'How to Train Your Dragon' soars to top of box office

‘How to Train Your Dragon’, a live-action reboot of a popular 2010 animated film, roared to the top of the North American box office with USD 83.7 million in weekend ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The family-friendly film from Universal and DreamWorks Animation tells the story of a friendship between a Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) and a dragon called Toothless.

“This is an excellent opening for a live-action animation remake, and it's especially good for the fourth episode in a series like this,” said David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’, another live-action remake, kept up its excellent summer returns with USD 15.5 million, Exhibitor Relations said.

So far, the film about Hawaiian girl Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and her blue alien friend Stitch (Chris Sanders) has grossed nearly USD 860 million worldwide.

Debuting in third place is A24’s ‘Materialists’, a sophisticated rom-com starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, at USD 12 million.

‘It’s a grown-up story that’s well-timed as summer counter-programming,” Gross said.

‘Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning’ -- the latest, and ostensibly last, in the hugely successful Tom Cruise spy thriller series based on a 1960s TV show -- held its own in fourth place at USD 10.3 million.

The Paramount film has now topped the USD 500 million-mark worldwide.

In fifth place was Lionsgate’s ‘Ballerina’, a ‘John Wick’ spin-off starring Ana de Armas as a dancer turned contract killer, and co-starring Anjelica Huston. Keanu Reeves makes a brief appearance as the hit man Wick. It took in USD 9.4 million.

Rounding out the top ten were, ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ (USD 5 million), ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ (USD 3.9 million), ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ (USD 3.1 million), ‘The Life of Chuck’ (USD 2.1 million), and ‘Sinners’ (USD 1.5 million).