The box office weekend of June 21–23, 2025, delivered a mixed bag across genres, with family-friendly animation, post-apocalyptic horror, and original sci-fi battling for dominance — and the results have Hollywood buzzing.
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1. How to Train Your Dragon Dominates Again
• Weekend Gross: $37 million
• Domestic Total (10 Days): $160.4 million
• Drop: 58% from opening
• Theaters: 4,373
• IMAX Contribution: $4 million (11%)
Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon” reboot continues to soar, staying firmly in the No. 1 spot for a second weekend. Despite a sharp 58% drop, the film has shown strong legs, nearing the $200 million milestone globally thanks to robust family turnout and IMAX support.
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2. 28 Years Later Delivers Solid Horror Debut
• Opening Weekend: $30 million
• Theaters: 3,444
• Friday-Sunday Breakdown:
• Friday: $14.1 million
• Saturday: $8.8 million
• Sunday: $7.05 million
• Thursday Previews: $5.8 million
• Global Opening: $60 million
• Production Budget: $60 million
• CinemaScore: B
Sony’s long-awaited zombie sequel “28 Years Later” opened to a strong showing, landing in second place. While the film lost some steam after Friday, it still managed a worldwide take that matches its budget. Male viewers over 25 dominated the audience, and modest critical reception could hinder long-term momentum, but the debut signals life for R-rated horror at the box office.
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3. Elio Marks Historic Low for Pixar
• Opening Weekend: $21 million
• Theaters: 3,750
• Preview Gross: $3 million
• CinemaScore: A
• PostTrak Recommend Rate: 59%
• Social Media Reach: 272.5 million (30% below average)
• Top Theater: AMC Dine-In Disney Springs Orlando ($62,000)
• Audience Under 12: 39%
Despite glowing feedback from audiences, Pixar’s latest original “Elio” opened at just $21 million, making it the lowest domestic opening in the studio’s history, below even 1995’s Toy Story($29.1 million unadjusted). Critics cite weak marketing and a delayed release for the poor performance, despite the film’s rich story and strong CinemaScore. The silver lining? Positive word-of-mouth could help it find legs in the coming weeks.
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Other Highlights:
• Disney’s Lilo & Stitch continues its successful re-release run, adding $9.7 million in its fifth weekend and raising its total to $386.7 million.
• Total Domestic Weekend Box Office: $126.5 million, down 18% from the same weekend in 2024.
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Takeaway:
This weekend’s box office reflects the volatile state of theatrical performance in 2025 — strong sequels and horror revivals continue to thrive, while even quality originals like Elio struggle to gain traction. For Pixar, it’s a moment of reflection. For Sony, 28 Years Later shows there’s still bite in the undead. And for Universal, the Dragon franchise proves it’s still breathing fire.
Stay tuned — summer movie season is just heating up.
