Universal’s ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ maintained its lead at the box office in its second weekend, bringing in an estimated $37 million domestically. Despite competition from high-profile new releases — Danny Boyle’s ‘28 Years Later’ and Pixar’s ‘Elio’— the live-action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation’s 2010 hit soared past $350 million globally.

The film’s domestic total now stands at $160.5 million, while international earnings reached $197.7 million, for a worldwide haul of $358.2 million. Currently playing in 4,373 theaters across North America and more than 80 international markets, ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ also continues to benefit from exclusive IMAX screenings — an advantage that ends next weekend.

Meanwhile, Sony and director Danny Boyle’s ‘28 Years Later,’ the sequel to 2002’s cult hit ‘28 Days Later,’ opened below projections with $30 million from 3,444 theaters in North America. While that marks the best opening of Boyle’s career, it fell short of earlier tracking estimates that forecasted $35 million to $45 million. Overseas, it also grossed $30 million, for a global debut of $60 million.

Starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes, the R-rated horror sequel is the first entry in a planned trilogy. Though critics gave it a 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience response has been more muted, with a 65% rating.

Pixar’s ‘Elio’ fared worse, debuting in third place with just $21 million from 3,750 theaters, marking the lowest opening in Pixar’s history. The film also underperformed internationally, pulling in only $14 million for a disappointing $35 million global opening.

‘Elio,’ an original story about a young boy who gets his wish to explore space and meet aliens, was initially projected to open with at least $30 million domestically. However, weakening interest forced Disney to lower expectations in the days leading up to release. The film’s opening now ranks below Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ ($29.6 million in 2023) and ‘Toy Story’ ($29.1 million in 1995, unadjusted for inflation).

Despite the weak start, Disney and Pixar remain optimistic. ‘Elio’ holds a strong 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, better exit polls than ‘Elemental,’ and an A CinemaScore — even earning an A+ from kids. ‘Elemental,’ once considered a flop, ultimately reached nearly $500 million worldwide, and Disney is hopeful ‘Elio’ will follow a similar trajectory as summer unfolds.

Disney’s live-action remake ‘Lilo & Stitch’ continues to perform strongly in its fifth weekend, pulling in $9.7 million domestically (a 38% drop) and surpassing $900 million globally. With $386.7 million in North America and $523.6 million overseas, its total now stands at $901.3 million — even beating ‘Elio’ overseas this weekend with $19.7 million.

Paramount’s ‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,’ which launched over Memorial Day alongside ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ remains a box office fixture. It added $6.6 million from 2,603 theaters, bringing its domestic total to $179.4 million and global earnings to $540.9 million, thanks to $362.5 million from international markets.

Rounding out the top performers, A24’s romantic drama ‘Materialists’ continued its steady run, placing sixth with $5.8 million in its second weekend. Directed by Celine Song and starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans, the film has earned $23.9 million domestically and $7.5 million overseas, for a global total of $31.4 million.

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