‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Dethrones ‘Alice’

Dreamworks’s animated 3-D adventure movie “How to Train Your Dragon” was the number one film at the box office last weekend, earning just over $40 million in ticket sales.
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Dethrones ‘Alice’
Characters voiced by Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson in DreamWorks Animation's 'How to Train Your Dragon,' the number one movie in the country. (DreamWorks)
3/28/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/DRA020.jpg" alt="Characters voiced by Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson in DreamWorks Animation's 'How to Train Your Dragon,' the number one movie in the country.  (DreamWorks)" title="Characters voiced by Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson in DreamWorks Animation's 'How to Train Your Dragon,' the number one movie in the country.  (DreamWorks)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1821666"/></a>
Characters voiced by Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson in DreamWorks Animation's 'How to Train Your Dragon,' the number one movie in the country.  (DreamWorks)
Dreamworks’s animated 3-D adventure movie “How to Train Your Dragon” was the number one film at the box office last weekend, earning just over $40 million in ticket sales.

The film bumped Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” to the number two spot after a three week run as the nation’s number one film.

In addition to claiming the box office gold medal of the weekend, “Dragon” also bumped “Alice” out of a good portion of the nation’s 3-D and IMAX equipped screens.

Similar to last year’s animated Oscar Winner “Up,” “Dragon” is that rare animated movie that is equally appealing to both children and adults. It is unanimously praised by critics, earning an unusually high ranking of 97% by movie critic aggregator Web site Rotten Tomatoes.

“Dragon” features a cast of comedic actors who portray Vikings that are in constant war with dragons. The plot curve is a coming-of-age for the protagonist, played by Jay Baruchel (star of “She’s Out of Your League”), who learns to cooperate instead of fight against his town’s enemies.

The film’s hallmarks are striking visuals, a positive message, and tons of laughs by a cast including Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Craig Ferguson, and Kristen Wiig.

Coming in third for the weekend, “Dragon” and “Alice” was the opening weekend for adult-targeted comedy starring John Cusack, “Hot Tub Time Machine” earned a respectable $13.6 million.