go to see this movie probably haven’t seen the TV show. Only the die-hards have. Including this backstory makes us like Snotlout just a little more in the movie in comparison to how it was in the original films.

Seeing him get that small moment with his father at the very end of the movie was rewarding, and that’s something that I genuinely never thought I would say about this character because I hated him in the film.

And Somehow, There Was So Much More Emotion In Them This Time Around

One thing I like about DreamWorks Animated movies and all the Disney animated movies is that, with animation, you can express so much emotion. You really have a lot to work with because it’s right there, waiting to be drawn.

But with the live-action side characters, I felt so much more emotion from them this time around than I did from the animated version. Maybe it’s because we really dug a little deeper into their fight skills this time around, but their feelings felt real. I could feel their fear, their anger, their suspicion when Hiccup suddenly started to do well – everything worked really well.

Maybe that’s praise for the How to Train Your Dragon live-action cast, too, but there was just something I loved about this group of kids this time around.

I Want To See A Heck Of A Lot More Of Them In The Sequels

I really never thought I would say this, but I want to see more of them.

When I first watched the How to Train Your Dragon movies, I didn't care for the side characters. I was there for Hiccup and Astrid and, of course, Toothless, Stoick, and his crew, but other than that, I didn't care about anyone else.

And that was the mentality I had going into this live-action movie, but I have to admit that I was wrong, truly wrong. I still got everything I hoped for – from Gerard Butler as Stoick and how he perfectly brought his iconic character to life, to how perfect Nico Parker was as Astrid, despite all the backlash her casting received earlier on. Everything worked.

But now, I want to see way more characters—so many more side characters.

I really think there’s a lot you could do with this. Bringing the characters to live-action offers a new way to explore their backstories, as we couldn’t dive as deep as we could in animated films due to time constraints. And as someone who really didn’t think she would care for any more tales about them, I want to see more.

While the next live-action How To Train Your Dragon film won’t be on any 2025 movie release schedule, I will gladly be awaiting the next one with an open mind – and hoping to see a lot more side characters.

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for the new How to Train Your Dragon and 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2!

The live-action remake How to Train Your Dragon has finally arrived to the 2025 release schedule, and it’s a “loving homage” to its 2010 animated predecessor with some extra flourishes thrown in. Like the original How to Train Your Dragon, this new version is rated PG, so it can be enjoyed by the whole family. That said, there was one particularly intense moment in the new How to Train Your Dragon movie that caught my eye, and its mere inclusion has me hopeful that something from How to Train Your Dragon 2 will be improved upon in the already-confirmed remake.

The Intense How To Train Your Dragon Moment I’m Talking About

In the original How to Train Your Dragon, death at the hands of dragons was talked about or implied, but never really shown. The live-action How to Train Your Dragon is the same way… well, almost. The remake goes almost its entire runtime without showing any of the denizens of Berk being eradicated, but when Stoick and his warriors attack the Red Death’s nest, at one point we see the monstrosity step on some of them. I was surprised that happened, as I’m used to seeing a visual like this within the PG-13 confines of something like a Godzilla or King Kong movie.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been shocked by this moment, especially since we don’t see any actual gore and the camera doesn’t linger on those squished fallen. In fact, I’m probably the only person who’s given this any significant thought, but it’s for a good reason! If this How to Train Your Dragon movie was willing to show characters being killed, then maybe this means we can see that happen to the villain in How to Train Your Dragon 2, which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription with the rest of the animated trilogy.

How The Sequel Can Deliver A Similarly Intense Moment

The original incarnation of this sequel leaves the fate of its main antagonist, Dijon Hounsou’s Drago Bludvist, unclear. He was last seen being dragged back to the sea by his Bewliderbeast after it was defeated by Toothless, who became the new alpha dragon. Now, the video game called Dragons Hero Portal did reveal Drago still causing trouble post-How to Train Your Dragon 2. Additionally, here were plans for the unmade graphic novel The Fire Tides to show him dying after another battle with Hiccup and Toothless, this time while controlling a dragon called

However, working solely off the canon of the movies and tie-in TV shows and short films, we never learn Drago’s ultimate fate. I’m hoping the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 doesn’t handle this with the same kind of ambiguity. While I suppose there was a chance that Drago could held onto the Bewilderbeast if it was only underwater for a few moments, it’s more likely he eventually drowned. The remake should confirm this.

I’m not saying we need to see Drago Bludvist thrashing around in the water for his final moments, as that would definitely be too intense for a PG movie. But if we can see warriors stomped by a giant dragon, why not show Drago sinking into the murky depths for a few moments? Or maybe he could instead be tossed off the Bewliderbeast mid-flight, and it’s clear that no one could survive that fall. However it’s done, I want to see Drago’s demise confirmed in a way that doesn’t frighten the younger viewers.

The live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 remake doesn’t come out until June 11, 2027, so it’ll be a long time until I see if this wish of mine comes true. By no means do I want this new film to move into PG-13, but I would like to see this kind of intensity from the first remake be incorporated into the second one through Drago Bludvist’s death.

For years, there have been theories and speculation about Gobber, the beloved How to Train Your Dragon blacksmith, being gay. Moments in the second and third animated movies allude to the idea, however it’s never directly confirmed or denied. So, with the live-action film being on the 2025 movie schedule, we asked Nick Frost about this ongoing conversation.

During CinemaBlend’s interviews with How to Train Your Dragon’s cast, Jeff McCobb asked Gobber actor Nick Frost about this ongoing discourse. Noting that the actor, who is “something of an unexpected gay icon a la Golden Girls or The Babadook," he brought up the theories regarding his character's sexuality. In response, the Hot Fuzz star said:

McCobb noted the theories and evidence surrounding the idea of Gobber being gay. This included a line from How to Train Your Dragon 2 (which you can stream with a Peacock subscription), where he noted the reasons why he wasn’t married. To that point, Frost explained that he really hopes this is an aspect of his character that can be explored more in these live-action movies, saying:

I certainly hope this story blooms as well. It’d be wonderful to have this LGBTQ+ representation in this franchise, and it’d be lovely to see Gobber in a loving relationship. So, here’s hoping that this long-speculated storyline gets some direct love in the officially upcoming How to Train Your Dragon 2.

I mean, they already have a gay icon in the role, as Frost told us:

He’s right; he has been considered a gay icon for a very long time. In fact, back in 2013, when he was on Conan, he explained that he wanted to be on the cover of American Bear. He noted that “big guys” who like “big hairy guys” find him attractive. Then he pitched Conan O’Brien the outfit he would wear on the cover, explaining that it’d have “white chaps, a kind of white cowboy vest and a tiny little cowboy hat” and “two little revolvers."

Clearly, his vision for this cover image hasn’t really changed. And I doubt his thoughts on Gobber will either.

Now, I’m hoping that Gobber and his sexuality can be explored more in How to Train Your Dragon 2. While LGBTQ+ representation in animated movies from Disney, DreamWorks and more has gotten better over the years, there’s still a lot of room for growth. Seeing Gobber speak openly about being gay and maybe even getting a love story would open a lovely door to fully open so we can welcome a new story to this beloved franchise.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article may contain a few light spoilers for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake. If you have not yet seen the new 2025 movie, or even the hit Dreamworks animated film that inspired it, it would probably be best to proceed with caution as you read on.

It has already been a big year for live-action adaptations of animated movies, with the release of Snow White and Lilo & Stitch by Disney. Universal and DreamWorks are getting in on the trend with How to Train Your Dragon, for which original co-writer and co-director Dean DeBloise returns to bring the Isle of Berk to life in a new medium just 15 years later.

While that may seem like a pretty short amount of time to justify a remake (and I would agree), this latest take on Cressida Cowell’s fantasy novel turned out to be, echoing its early critical reception, one of the most thrilling and heartwarming cinematic experiences I have had so far in 2025. However, and I hate to say it, I still found myself just a bit let down by the new kids movie, and part of it has to do with the lead dragon character, Toothless. Allow me to explain…

Toothless Is A Carbon Copy Of His Original Design

Just like in the original acclaimed kids movie from 2010, How to Train Your Dragon follows aspiring dragon hunter Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames), who befriends a rare breed of dragon known as Nightfury, whom he names Toothless. I never watched the trailer for the live-action movie, wanting to preserve my first glimpse at the adorable flying reptile’s new look for when I see the final product. In retrospect, perhaps I should have snuck a peek at the new movie’s design for the character and saved myself the disappointment.

Toothless looks exactly the same, as if he were plucked from the original animated film and placed into a live-action setting. I mean, clearly, the CGI graphics have been improved upon, but that’s about the extent of it, and, in fact, I don’t think the improvements were enough to make him seem like a real living, breathing part of this world. Thus, I believe it was a huge missed opportunity not to give Toothless a makeover for the remake, but that’s actually just one criticism I have in this particular regard.

The Whole Movie Is A Direct Copy Of The Original

Not only does Toothless look almost completely identical to his 2010 counterpart in the new film, but so does… just about everything in the movie, from its production design to its costuming and almost every other detail you could shake a stick at. However, How to Train Your Dragon is not just a visual clone of the animated original, as the script does not bother to take many liberties either.

I believe that the goal of any remake should be to justify its existence with something new, especially when it comes to the story, but also when it comes to its aesthetic. The only reason I am still giving the movie a pass is the refreshingly well-choreographed action scenes, beautifully shot flight sequences, and genuinely strong performances.

Did Other Business Considerations Play A Role?

With how much scrutiny all the new live-action Disney animated movie remakes are put under for not being creative with their source material, I had to wonder what influenced Universal and DreamWorks to do away with any creative freedom for How to Train Your Dragon. Then, I discovered that Universal’s newest theme park, Epic Universe, includes a whole section based on the Isle of Berk, and everything started to make sense.

Now, I am not one to jump to conclusions based on pure speculation, but I would not be surprised if the powers that be wanted Toothless and other dragons from this franchise to resemble their original designs in the new film because that is what their animatronic forms in Epic Universe were based upon. Perhaps they even considered how it would affect their toy sales, believing a cute Toothless action figure, which you can now pre-order on Amazon, would sell better than one that looks like it was taken out of a Tolkien novel.

I suppose I can understand why Universal could have potentially felt that taking too many creative liberties for the How to Train Your Dragon remake could have harmed its marketability, but I also disagree. I think giving people a fresh, new take on a familiar story is always going to get more people interested. Had I not seen the original movie, I might have loved this even more, but I think that’s the one I will stick with from now on… not that it would make too much of a difference.

When box office estimates for Dean DeBlois' live-action remake of How To Train Your Dragon were reported midweek, the vibe was "conservative." There were expectations for the movie to make somewhere in the range of $65-75 million domestically, but those numbers came with a note saying that that the numbers could be significantly bigger. Now, days later, the real early numbers are in, and it can be said that yes, those predictions could have been more bullish.

While Dean Fleischer Camp's Lilo & Stitch has dominated the weekend box office since it premiered just ahead of Memorial Day, one live-action remake has defeated another, as How To Train Your Dragon is the new number one movie in the United States and Canada. Check out the early reported results below and join me after for analysis.

Family Movies Continue To Perform Well At The Box Office As How To Train Your Dragon Soars

Besting the results put up by Jake Schreier's Thunderbolts* a.k.a. New Avengers during its debut in the first weekend of May, How To Train Your Dragon just successfully had the fourth biggest opening weekend of 2025 thus far by making $83.7 million over the last three days. The only blockbusters released in the last few months that have done better are Jared Hess' A Minecraft Movie ($162.8 million), Lilo & Stitch ($146 million) and Julius Onah's Captain America: Brave New World ($88.8 million).

The ticket sales, as reported by The Numbers, are not only significant because of how they compare to 2025's other big hits, but because of how the remake is performing compared to the animated titles in the same franchise. Going back to 2010 when Dean DuBlois' original How To Train Your Dragon hit theaters, the films have never been known for putting up massive domestic opening weekend numbers. That original movie put up a relatively soft $43.7 million in its first three days; How To Train Your Dragon 2 debuted with $49.5 million four years later; and the trilogy ended in 2019 with How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World making $55 million when it first arrived.

The live-action remake is off to a better start than any of them, and how high it will fly (if you'll pardon the pun) will be something to keep an eye on box office-wise through the summer. The film is obviously now on a pace to do far better than any of the titles in the animated trilogy, and all of those titles were certified hits that each finished their box office runs making at least $160.8 million at home (the 2010 movie leads the pack to date with a $217.9 million take). Making as much money as the highest grossing domestic release in the franchise would mean How To Train Your Dragon landing as the fourth biggest blockbuster of 2025 so far.

Budget obviously has to be taken into consideration in this discussion as well, but as reported by Deadline, the live-action remake had a pre-publicity and marketing cost of $150 million, which is less than the $165 million budget of its source material.

Thus far, this has only been a discussion of How To Train Your Dragon in the US and Canada, but the reality is that this is a franchise that does much better overseas than at home, and the numbers are already showing that trend continuing with the 2025 film. After this weekend, this movie has made $114. 1 million in foreign markets to go with the ticket sales domestically, which brings its worldwide haul so far up to $197.8 million.

The film's biggest goal is to surpass the total earnings of How To Train Your Dragon 2, which made $614.6 million by the time it was done playing in cinemas around the globe, and the new chapter is off to a good start trying to make that happen.

How it will deal with forthcoming competition is a significant question mark. While Lilo & Stitch had multiple weeks without any other titles trying to steal the attention of its young target demographic, How To Train Your Dragon doesn't have that luxury thanks to the arrival of Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi's Elio (the new feature from Pixar) this coming Friday.

Lilo & Stitch Holds On To Second Place And Has Crossed $800 Million Worldwide

If there's a sign that How To Train Your Dragon should be able to continue to do good business in the weeks to come, it's that Lilo & Stitch hasn't been totally ignored now that the new kid has arrived in the neighborhood. Ticket sales were cut in half again (it experienced a 52 percent weekend-to-weekend drop, to be totally accurate) and it still managed to add $15.5 million to its domestic total.

The movie is still going strong, and it has already made more domestically ($366.4 million) than what the original made worldwide back in 2002 ($245.8 million). That money firms up the film's placement as the second biggest hit domestically of 2025 thus far, and it is inching closer to the $423.7 million that A Minecraft Movie brought in during its time on the big screen.

Just like How To Train Your Dragon, Lilo And Stitch continues to perform better abroad, and it has now crossed $800 million globally (the more precise figure is $810.5 million). It will need to make about $61 million more to catch up with A Minecraft Movie... but as previously reported in this box office column, its not going to get anywhere near the the $2 billion that Yu Yang's Ne Zha 2 made in in China in the early months of 2025.

Looking ahead, Elio is going to be one of the big new wide releases coming hitting theaters this coming Friday, but it will be joined with material more targeted at adults: specifically Danny Boyle's horror sequel 28 Years Later. How will the titles mix things up in the Top 10? Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday to find out, and check out our 2025 Movie Release Calendar to discover all of the big movies set to be released between now and the end of December.

Don’t talk to me; I’m entering my “dragons era” once again.

But, on a real note, the live-action How To Train Your Dragon has finally happened, guys. It’s finally here. It feels like just yesterday that the 2025 movie release was confirmed, and we started to get casting news, story updates, filming posts, and so much more. Now it’s dropped, and honestly…I think it’s the best live-action adaptation I’ve ever seen.

Before we delve into that, however, we need to address the actual concern I had going into this film and how the movie addressed it in a matter of seconds. Let’s talk about it.

The Movie Itself Was So Much Fun And Held Up Well To The Original

Let me be frank and say that this live-action movie is epic on a significant scale. If you’re a fan of the How To Train Your Dragon movies, you’re going to enjoy this film. It’s essentially the same story, and it feels like it was ripped right out of the animation and brought to our eyes in live-action form, which is something that I am so freaking happy about.

It’s not even just that which made this good – the characters' mannerisms were there, the dragons were there – Toothless looked so good, and I literally felt tears come to my eyes when John Powell’s score swelled as he and Hiccup took their first real flight together. It was like a blast to the past.

This is what a lot of Disney live-action remakes are missing – the heart of the story, the fact that we all love the original – so if you’re going to remake it, keep it relatively the same. We don’t need flashy changes, or at the very least, I don’t. And, this movie had everything you could want and more.

However, like I said, there was one concern I had going into it.

Astrid’s Race – As Well As Several Others – Was Always In Question

I mean, you shouldn’t be surprised.

Honestly, on a typical day, I wouldn’t really care what the characters of a children’s movie looked like in a live-action adaptation. Do I love Astrid from the original films? Of course, I do. But it’s not like she’s inherently unique. She has the personality of a kick-ass girl who knows how to fight and will do whatever it takes to surpass her peers and rule the tribe.

You don’t have to be a particular race to pull that kind of personality off.

But, it’s not like the people that Hiccup and Astrid are based on aren’t real people, though. It’s different with cases like Halle Bailey’s Ariel from The Little Mermaid, who is literally just a made-up fantasy character and could look like anyone. However, with the Vikings – the group this is based on – it is historically accurate that most of them were white, and Nico Parker is not.

Again, I don’t care about race 99% of the time as long as you give a compelling performance. However, Parker’s casting did turn some heads, and then when I saw that there would be more characters of that race within Berk, I started to wonder how they would explain this.

Then I saw the movie, and everything fell into place.

They Answered It Within Twenty Minutes Of The Movie

I’ll be honest and say that this film was quick to answer the questions I had surrounding Astrid’s casting, and they did it in such a way that I can’t help but applaud them.

It’s literally, like, a twenty-second moment where Stoick is trying to hype up his men for a journey across the sea to try and find the Dragon’s Nest, and he mentions to a few of the Vikings there that they have traveled long and far to come to Berk – some from the Silk Road, others from different continents, etc. So, there’s your answer.

Berk isn’t just for natural-born Vikings. Berk is for immigrants, those who have left their country and traveled to Berk to become Vikings. That’s where Parker’s version of Astrid comes from – and where everyone else who doesn’t look like a typical Viking comes from, too.

That’s the kind of explanation that was so quick you might miss it if you’re not paying attention, and it’s the best way to end all this talking about her casting, overall.

It’s Never Brought Up Again, Which Is The Best Method

Do you want to know the best part about this? The fact that it isn’t brought up again at all.

Something that has bothered me a lot about modern live-action remakes, mainly from Disney, is that these movies often feel the need to bombard us with ideas and thoughts, repeating things because they assume the viewer is not paying attention.

For example, in the Mulan remake, I couldn’t tell you how many times it repeated the phrase “Mulan can’t fight because she’s a woman” over and over. We get it. We don’t need to hear this explanation time and time again when that premise was clear the first time we heard it.

This movie did it right – where the explanation was just said, very quickly, so we don’t really have to even think about it – and then we move on to the main story. You know, fighting dragons and stuff, cementing this as one of my favorite fantasy movies ever because yes, it’s so much fun.

I Think More Movies Need To Do This

This is the best example of how to deal with controversy, because I genuinely think that Dreamworks hit it out of the park with this one.

The moment Parker was cast, it was literally all anyone could talk about for ages, and even when the first trailers dropped for HTTYD, people couldn’t stop bringing it up. It was ridiculous. They could have turned this film into a statement, but thankfully, they didn’t, and it keeps the same heart as the original.

And more movies need to do that. You can address the problem without making a big deal out of it. You make a statement without repeating it over and over again as if it’s a nail that hasn’t quite taken hold.

This is the kind of thing we need, and I really hope that if DreamWorks continues to make live-action adaptations of their movies, they stick to this tactic, because it’s killer.

With the release of How To Train Your Dragon, I need to dive back into the world of fantasy – maybe it’s time to binge some fantasy TV shows.

Spoilers for How to Train Your Dragon are ahead! If you have not seen this entry on the 2025 movie schedule, you can catch it in theaters now.

There are quite a few gasp-worthy, tearjerking moments in How to Train Your Dragon, but the biggest one to me is when Hiccup falls into the fire after battling the biggest bad dragon, and Stoick finds him unconscious with Toothless. What makes it even more intense is the fact that the following scene shows Mason Thames' character waking up after being unconscious for an undisclosed period of time. Even though he's ultimately fine, it's emotional to think about how hurt he was after this battle.

Now, to this point, we’ve always wondered how long he was unconscious. So, we asked Thames and Nico Parker, who plays Astrid, about it.

For context, when Hiccup wakes up, he is surprised to be in his house, and that’s also when it’s revealed that he lost his leg during the battle. When he walks out of his home with his prosthetic on, he sees how they’ve rebuilt and trained a few more dragons while he’s been out. It’s obvious that time has passed, but just how much time is unclear.

So, when CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb interviewed the cast of How to Train Your Dragon ahead of its release, he asked how long the dragon rider was out. In response, Mason Thames said:

It would seem the Hiccup actor isn’t 100% sure how long his character was unconscious, but he knows it was a fairly extended period of time. That point was proven further as he and Nico Parker continued to have the following back and forth:

• Nico Parker: Three weeks?! To be fair, though, a whole lot happened in that time, so maybe it was three weeks.
• Mason Thames: No, wait. No, no, it was a week.
• Parker: Three days?

Thames then quickly clarified that it was definitely not just three days, and landed sort of in the middle of the window of time he suggested, saying:

Personally, I’m leaning more toward the longer end of the timeline he noted. Since Hiccup could stand and walk on his leg and Berk was in really good shape when he walked outside, I assume at lest a week or two passed. He needed time to heal, and so did they, and to me, that could likely take several weeks. However, this is the world of fantasy, so anything is possible.

But, when McCobb spoke to director Dean DeBlois about all this, he confirmed this suspicion by simply saying that Hiccup was out for:

Well, there you have it. If we average all these answers, it winds up being somewhere between a little over a week and probably under three weeks. The overall point is, he was unconscious for a long time.

So, now that this long-wondered question is finally answered, you can go back and watch the well-reviewed live-action How to Train Your Dragon, which has been dubbed a “loving homage” to the animated original, in theaters now.

This weekend, the 2025 movie schedule belongs to the dragons, and the Vikings that try to tangle with them. In the world of reality, that means that the How to Train Your Dragon remake’s impressive opening estimates have paid off, as who doesn’t want to see Toothless on the big screen yet again?

Those feelings, as well as backlash from Sonic the Hedgehog’s original character design, are part of the equation that director Dean DeBlois discussed with CinemaBlend. As we sat down with the returning creative force from the 2010 original, the question of how that infamous scenario factored into planning the “live-action” variant of Toothless needed to be asked. In response, DeBlois’ response to this query involved this thought process:

You know you’re a big deal when you have an entire committee dedicated to speculating how your redesign is going to play out. Though that could be underselling the situation How to Train Your Dragon’s live-action redo found itself operating in. It’s the sort of thing that tends to happen when you’re embarking on a flesh and blood makeover to a wildly successful trilogy of animated pictures.

But as Dean DeBlois signaled above, his previous work on both Lilo & Stitch and Dragon’s animated protagonists came from an animation background. Creatures in that medium thrive on circular and tube-like shapes, but that doesn’t necessarily carry over into the realm of photorealism.

That leads to these further notes on how DeBlois and his Toothless committee tried to strike the balance:

The results practically speak for themselves, as How to Train Your Dragon’s CinemaCon screening yielded excited raves from the crowd pretty early on. Just as Dean DeBlois’ previous comments on said reaction intended, it looks like tears and cheers will be had by all who are about to take this flight. So if you had any doubt Toothless would look any less cute in live-action, you can proceed with confidence.

Hiccup, Toothless and the rest of the Isle of Berk await you in theaters now. But if you’re curious whether How to Train Your Dragon’s 3D/4DX variant keeps the thrills flying high, you can read our rundown to learn more of those technical details.

Relax, dear readers, your eyes don’t deceive you with that headline. Just as Universal/DreamWorks have remade the 2010 fan favorite How to Train Your Dragon, the studio has given its well regarded franchise another premium format finish. Which means it’s time to ask an old question that gets new answers each time: To 3D or Not To 3D?

This time, the difference is even more marked with the addition of the 4DX format! So if you’re curious how we felt about the picture as a cinematic experience, then feel free to check out our How to Train Your Dragon review! But if you’re ready to see if this premium hybrid soars or sinks, you’ve come to the right place. Oh, and don’t worry, Toothless is still adorable in live-action.

Overall Fit Score: 3.5/5

It should be a no-brainer to bring this franchise to the realms of 3D and 4DX. Both formats have been present in this franchise’s history since How to Train Your Dragon 2’s 3D release in 2014. But director/writer Dean DeBlois’ 2025 live-action remake has been riding the 4DX hype train for some time, as the most recent pre-trailer bumper we’ve been experiencing is the “Test Drive” sequence, in format. That’s not to say it’s a perfect fit, but this movie has a solid foundation to build off of here.

Overall Planning & Effort: 3.5/5

It breaks my heart to say this, but both sides of the Planning and Effort for How to Train Your Dragon’s new revamp have been caught falling down on the job. Sadly, the damage isn’t limited to the typical setbacks, like Brightness and Scent effects. Boasting a 3D conversion from DNeg, and having been “filmed for IMAX,” there is a degree of care presented in the finished product. That fact makes the full breakdown of where this Dragon flight fails to launch all the more heartbreaking.

3D Before The Window: 2/5

There are some moments in How to Train Your Dragon’s 2025 remake where the 3D thrills act as they should. In the case of our Before the Window presentation, the opening scene where dragons lay siege to Berk is actually an early standout. Even in the moments where the projection of debris and other elements of the third dimensional picture are played well enough, there’s never a flinch-worthy moment that highlights an exemplary 3D performance. Though there is a slight silver lining of the facial features of stars like Mason Thames being drawn with noteworthy depth - similar to Daniel Craig’s face in No Time to Die’s 3D presentation.

3D Beyond The Window: 4/5

Knowing how to balance the limitless depth of wide open scenes with the establishment of more personal moments is something that any good 3D movie does well. How to Train Your Dragon doesn’t suffer in this department, as you can get your fill of both sides of that coin throughout the picture in question.

Though in the screening I observed for this write-up, I noticed how well the up-close scenes worked over larger canvassed moments. Considering the 3D effect actually remains for the closing credits, this particular effect gets to show off for longer than most pictures.

3D Brightness Score: 3/5

Where did the color go in the How to Train Your Dragon remake? Seriously, just because you make a “grounded” live-action movie doesn’t mean you need to strip away the flashier bits of the canvas. Admittedly, your mileage may vary in this department, as theaters will vary in how they maintain their 3D projection equipment.

Also, since this was an “Early Access” screening, I’m wondering if there’s a chance the first proper screenings will be a potential improvement. While you’ll still be able to watch this adventure without much eye strain, you’ll probably notice that the color drain seen in the How to Train Your Dragon trailer is still present in the film proper.

3D Glasses Off: 5/5

Taking your glasses off during a 3D presentation, you’ll notice a blur to the image that shows the level of manipulation employed to create the illusion of a three-dimensional picture. Though the final effect may not land as beautifully as one would have hoped, there is a solid level of blur presented. The usual balancing act between blurred backgrounds and 2D anchorpoints being presented front and center is present, which has me further questioning why the overall effects weren't more exciting when put together.

4DX Water Effects: 1/5

Those 4DX previews of How to Train Your Dragon sure did spoil us audience members when compared to what we got out of the finished product. For a movie that takes place on an island that’s surrounded by mist and waves, there is very little splashing about on the isle of Berk. “Light sprinkles” are the most I can report from my experience with this particular movie, and that’s a real disappointment when there’s scenes involving close proximity to the ocean, literal buckets of water being tossed, and, of course, dragon spit.

4DX Scent Effects: 1/5

If you’re surprised by the lack of 4DX scent effects, then welcome, newcomer! This seems to be the habitual problem child on this side of the house, and I couldn’t even smell the usual entry level grass and dirt scents I feel were much more prevalent in earlier movies. Can someone become scent blind to 4DX?

4DX Light/Air/Smoke Effects: 2/5

How to Train Your Dragon is one of the rare movies that actually uses the strobe light effect; courtesy of Toothless’ supercharged dragon blasts. But as you can tell with that caveat, there’s not a lot of strobe lighting effects used in the full film. Smoke effects are equally sparse, and the disappointment in how mild the air effects feel during any sort of dragon flight action is very real.

4DX Motion Effects: 5/5

I would have been the most disappointed in How to Train Your Dragon’s live-action remake if the motion effects in 4DX didn’t live up to the hype. This is usually where 4DX excels anyway, as movement is quite possibly the easiest piece of this puzzle to portray. There’s a nuance to the motion too, as everything from Hiccup clumsily running through Berk to dragons running, flying and lunging is truly felt.

So unless you’ve got tickets to Epic Universe this weekend, this is the closest you’re going to get to flying on Toothless. But just like any major roller coaster, you're going to have to keep in mind 4DX's safety regulations before bringing younger audience members along for the ride.

Overall Audience Health: 5/5

No nausea here, folks. You might feel a bit frustrated that you’re seeing almost exactly the same How to Train Your Dragon you probably rented or streamed to prepare for this live-action remake; but that’s not on the 3D/4DX thrills on display.

Final Verdict: 34/55

Let's be honest, the major draw of How to Train Your Dragon in 3D/4DX is to feel like you're riding Toothless. If that's all you want, then this is 100% the ticket you should be buying. While this picture knows how to splash out on big set-pieces, it fails to immerse the audience in a way similar to the impressive Sinners' 4DX-perience we got earlier in the year.

But perhaps next week's premium offering will fare better; as the long-awaited sequel 28 Years Later will be presented in 4DX glory. The results of that non-3D experience should be when we meet up next, so don't forget to come back and see if this dynamic premium format can turn a scary movie into something truly frightening!

The How To Train Your Dragon movies have all been successful at the box office, as the lowest grossing title to date made $495.1 million before the end of its time playing on the big screen around the world... but opening weekend numbers have never been particularly huge for the films. That history in mind makes the tracking for the upcoming live-action remake all the more fascinating, as if the feature performs as currently expected, we will see it have the biggest debut in the franchise yet this coming weekend.

The new remake starring Mason Thames, Gerard Butler and Nico Parker will officially start its theatrical run this coming Friday, and according to Deadline, prognosticators are expecting a domestic haul between $65-75 million – and that is considered conservative. It's not a total that would put the film in "biggest domestic debut of 2025" territory, as the numbers put up by A Minecraft Movie ($162.8 million) and Lilo & Stitch ($146 million) will be very hard to best, but ticket sales at the higher end of range would mean placing in the Top 5.

Even if the live-action How To Train Your Dragon does make just $65 million in its first Friday-to-Sunday, it will still be the best start any title in the franchise has gotten in the United States and Canada. When it premiered in March 2010, the original animated film brought in $43.7 million; How To Train Your Dragon 2 earned $49.5 million when it opened in June 2014, and How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World launched with $55 million in February 2019.

The new How To Train Your Dragon has mostly earned praise from critics, but it has also been criticized for its extreme faithfulness to the animated movie and inability to present an answer to the question, "Why did this need to be remade?" In regards to the latter point, however, young audiences who have not seen the animated version aren't going to be making that comparison, and they are the key demographic for the film.

Outside of the domestic region, How To Train Your Dragon is also expected to play extremely well overseas, which is expected as all of the movies in the animated trilogy made more money from foreign markets than at home. Estimates for the new 2025 movie suggest it will have between $175-185 million in the bank before the end of the day on Sunday. That's a solid start for a film that cost a reported $150 million (without factoring publicity and marketing costs).

The biggest competition that How To Train Your Dragon will face in cinemas is Lilo & Stitch, which remained at #1 in the Top 10 for the third straight weekend. Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend on Sunday for my box office column and to learn how the performance of one live-action remake impacts the other.

I don’t like being cynical and think that the only reason a movie might exist is to capitalize on the popularity of a certain intellectual property – but that means that a certain bar is set when it comes to watching and mentally processing remakes. There can’t be an expectation from the filmmakers that the audience is going to be wholly ignorant of the original, and comparisons are going to be inevitable, so there is an onus on the work to present a reason for existing. That’s especially true for a film like How To Train Your Dragon, which is arriving in theaters just 15 years after the original (and just six years after the end of the trilogy it inspired).

Going into my screening of the new live-action feature, I made a specific point of not revisiting the 2010 movie – which I probably last watched around the time that How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was released. Without having the franchise-starter fresh in mind, my intention was to see just how much of the new blockbuster would feel new, different and like its own special thing. I gave it as long a leash as I possibly could to present itself as an independent cinematic experience.

The end result is that I walked away from director Dean DeBlois’ second crack at How To Train Your Dragon with a split perspective. On the one hand, the story is as sweet, fun and thematically strong as ever, and anyone who is taking it in for the first time (which will be a lot of people, given its young target demographic) will find a lot to be wowed by and take in emotionally. At the same time, though, as hard as I looked for something to make the film distinctive and necessary as a live-action interpretation of the animated original, I was left wanting.

If you’re familiar with the animated movie, you know the plot here, as nothing is done to alter the narrative – which is based on the book series by Cressida Cowell. Set in the Viking village of Berk, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Mason Thames) is the klutzy-but-smart son of local chieftain Stoick The Vast (Gerard Butler), and he has great ambitions to become a dragon slayer, but he is held back by his gracelessness and lack of killer instinct. Everything changes one night, however, when Berk is attacked and Hiccup is able to use one of his inventions to take down a mysterious dragon known as a Night Fury… though nobody is around to see him do it.

As a way of supporting his son before going out on a mission to find where the dragons nest, Stoic enlists his son in dragon-fighting training – where he joins a class with his crush, the brave Astrid (Nico Parker), the geeky Fishlegs (Julian Dennison), the wannabe brute Snotlout (Gabriel Howell) and the twins Ruffnut (Bronwyn James) and Tuffnut (Harry Trevaldwyn). But while Hiccup learns how to battle dragons under the instruction of the blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost), he is able to simultaneously study and understand the Night Fury he injured. Forming a relationship with the dragon he comes to name Toothless, the young protagonist realizes that the creatures don’t have to be the enemies of humans, but convincing anyone else of that reality is a monumental challenge given past destruction and culturally engrained fear and hatred.

Everything you love about How To Train Your Dragon’s story is definitely still here.

In a vacuum, there is a great deal to love about How To Train Your Dragon. I wish I had written the CinemaBlend review of the 2015 movie, as I could have just copy and pasted my sentiments (I’m kidding, of course). The coming-of-age story and Hiccup’s adventure of self-discovery/hero’s journey are just as effective as ever. What it has to say about tearing down generationally entrenched false assumptions about others is arguably (and tragically) even more relevant now than it was a decade-and-a-half ago, and the dynamics between the main characters remains beautiful and relatable. Most of the personalities in the supporting cast are one dimensional, but just about any child and parent can see themselves in the clashing personalities of Hiccup and Stoic, and every pet-lover will understand the brilliant and adorable connection between Hiccup and Toothless.

There is a surprising and well-done translation of the animated design – with the great highlight being the dragons.

That same consistency can be found in the movie aesthetically, as a medium change from live-action doesn’t prevent a translation of the very specific style, as cartoony elements come to life as originally envisioned – from the extreme beardy burliness of Stoic (who could really only be portrayed by Gerard Butler) to Gobber’s swappable left hand. One might think that it would be more complicated when it comes to the creature design, but the reality is that a matching approach is taken.

The dragon types with which fans have become familiar are realized beautifully by How To Train Your Dragon’s visual effects artists, as their signatures are all directly translated but with more lifelike texture and weight. It can also be said that the blend of the live-action human characters and CGI beasts is seamless – a tribute to the VFX wizards in combination with smart direction and impressive performances. Simply put, the film doesn’t work if the bond between Hiccup and Toothless doesn’t click, but that’s a hurdle that the remake admirably clears.

Being told in live-action doesn’t add anything to the How To Train Your Dragon experience.

But does 2025’s How To Train Your Dragon accomplish anything that isn’t in 2015’s How To Train Your Dragon? I suppose there is a kind of extra thrill during the sequences where the audience is put in the perspective of Hiccup riding on his dangerous pet as he flies through gorges and dives alongside cliffs and mountain peaks – as having realistic looking rocks and water makes the experience all the more real. But it’s simply not enough to answer the blunt question of, “Why did this film need to be remade?” Fun and competently made as the movie may be, that lacking is a permanent and undeniable dint.

I keep envisioning a not-too-distant future where both titles are going to be featured right next to each other in a streaming service library and imagining a would-be viewer’s infinite indecision about which one to watch. Both offer the same level of entertainment, so it’s really just a coin flip – and it makes you question why there is even an option at all. As much as there is to like an appreciate, there is also an undeniable hollowness.

For the most part, the cast of the live-action How to Train Your Dragon is different from the animated movies. However, there’s one actor who returned to reprise the role he originated in the animated movie, and that’s Gerard Butler. In this iteration of Hiccup’s story that’s about to premiere on the 2025 movie schedule, Butler is back to play his father, Stoick. While that alone is exciting, it became even more meaningful when he got candid about how he would have probably “picked apart” someone else’s performance if he didn't get to play Stoick.

When CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb interviewed Butler ahead of How to Train Your Dragon’s premiere, he noted that the actor almost didn’t play Stoick. Due to scheduling issues, it wasn’t initially going to work out. Then, the strikes happened, and a window opened up. So, he was able to do it. Thinking about all that, McCobb asked the Den of Thieves actor if he would have felt bitter or empty or felt a sense of longing if someone else played Hiccup’s dad.

In response, the actor said:

I can’t say I blame him here! The first and beloved How to Train Your Dragon movie came out in 2010, and it was followed by two more sequels in 2014 and 2019 (all of which you can stream with a Peacock subscription). So, Butler has been with Stoick for 15 years, and I totally understand that he feels a very strong connection to the character.

Plus, he’s the perfect age to play Stoick. Obviously, actors like Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera couldn’t return to play Hiccup and Astrid because they would be too old for the parts. So, casting 17-year-old Mason Thames as Hiccup and 20-year-old Nico Parker as Astrid made a lot more sense. However, for the adult characters, like Stoick specifically, they could ask the actor who played him to return.

So, yeah, if I were him, I likely would have “picked apart” another actor’s performance too. As Butler said, it’d be hard not to judge someone else's performance of the character you portrayed, especially when you played such a big role in shaping the character in the first place.

On top of that, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon has been dubbed a “loving homage” to the animated movie. Having seen it, I can also confirm it recreates everything you know and love from the 2010 film. So, if someone else had played Stoick, and Butler had to watch him play out the same story, it would have been hard not to hyperfixate on the choices made.

However, thankfully, we don’t live in a universe where that happened. Gerard Butler was able to play Stoick once again, and this time he actually got to don that iconic beard! Clearly, he had a blast in the new How to Train Your Dragon, and it was so fun to not only hear him as the fearless chief of Berk but see him in costume and really walking around this world of dragons.

Now, you can see Gerard Butler as Stoick once again when How to Train Your Dragon hits theaters on June 13.

Look, it’s summer, and that means one of two things if you're a TV and movie fan. You can either go out and enjoy the warm weather, or you can turn up the A/C and hide from the heat by sitting on the couch and watching whatever you can find on your favorite streaming service. Honestly, I suggest the latter option.

From Jaws, the original summer blockbuster, to a preview of the next big summer movie release, How to Train Your Dragon, to the Disney live-action remake you probably didn’t see in theaters, there is plenty of good stuff streaming this week. Here are a few of the highlights.

How To Train Your Dragon Sneak Peek - June 9 (Peacock)

Disney may be the studio known for the concept of remaking popular animated hits in live-action, but any idea that shows success in Hollywood is going to be copied, and here we are. This week will see the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon hit theaters. However, if you have a Peacock subscription, you can get an early look at the film with a special Sneak Peek.

Snow White - June 11 (Disney+)

I can guess what you’ve heard about Disney’s live-action Snow White and, while I personally thought Snow White was good, I know I’m in the minority on that. What I do know is that based on the Disney film's box office struggles, you probably haven’t seen it. So, if you have a Disney+ subscription, use it to check the movie out this week and come to your own conclusions.

FUBAR, Season 2 - June 12 (Netflix)

I’m not sure anybody was asking for a second season of FUBAR starring Arnold Schwarzenegger but, if you were one of the people who were holding on to your Netflix subscription waiting for it to arrive, good news. And, honestly, who doesn’t love Arnie enough to enjoy seeing the aging action hero have some fun as an aging CIA agent?

Deep Cover - June 12 (Prime Video)

Lighthearted comedies are exactly the sorts of movies we don’t see much of in theaters anymore, but they’ve found a home on streaming services. Deep Cover stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Blood, and Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammod as improv actors who are enlisted to go undercover and get in over their heads. It’s just the sort of silly premise you’ll only see at the movies, but there’s great comedy potential and, if nothing else, it’s great to see Orlando Bloom again.

Echo Valley - June 13 (Apple TV+)

Sydney Sweeney is one of the world’s hottest young stars, so it’s a safe bet that a lot of people will be using their Apple TV+ subscription to check out Echo Valley. The new thriller stars Sweeney as a young woman who enlists her mother’s (Julianne Moore) help to cover up the death of her boyfriend.

Jaws Franchise - June 15 (Peacock)

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the original Jaws. The movie is viewed by many as the original summer blockbuster so, if you’ve somehow never seen it or haven’t seen it in a long time, you’ll be able to do so again when the movie arrives on Peacock this week. Alongside it will come its three less-than-stellar sequels, in case you just have to watch them all.

There’s plenty more great streaming content in the coming weeks, from a new Marvel Cinematic Universe series to Broadway performances of your favorite Disney movies. Keep checking in with CinemaBlend so you don’t miss the next big thing.

There are several highly anticipated projects hitting the 2025 movie calendar this summer, but how many of them boast one of the best pets in Hollywood history? The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon will bring Toothless and Hiccup to life in a way that fans of the 2010 animation have never seen before, and critics are here to help us decide if we’ll be flying to theaters to catch the show.

Early reactions to How to Train Your Dragon called it everything a live-action remake should be, though plenty of fans remain wary of the book-to-screen adaptation and how it will stand up to the beloved animated film. According to Brian Truitt of USA TODAY, there’s no need to worry, as no harm was done to the original and no childhoods will be ruined by this remake. He rates the upcoming kids movie 3.5 out of 4 stars and writes:

Sarah Moran of ScreenRant gives it an 8 out of 10, saying Dean DeBlois has succeeded where so many Disney live-action remakes have failed. The director elevates the original material but doesn’t change it, and he delivers an exciting summer blockbuster that will thrill moviegoers. Moran continues:

Lovia Gyarkye of THR is less enthusiastic about the movie, calling it “not quite necessary." However, the critic admits it’s still entertaining and will please fans by recreating the most iconic images from the first movie. In Gyarkye’s words:

Eric Goldman of IGN agrees, giving the movie a “Good” 7 out of 10. While the movie can feel limited by its faithfulness to the animated original, it’s the re-creation of that film’s heart and soul that endures. Goldman says:

Kate Erbland of IndieWire gives the movie a B+, writing that in a world of unnecessary remakes, HTTYD gets a pass for being able to capture the tone and whimsy of the 2010 animation. She’s even planning to see the already-announced sequel. Erbland continues:

Fans who are mostly looking for a visual update to a beloved 15-year-old movie will likely be pleased with the How to Train Your Dragon remake. While it sounds like those hoping for any big changes or improvements aren’t going to find them. If you’re excited to see how Dean DeBlois has brought these characters to life, be sure to grab an adorable Toothless popcorn bucket and prepare for a kick of nostalgia when the film hits theaters on Friday, June 13.

There’s been a lot of debate about how many popular animated films have been brought into live action in recent years. Some of these are beloved by fans; others have had a less-than-stellar response. Director Dean DeBlois recently told CinemaBlend he was “certainly worried” about the reaction after people saw How To Train Your Dragon live action for the first time, but he spoke to me about the moment he knew the movie was working in front of a crowd.

How To Train Your Dragon’s live action edition doesn’t officially hit the 2025 release schedule until June 13th, but some lucky fans were able to screen the movie during its first showing in front of a live audience at CinemaCon earlier this year. The good news? Director Dean DeBlois called the early premiere “a test,” one he was happy to report the movie nailed the (dragon) landing on.

The cast and creative team were on hand to see how it all played out, as was I, and a few weeks later I was able to talk to them about showing the movie as part of the opening of How To Train Your Dragon-Isle of Berk at Epic Universe. We spoke on the blue carpet about the visceral reaction to the movie in the room, and to be candid, many people were emotional coming out of the first screening of the live action film.

Myself and my coworker cried during multiple moments, and DeBlois admitted to me that he feels that’s the exact measure of success he’s hoping for when he puts a movie out into the universe.

In fact, there was one scene -- and really this is no spoiler-free -- that really cemented their confidence in the movie.

There Was One How To Train Your Dragon Scene That Helped The Creative Team Feel Like They’d Really Done It

Producer Adam Siegel also called premiering the movie “a scary moment,” given the context. Honestly, you never know how an audience will react to the labor and love the creative team put in for months and month. There was one sequence that you can actually see part of during the How To Train Your Dragon live action trailer that the team was waiting with baited breath for to see what the response would be. Siegel told me:

I've been telling people How To Train Your Dragon Live Action feels a bit like a cross between the animated movie and Avatar, and the flying sequence in question is the moment that really cements that take for me. The studio is so bullish about the movie they put together, they are already looking to the future. A second film in the HTTYD franchise has been greenlighted, and DeBlois has revealed another cast member he'd like to see return.

If you want to get even more “Live” with the franchise, you can visit How To Train Your Dragon land at Epic Universe, which features some unexpected touches and is officially open to the public. Everything's coming up dragons!

One of my “must see” titles on the summer portion of the 2025 movie schedule is the live-action remake of DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon. I’m sure plenty of people share that sentiment, as the Mason Thames/Nico Parker-led adventure seems to have captured the spirit of the 2010 original rather brilliantly.

But of course, it’s never too late to worry about the future. That's why when director Dean DeBlois shared that he’s writing the potential sequel, the one person he’s hoping to see return for the revamped take on the believer series is someone I absolutely need to be back again.

How To Train Your Dragon Director Dean DeBlois Is “Hopeful” Cate Blanchett Will Return

Speaking with Gizmodo, the writer/director of Universal’s dragon tale was asked if there was room for Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett to reprise her role as Valka Haddock - the presumed dead mother to Hiccup, and wife to Stoick. With the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 already announced as in development for a June 2027 release, this statement from DeBlois takes on even more urgency:

That’s fair considering Gerard Butler’s return as the patriarch of Berk’s notable family was a welcomed surprise for the upcoming family fantasy release. It’s in the spirit of that decision that I must apologize for my next point, because it may seem a bit harsh. With respect to all involved in How to Train Your Dragon’s live-action cast, what Mr. DeBlois considers a “hope” is a non-negotiable in my book. Which means…

Without Cate Blanchett As Valka Haddock, You Can Keep How To Train Your Dragon 2

I say this without having been one of the lucky people present for CinemaCon’s early How to Train Your Dragon screening, so I admit there’s a chance my opinion may change. However, after the powers-that-be brought Gerard Butler back to reprise Stoick the Vast, I find it hard to think of anyone else who should play Hiccup’s mother.

Considering how that 2014 animated sequel’s storyline plays out, you can see why. But if you haven’t seen the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, you may want to log onto your Peacock subscription and correct that. Because I need to spoil the middle entry to really sell why Ms. Blanchett needs to return.

Still here? Good, because by the end of How to Train Your Dragon 2, we see the heartbreaking sacrifice of Stoick the Vast protecting Hiccup and his long lost wife… at the expense of his own life. I still remember seeing that happen for the first time, jaw dropped and eyes full of tears, my heart broken in my seat.

For that moment to really be sold though, you need the relationship between Stoick and Valka to really shine. That feat was more than achieved the first time out, as you can see in this beautiful movie moment:

Watching that moment again is bittersweet because of contrasting that emotion with the tragedy ahead. But much like How to Train Your Dragon’s live-action teaser picked Toothless and Hiccup’s first encounter as the moment to convince me it was worth seeing, this scene is all I’ll need to lock me in for the sequel. Provided that Cate Blanchett returns, of course.

For now, we’ll need to wait for the results of How to Train Your Dragon’s flesh and blood box office. As the film is set to open on June 13th, we’re not too far out from that day - and you can actually buy your tickets now. Honestly, it’s what Toothless would want you to do.

I thought I was prepared before my recent trip to the freshly opened new theme park Epic Universe at Universal Orlando. I knew the park had a wheel-and-spoke design meant to frame up incredible lands like Super Nintendo World and more. I’d gotten a general gauge of the new rides and where they ranked, I'd practiced some of the fairly long ride names before I left home, and I’d familiarized myself with some of the food items going viral on TikTok. But there are still quite a few things I wish I’d known before stepping into Epic Universe.

Without further ado, let me walk you through them.

1. Keep An Eye On The Portal Entrances For Easter Eggs

The entrances to each of the lands in Epic Universe look pretty, but those with discerning eyes will also see a slew of cool Easter eggs and little details that make the land that much brighter. For example, when entering Ministry of Magic, there are 10 wands you can currently purchase to fully engage with the park. If you look carefully, wands actually wrap around the outside of the portal's arc.

2. The Harry Potter Wand Or Nintendo Power-Up Bands Are Not Overrated

Speaking of, I know that purchasing a new wand or the Super Nintendo World Power-Up Bands are added expenses, and at first I didn’t really know if it would be worth it to shell out for the devices, which retail for $45 and $85 respectively. I did not expect to care about a new wand or power band, but I was very wrong.

If you do already own a Potter wand, it will work in the new park, but the app has more interactive stuff you can do, so as a fan of the movies, I preferred using the newer Second Gen Wand. But in particular, shelling out for the Power-Up Band is aces. Not only does it make wandering around the park and collecting coins and things super fun, collecting Keys and trying Bowser Jr’s Shadow Showdown was among my favorite things to explore and do. I hope they add experiences like this for the wands and bands as time goes on, too.

3. Queuing On Many Of The Rides Is Actually Part Of The Fun

I know many fans are dreading a potential 5 and a half hour queue for Harry Potter and the Battle at The Ministry of Magic. While I wouldn’t wish that long of a wait on anyone, much less someone with a small bladder, I do hope you get the chance to really soak in an explore the queues. Ministry of Magic has the coolest queuing space we've ever seen, but Monsters Unchained and Bowser’s Challenge aren’t slouches, either.

4. There Is Very Little Tree Cover, So Be Prepared For The Sun

Everyone knows Florida is hot, but the tree cover in Epic Universe is not strong. It’s giving Epcot 10 years ago vibes. The open space is to be expected and will be nice when the park is crowded, yet outside of a few shady spots, there’s really no tree cover in this park whatsoever. (Which is very different than what they did when DreamWorks land came together.) I highly recommend wearing a hat, like this Epic Universe one.

5. You’ve Probably Seen Some Of The Exclusive Food, But The Isle Of Berk Rules Them All

Look, you’ve probably seen the Dole Whip snack that comes with its own Donkey Kong cup (tasty, but a little sweet), the Frankenstein Pretzel (not overrated, but not better than the Shrekzel), or the butterbeer crepes (we all know Universal makes a good crepe, but you can do better than this at Universal Studios). However, the viral Mac and Cheese at Isle of Berk is my favorite thing.

The one with all the goldfish gets the love, but TBH Hooligan’s Grog and Grill has two other options I thought were better: the fairly spicy Nashville Hot Chicken mac and cheese “Dragon Fire Chicken Spire” and the “PB&J” with pork, bacon and jam, my personal favorite. They all retail for $15.99. We're not even getting into Isle of Berk's Mead Hall with its meatball dish and lingonberry jam.

6. You Will Get Modestly Wet If You Go On Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment

Listen, I expected to get soaked on Fyre Drill, the actual water ride in Epic Universe's How To Train Your Dragon land, but I did not expect the unexpected water feature during Monsters Unchained. It's a quick moment, but you will likely get splashed with water on the ride, and I'd recommend keeping your mouth closed while riding. Yes, that is from personal experience, and yes, it is still an excellent ride, as fans surmised even before the ride was fully unveiled.

At first, I was convinced you get wetter on the left side of the Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride, but after jumping on it a few times, I am now convinced it may simply be a timing thing. It's more of a shock than a soaking though.

7. There’s A Trick To Riding Dragon Racer's Rally At Isle Of Berk

While a lot of celebrities are fully enamored with Hiccup's Wing Gliders, the new coaster found in Isle of Berk, I honestly think Dragon Racer's Rally is an underrated ride. You can ride it and just look around or enjoy the breeze, or you can spend the ride trying to flip upside down like Toothless. There's a trick to it, and signage in the queue to help, but honestly, the best advice I got was asking Epic Universe employees for tips, and they said to start leaning literally as soon as the ride unlocks.

8. It’s Further Away From The Other Parks Than It Seems In Traffic

Finally, if there's one thing parkgoers should know it's that in general Universal Orlando has done a great job of keeping its theme parks close. However, Epic Universe is roughly 4 miles away from the other parks, which I get does not seem like a lot. However, having traipsed the distance a few times in the last couple of days, I can confirm that stoplights and getting to the other side of I-4 will elongate your journey, so if you are staying at a hotel over by CityWalk, budget some extra time to get to Epic. If you are staying over by Epic Universe, budget some extra time to get to the other parks.

The new theme park is officially open now, and I hope this is helpful as you lather on the sunscreen and prepare to have an absolute blast. I certainly did.

How To Train Your Dragon live action doesn’t hit the 2025 release schedule until June 13th, but ahead of its official premiere, director Dean DeBlois, cast members Mason Thames and Nico Parker, and producer Adam Siegel all traipsed down the blue carpet to open the Isle of Berk section of Epic Universe. The movie had just recently screened for the first time at CinemaCon, and the director got real about not knowing what the reaction would be ahead of time.

It’s never easy making art, but when you remake art that fans already have feelings about, the whole process of releasing it into the universe can be very unnerving. When I asked DeBlois about the audience reception to How To Train Your Dragon live action, he got candid about the nerves he felt going into screening the movie for the first time.

Listen, I get it. We’ve seen plenty of live action movies land solid reviews and plenty of eyeballs at the box office – this weekend’s Lilo & Stitch is only one great example. However, other movies, including the recent Snow White, have dealt heavily with backlash that has impacted box office upon release. The first looks at remakes like this do mean a lot.

I actually got to see How To Train Your Dragon earlier this year when it was screened with an audience. You know in novels when characters are described as literally “oohing” and “aahing” and it feels like hyperbole? There’s literally a scene in the movie – and I’m saying this with no spoilers – that actually made me understand what that phrase truly means for the first time. The gasps of delight were audible.

The movie is largely similar to the original, but as DeBlois told me, they did make changes to enrich the film from its 2010 original.

Even if your mileage varies on plot changes, the movie looks flipping fantastic on a large screen. I cried twice, which was unexpected. Universal is so bullish about the film, the studio already announced bringing the second HTTYD movie to live action, and built a whole dang section of a theme park and three amazing Epic Universe rides around beloved characters like Hiccup and Toothless.

If all that seems up your alley, go see it. It's going to be available in IMAX, and I recommend seeing it on as big of a screen as possible.

The Epic Universe opening ceremonies just happened this week in Orlando, Florida, and Today’s Al Roker was on deck to celebrate. The beloved weathercaster and TV personality joined the NBC team (Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer) as the brand new Universal theme park opened, and I’m obsessed with what happened when he tried on one piece of How To Train Your Dragon merchandise.

Universal’s Epic Universe allows its guests to step into five worlds, which includes How To Train Your Dragon’s Isle of Berk, so of course there’s some Toothless thingamabobs for fans to buy and wear around the parks. I can’t stop watching Al Roker trying on a Toothless mask. You have to check it out:

The host is wearing the How To Train Your Dragon Light-up Toothless Mask, which is currently on Universal’s online store for $48, along with surely being sold at the parks. The 70-year-old personality put on the mask during a segment about the merchandise, and just wouldn’t quit opening up the movable mask. He stopped talking altogether and just kept opening his mouth, triggering the feature over and over, and it’s just so adorable.

Al Roker has been a grandpa since 2023, and he’s definitely bringing that energy to network morning television with this hilarious little moment. There are a few things that are doing it for me about this little video. 1) It’s incredibly wholesome and cute. 2) The mask itself is both ridiculous, and very impressive. 3) the prestigious Al Roker doing this with it simply brings me joy.

It does make you want to try it yourself, doesn’t it? I do have to wonder if Al Roker and the Today Show gang enjoyed Isle of Berk’s offerings, too. How To Train Your Dragon’s land features a centerpiece ride called Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, which is a rollercoaster that goes all around the theme park. There’s a couple smaller rides called Dragon Racer’s Rally and Fyre Drill, a live show called The Untrainable Dragon, and a kids play area called Viking Training Camp. It looks really impressive! When our staff member Dirk Libbey went, he rode every Epic Universe ride and you can see where he ranked them all.

Aside from the Isle of Berk being open to the public for the first time, the How To Train Your Dragon live-action film is among upcoming 2025 movies coming out this summer, on June 13. We’ll be able to see Toothless in a more palpable Viking setting alongside live-action actors. It was screened last month to rave reviews, and we also got to see early footage and share our thoughts.

It feels like Toothless is definitely going to get even more popular this summer, so who knows? Maybe Al Roker will start a trend.

I’ve been covering theme parks for almost a decade now, and in that time awesome rides have opened, new food festivals have begun and more; however, there’s never been anything that is quite at the scale as Epic Universe. Which means Universal rolled out the blue carpet for a wide slew of celebrities to try out some of the rides and various attractions as the park prepared to officially open its post-preview gates.

Listen, I spend time geeking out about theme parks nearly constantly, so I have a great gauge about what insiders are into. However, the nice thing about talking to some celebrities is they are (usually) less plugged in to the same information, and it’s nice to get a fresh perspective on what people are excited about.

I spoke with actors and creatives from How To Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter’s George and James Phelps, and even WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes about what they were most excited to do in the parks, and the answers ranged wildly. Here’s some stuff you have to try.

There’s Lots Of Love For The Dark Universe From Cody Rhodes (His Wife Brandi), Jeremy Slater And More

While lines at Ministry of Magic have been so long they've queued around the land, it's really common to hear influencers most excited about Dark Universe and the awesome tech-heavy Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride. I got to go on it twice, and it was truly a blast, and it was great to hear enthusiasm from some of the celebrity guests Universal invited, too.

When I spoke with WWE superstar Cody Rhodes, he mentioned he and his wife really enjoy Halloween Horror Nights, and had even had a memorable date there once. He's been off the air since Wrestlemania 41, which means he has some downtime right now, and so the couple popped down because Brandi was super enthusiastic about the Frankenstein-themed ride.

No one had more enthusiasm for Dark Universe than Jeremy Slater, the writer of the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2 and creative mind behind the Moon Knight and Umbrella Academy TV series. It wasn’t a huge shock the Thread: An Insidious Tale co-writer would be super enthusiastic about checking out Darkmoor, but it was still fun to hear a celeb be so enthusiastic about this particular section of the park.

Slater and his wife Melissa also noted they'd been on all the rides "a dozen" times at the point they spoke with me. (Epic Universe has been open in previews for some time now.) They're huge theme park enthusiasts and even got married on the Universal Studios backlot, but it's Monsters Unchained he keeps going back to. (It's worth noting she loved How To Train Your Dragon land the most, though.)

Finally, I spoke with Antonia Carlotta, the great grand-niece of Universal's creator Carl Laemmle, who is continuing with work in the parks. She actually talked about the kinship with the storyline in Monsters Unchained, which features Victoria Frankenstein trying to continue her own family's legacy, so there's a really personal tie-in for her.

Wandering the Dark Universe is one of the best parts, too, and I'm glad she ran into The Invisible Man, though running into Igor is pretty fun, too.

Surprise, The Harry Potter Guys Liked An Attraction More Than Ministry Of Magic

There's no doubt Battle At The Ministry of Magic is a great, engaging ride (if you're able to get on it), but if you were to ask James and Oliver Phelps, there's actually something else in the Paris-themed section of Epic Universe that's a must for longtime Potter fans. And no, I'm not talking about the butterbeer crepes. When I initially asked, James was pretty excited to talk about Ministry because it's a great ride:

However, once we really got down to it, the general consensus amongst the two brothers was that Le Cirque Arcanus was the attraction that should really be most worth it for fans, with Oliver Phelps explaining why it works so great.

Shows run throughout the day, and if you get a break, you can purchase a wand and use the time to try some spells.

The How To Train Your Dragon OG’s Absolutely Loved Isle Of Berk Coming To Life

I spoke with some of the cast and crew about Isle of Berk and Director Dean Deblois and others were honestly shocked this part of the park really came to fruition. Tuffnut Actor Justin Ripple spoke about the "scale" of seeing his animated series really expand into the theme park space and how if he thought it was big, kids "must feel" that it's "giant." (I can confirm, it's giant.)

When it comes to the rides, there's only one that stands out for him (despite Ruffnut & Tuffnut's Fyre Drill being his namesake).

I got to ride Hiccup's Wing Gliders both during the day and the night, and it's a thrilling, mid-tempo coaster adventure with some surprises (no spoilers!) along the way, though if you try Fyre Drill I can guarantee you'll be soaked on a hot day. So, no hate there either.

How To Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell was trying to work up the courage to ride the third big Isle of Berk attraction: Dragon Racer's Rally, a swinging ride that takes you high up into the air. It's a cool ride because you can ride it at your own pace and can either attempt to aerially flip upside down or ride at a more relaxed low tempo pace. Or as Cowell put it: '

So, really pretty much all of the attractions at HTTYD were getting a bit of love during the opening preview event, and that's not even counting "The Untrainable Dragon" show or the meet-and-greet with Toothless.

Elsewhere, I was a little surprised there wasn’t a bit more love for the dueling Stardust Racers coasters, but AGT’s Howie Mandel and How To Train Your Dragon's Ripple both mentioned the ride among their favorites, saying they absolutely “loved” it, though they’d only been able to do one side when we spoke. And Justin Ripple was excited to do it again at night when the ride essentially glows in the dark:

Overall, a lot of different big ticket Epic Universe rides were getting a lot of love.

It’s a surreal feeling to randomly get on the Ministry of Magic ride and sit by Deal or No Deal Island’s Joe Manganiello. However, it’s also nice to know the things we regular people enjoy are still awe-inspiring to people that regularly engage in all kinds of out-of-the-ordinary opportunities. I think it really shows the power of theme parks to spark joy and bring us all back to a place that feels magical and new.

It’s already easy to look forward to several of the high-profile films lined up on the 2025 movie schedule. However, as someone who loves to enjoy premium format thrills, I find myself even more excited about my most anticipated pictures of the year. After seeing Marvel’s Thunderbolts* in both 3D and 4DX, with the premium format trailers included, that’s exactly what I’m left to discuss.

Through trailers for Tron: Ares and a handful of other films on my watch list have become even hotter prospects in the months ahead. As if that wasn’t enough of a sweetener, there was also a specially branded format reel hyping up a summer release near and dear to my heart. But before we look to the future, I have to tip my hat towards special segments of director Jake Schreier’s 4DX enhanced chapter of the MCU.

After Thunderbolts* In 4DX, I Feel Like Florence Pugh Beat ME Up

Without breaking things down in the typically extensive To 3D or Not To 3D fashion, I can still say that the 3D of Thunderbolts* (Or *The New Avengers, if you’re nasty) is pretty decent. The brightness was a bit dimmer than usual, which did not help during the third act climax, but the visual components worked decently well, especially if you like guns pointing at you in 3D.

But if you’re going to see this movie in 3D, you may as well add 4DX into the package as well. The big reason I’d suggest such an option is because much as Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is the functional lead of this movie, she’s also the star of this specific premium format variant. With most of the motion focused on the intense fight sequences included throughout, you’ll run the full gamut of vibration and motion features - and you’ll believe you’re ex-Widow yourself.

How to Train Your Dragon’s 4DX 'Test Drive' Made Me Emotional

Speaking of believing, this screening of *The New Avengers started off with a branded reel of footage that hypes the format and one specific movie. This is a staple of seeing 4DX films, and How to Train Your Dragon’s live-action remake is the current flick that has that distinction. Seeing as I was already hyped up for this movie, I didn’t think I could be more excited about director Dean DeBlois’ flesh-and-blood redo.

I should have learned my lesson with the How to Train Your Dragon trailer, as the “Test Drive” scene from the 2010 original was used to sell 4DX’s might in this picture. That moment always brings tears to my eyes, and being able to feel like Hiccup (Mason Thames) riding through the air with Toothless thrilled me so much, it brought tears to my eyes.

Jurassic World Rebirth's Dinosaurs Feel More Dangerous In 4DX

If you know me, you know how much the Jurassic Park Universe meant to my education as a young moviegoer. Just as some Marvel fans are defending Thunderbolts* against those who aren’t as invested in the MCU’s progress, I’m someone who definitely goes to bat for entries others wouldn’t champion. And that’s a good part of why I’m still pretty stoked for Jurassic World Rebirth’s confirmed dinosaurs migrating into the movies this summer.

As far as the 4DX enhanced look at this would-be blockbuster goes, I’ll never get over the simple swaying motion of the seats when we first lay eyes on the Titanosaurus. Also, the air cannons that go off when guns are fired felt a bit more poetic this time out, as Scarlett Johansson’s efforts to fight mutated dinosaurs happened to appear before her cinematic sister Florence Pugh wrecked shop in a similar fashion during Thunderbolts*.

F1’s Gonna Blow The Doors Off Of 4DX's Motion Seating

Director Joseph Kosinski’s F1 is constantly promoted for its “Filmed For IMAX” status, and rightfully so. However, I think I’m going to prioritize seeing F1 in 4DX for one reason - the motion seats. My theater’s pre-Thunderbolts* experience included the most recent trailer for Brad Pitt’s racing drama, and the motion was so wild I think that it may rival Twisters’ phenomenal 4DX package.

What’s more, they set off the strobe lights in the theater during press conference scenes, and even the legendary logo for Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. That attention to detail goes a long way, and if there were a way to marry IMAX’s big picture with 4DX’s bells and whistles, I’d be a very happy moviegoer.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Sold Me On An Unexpected 4DX Delight

We’re approaching a point where tentpole blockbusters are integrating 4DX into their release plans alongside 3D. While The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer displayed was the first, non-Silver Surfer inclusive reel we’ve seen for a while now, the 3D/4DX enhanced version has me jazzed about that classic Fantasticar - heading to the big screen for the first time in a while!

Similar to how the motion seating really shone in F1’s trailer before it, I got to feel the latest incarnation of the First Family of Superheroes’ primo classic car zoom through the streets of New York. I’m open to talking about financing options for one of these beauts at my nearest Marvel Motors dealership. That is, if I can’t snag my true dream ride from the final film we’re here to talk about.

Tron: Ares’s 3D/4DX Trailer Is Everything I’ve Been Waiting For

I already think Tron: Legacy needs an IMAX 3D re-release, as I still haven’t shaken how beautiful that experience was back in 2010. But after seeing Tron: Ares’ trailer in 4DX, I’d love to see a conversion of Sam Flynn’s adventures on The Grid take full advantage of this newer premium thrill. It’d make a nice double feature with director Joachim Rønning’s upcoming three-quel, which already looks stunning in this 3D hybrid release.

Riding on a lightcycle was obviously a plus, but what really surprised me was a shot of someone presumably being derezzed, including a sprinkle of water. If they can crank that Nine Inch Nails music - as well as the projector brightness - a little higher, I’ll be in biodigital heaven.

This isn’t even the full list of 4DX-enhanced movies that are on the docket for 2025, as Lilo & Stitch, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and Superman are all going to appear in this format as well. So if you’re a premium format loyalist like I am, then you should probably keep your eyes on your local listings, especially since most of the movies above are already available for advanced ticket sales.

And of course, once you’ve taken in those thrills and spills, come back to CinemaBlend, where we’ll tell you if the 3D or 4DX versions of these blockbusters are worth the extra ticket price. I think even The New Avengers and Sam Wilson would be able to agree on that point. Until next time...End of Line.

The popcorn bucket arms race continues unabated. At this point, you simply can’t have a tentpole movie release without the accompanying novelties, and the popcorn buckets that used to be the purview of theme parks like Disney and Universal are all over movie theaters. However, I’m not sure any of them are as adorable as the one being released alongside the remake of How to Train Your Dragon.

It’s not exactly a surprise to see that the popcorn bucket for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon is all about Toothless, but I’m not sure anybody expected the bucket to be this adorable. In the short look posted to Instagram, Toothless’ head pops open and his mouth is full of popcorn. Of course, it makes me feel like I’m stealing his popcorn, and why would I do that to somebody so cute?

It does seem clear that at least part of the mandate for novelty popcorn buckets is that they look nice sitting on your shelf, and that’s certainly the case with this one. My kids already like to play with some of my Disneyland popcorn buckets, and there’s no way they’d be able to keep their hands off of this one. The only thing cuter than this would be Dave Filoni's idea for a Grogu popcorn bucket.

Considering that movie theater popcorn buckets can trace their existence back to theme parks, it’s little shock that a very similar bucket can be purchased inside Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe theme park. How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk is one of the lands in the park, and it has its own Toothless bucket, though that one lights up and the popcorn is stored in the egg that Toothless is sitting in.

If there’s a single downside, it’s that while the scale of the popcorn bucket is difficult to judge, it doesn’t look to be all that big. Certainly, I need my popcorn bucket to hold a significant amount of popcorn. The fact that it’s cute is great, but I also need it to fulfill its function as a popcorn bucket. It needs to hold enough popcorn to last me for what will probably end up being a two-hour movie.

It’s going to be the battle of adorable characters and the adorable popcorn buckets at the movies this summer. How to Train Your Dragon’s live-action remake comes out in theaters just a couple of weeks after the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake, and while that popcorn bucket has not seen an official reveal, we can bet it will all be about everybody’s favorite blue troublemaker.

Considering both How to Train Your Dragon and the original Lilo & Stitch were both created by Dean DeBlois, clearly the big winner this summer will be him... well, him and anybody who likes popcorn.

The Internet loves a good debate, and so do I. In fact, I was all-in on a recent variation of the famous “Chuck, F–k, Marry” game fans were playing with DreamWorks movies on X (formerly Twitter). That is until I realized most people don’t actually love the animated movie I consider to be the best of all time.

An animation fan took to X recently to ask fans if they had to delete one DreamWorks franchise from memory forever, which they would choose. OK, I saw where this game was going, and I expected a lively debate. Here were the choices:

And if you don’t want to pull up that tweet, the franchise options were as follows:

• Shrek
• How To Train Your Dragon
• Kung Fu Panda
• Madagascar

DreamWorks is a solid studio, and in my humble opinion there’s not a gigantic slouch in the bunch, but to me there are two timeless animated classic franchises and two franchises that are more appealing to young folk than audiences of all ages, both from humor and storytelling standpoints. I expected some discord amongst fans, but there was one outcome that thoroughly surprised me: The surprising number of “chucks” How To Train Your Dragon got.

Once people started responding to the viral thread, a lot of the comments about who they'd prefer to "delete forever" looked almost exactly the same:

• "How to Train your Dragon and it’s not close."
• "How to Train my Dragon easily."
• "How to Train your Dragon, and it’s not even remotely close."
• "Who even watched this? (shared a HTTYD picture)"
• "How to Train Your Dragon is so easily the worst here and the only correct answer."

Someone even circled the picture of How To Train Your Dragon and commented, “What ever tf this one is?’ thereby indicating they didn’t even know what the movie was. This was devastating to me.

Sure, there were some outliers who would have cut Shrek or Madagascar, and there was actually a considerable amount of Kung Fu Panda hate in the thread, but at least most people knew what the Jack Black panda move was. Reading the comments, I'm not sure I can say the same about Dragon, which I guess I’m hoping will change now that How To Train Your Dragon is getting its own land at Epic Universe.

I Did Not Expect So Much How To Train Your Dragon Hate

I recently saw the new How To Train Your Dragon Live Action and it is gorgeous. The aerial views we see on the big screen with the dragon riding are serious cinematic moments. The story hits new humor beats and the same emotional beats. (Seriously, people cry during the HTTYD movies, in a good way!) The movie still has one of the most surprising-but-lovely endings of all time. Theoretically I’m old enough that I grew up during the Shrek era of animated movies, and that is the movie that should play hardest on nostalgia for me, but I love the 2010 dragon movie way more. That's an especially unexpected outcome given I was already an adult when it came out.

I love Shrek. I think the actors are A+ in that franchise and I’m glad we’re getting Shrek 5 next year, but for that movie to get few detractors --and more so for Madagascar to land few detractors-- felt so wild to me. I would honestly mark Dean DeBlois' classic as the best animated franchise of all time from start to finish. In addition, the first movie may be my favorite animated movie of all time, though it has some minor competition from Beauty and the Beast and a few Disney classics.

Thank goodness a few other people seemed to be on the same page and were equally as shaken up as I was the Toothless-led franchise took the brunt of the shrapnel:

• "If you picked How to Train your Dragon then you were born to be sent down the mines, to plow fields, to grind wheat. You were never meant to be allowed." opinions as your betters knew they would be of no value.
• "How are people saying How to Train Your Dragon when this is the easiest Madagascar setup of all time?"
• "Anyone saying How to Train your Dragon is dead wrong."

Look, not as many people even use X these days, as people have headed to Threads and Bluesky, and even of the people who do, the people who comment is an even smaller sample size. Therefore, it could just be that the number of people who use X regularly overlaps with a larger number of How To Train Your Dragon haters.

But I will say, if you are less familiar with these movies, it’s totally worth it to see the live action version when it hits the 2025 movie release schedule this summer on June 13th. I had a (dragon) blast.