Weekend Box Office Showdown: ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Soars While ‘Elio’ Stumbles
The summer box office landscape saw some dramatic shifts this weekend (June 20-22, 2025), with Universal’s “How to Train Your Dragon” maintaining its stronghold at the top spot, while new releases showed vastly different fortunes. Danny Boyle’s highly anticipated “28 Years Later” delivered solid numbers, but Pixar’s “Elio” significantly underperformed despite critical acclaim. Let’s dive into the weekend’s numbers and what they might mean for these films’ futures.
The Numbers: Winners and Losers
“How to Train Your Dragon” continued its impressive run with a $37 million haul in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to $160.4 million and its worldwide cume to an impressive $358 million. The film has shown remarkable staying power, performing strongly across key international markets including Mexico and China.
Sony’s “28 Years Later,” the long-awaited continuation of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s zombie franchise, secured second place with a $30 million domestic opening. When combined with its international take of another $30 million, the film has already recouped $60 million globally—a solid start for a horror film with franchise potential.
Meanwhile, Disney/Pixar’s “Elio” landed with a thud, earning just $21 million domestically and a mere $14 million from international markets for a disappointing $35 million global debut. This marks the lowest opening weekend for a Pixar film in the studio’s storied history, particularly troubling given its reported $150 million production budget.
’28 Years Later’: A Successful Return to Infected London?
Danny Boyle’s return to the post-apocalyptic world he created with “28 Days Later” has certainly generated buzz, with the film earning a stellar 92% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. The $30 million domestic opening slightly exceeded industry projections and positions the film well to potentially cross the $100 million mark domestically if word-of-mouth remains strong.
However, audience reactions tell a more complicated story. With a 65% audience score—significantly lower than its critical reception—”28 Years Later” appears to be splitting viewers. This 30% gap between critic and audience scores suggests the bold creative choices and tonal shifts that critics appreciated may not be resonating with general audiences expecting something more in line with the original film.
The UK ($6.4 million) and Mexico ($2.7 million) led international markets, showing the franchise still has global appeal. The film’s performance will be closely watched in the coming weeks, particularly as Sony has already scheduled the next installment, “28 Years Later: Bone Temple,” for January 16, 2026. The current film’s reception could significantly impact both the box office potential and creative direction of that follow-up.
Pixar’s ‘Elio’: The Steep Fall of a Once-Invincible Studio
Perhaps the most shocking story of the weekend is the catastrophic underperformance of “Elio.” Despite positive reviews and Pixar’s historically strong brand recognition, the film’s $21 million domestic opening is not merely disappointing—it’s potentially alarming for Disney executives.
Several factors appear to be contributing to this unprecedented stumble:
1. Disney/Pixar fatigue – After years of dominance and a recent strategy focusing on sequels and prequels to established properties, audiences may be showing diminishing enthusiasm for the Pixar brand.
2. Timing challenges – “Elio” launched before many schools have dismissed for summer vacation, potentially limiting its family audience.
3. New IP struggles – Like last year’s “Elemental,” which also opened softly before finding its legs, “Elio” faces the uphill battle of establishing a new property in a marketplace increasingly dominated by sequels and established franchises.
4. Streaming expectations – After several Pixar films went directly to Disney+ during the pandemic, some families may have reverted to a wait-for-streaming mentality for animated features.
The question now becomes whether “Elio” can follow the path of “Elemental,” which overcame a weak $29.5 million opening to ultimately gross over $150 million domestically through strong word-of-mouth and minimal weekly drops. However, “Elio” starts from an even lower base, making such a recovery more challenging.
‘How to Train Your Dragon’: Franchise Power in Full Effect
While new releases struggled to varying degrees, Universal’s “How to Train Your Dragon” demonstrated the enduring power of beloved franchises with strong execution. The film’s $37 million second weekend represents a modest drop from its opening frame, indicating positive audience response and potential for long-term playability.
The film has already amassed $358 million worldwide, putting it on track to potentially become one of the year’s highest-grossing animated features. Its strong performance in international markets further underscores the global appeal of the franchise, which has successfully transitioned from DreamWorks Animation to Universal with audience enthusiasm intact.
The contrast between “Dragon’s” performance and “Elio’s” struggles highlights a growing industry trend: established franchises with built-in audiences are increasingly dominating the theatrical landscape, while new properties—even from prestigious studios like Pixar—face steeper challenges in drawing audiences to theaters.
The Critic-Audience Divide: A Tale of Two Films
One of the most interesting aspects of this weekend’s box office is the contrasting relationship between critical reception and audience response for our two new releases.
“28 Years Later” earned strong reviews but more mixed audience reactions. Critics praised Danny Boyle’s direction and the film’s willingness to take the franchise in bold new directions with its story of Spike exploring a changed world decades after the original rage virus outbreak. However, general audiences appear less enthusiastic about these experimental choices, particularly the film’s unconventional storytelling and cliffhanger ending designed to set up the trilogy’s next installment.
Conversely, while “Elio” didn’t match “28 Years Later” with critics, its audience scores have been more favorable than its box office would suggest. Families who have seen the film generally report positive experiences, indicating the film’s issues may have more to do with marketing and audience interest than the content itself.
Summer Box Office Pressure Mounting
This weekend’s mixed results add to growing industry concerns about the overall health of the summer box office. While revenues are tracking 18% above 2024 levels, that margin has shrunk from 23% earlier in the month, suggesting momentum may be slowing.
With several key releases still to come, including next week’s action tentpole and the July 4th weekend offerings, the industry is watching nervously to see if theatrical exhibition can maintain its post-pandemic recovery or if we’re seeing signs of a new normal with more selective theatrical attendance focused primarily on established franchises and event films.
What Comes Next: Long-Term Prospects
For “28 Years Later,” the path to profitability looks relatively clear. With a more modest budget than many summer releases and a solid opening, the film needs only moderate legs to be considered successful. The real question is whether audience word-of-mouth will allow it to build momentum and cross the $100 million mark domestically, or if its divisive elements will lead to steep weekly drops.
“Elio” faces a more challenging road. Pixar films typically enjoy strong holds due to family audiences spreading their attendance throughout the summer months. However, starting from such a low base means even excellent week-to-week retention may not be enough to salvage its theatrical run. The film may ultimately follow “Elemental” in finding its audience over time and through streaming, but its theatrical performance represents a warning sign for Disney’s animation strategy.
“How to Train Your Dragon” appears positioned for continued success through the early summer, with few direct competitors on the immediate horizon. Its strong performance reinforces Universal’s strategy of revitalizing established animation properties under its banner.
Conclusion: Shifting Audience Patterns
This weekend’s box office results reflect the evolving nature of theatrical exhibition in 2025. With audiences increasingly selective about their theatrical experiences, established franchises like “How to Train Your Dragon” continue to demonstrate their pulling power, while even prestigious studios like Pixar face challenges when launching new properties.
Meanwhile, the horror genre—represented by “28 Years Later”—continues to show resilience, drawing audiences with the promise of communal theatrical experiences that don’t translate as effectively to home viewing.
As the summer season progresses, industry analysts will be watching closely to see if these trends hold, particularly whether “Elio” can find its audience over time or if its disappointing launch signals deeper issues for Disney’s animation strategy. The next few weekends will be crucial in determining whether this weekend’s mixed results represent an anomaly or a sign of fundamental shifts in audience preferences.