‘How to Train Your Dragon’ tops ‘28 Years Later’ with $37 million

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames, as Hiccup, riding Night Fury dragon, Toothless in a scene from “How to Train Your Dragon.”, (Universal Pictures via AP)

LOS ANGELES – “How to Train Your Dragon” remained the most popular movie at North American theaters this weekend, taking in $37 million in its second week of release, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

Director Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later,” the third film in a zombie trilogy that kicked off with 2002’s “28 Days Later,” opened in second place with $30 million, Comscore reported.

The animated adventure “Elio” opened with $21 million, the worst opening for a Pixar film.

“Lilo & Stitch” was fourth with $9.7 million Friday through Sunday in its fifth week, followed by “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” which grossed another $6.5 million in its fifth week.

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Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases were “Materialists” ($5.8 million), “Ballerina” ($4.5 million), “Karate Kid: Legends” ($2.4 million), “Final Destination Bloodlines” ($1.8 million) and “Kuberaa” ($1.7 million).

This weekend’s overall three-day box office haul was estimated at $126.3 million. The year-to-date total is $3.938 billion — up 18% from the figure at this time last year, according to Comscore.

 “How to Train Your Dragon,” directed by franchise veteran Dean DeBlois, follows the unlikely friendship between a young Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) and a dragon called Toothless.

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames, right, and Nico Parker in a scene from “How to Train Your Dragon.”, (Universal Pictures via AP)

“28 Years Later” signaled the return of another, far gorier franchise. Director Danny Boyle reunited with screenwriter Alex Garland to resume their pandemic apocalypse thriller 25 years after “28 Days Later” and 18 years after its sequel, “28 Weeks Later.”

Pixar’s “Elio” had a particularly tough weekend. The Walt Disney Co. animation studio has often launched some of its biggest titles in June, including “Cars,” “WALL-E” and “Toy Story 4.”

But “Elio,” a science fiction adventure about a boy who dreams of meeting aliens, notched a modest $21 million, the lowest opening ever for Pixar. (With CNS report)