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Who wants a pet dragon? Okay, that's...nine dragons we need.

Kim Hollis: How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks' feature that was heavily featured during the Winter Olympics, opened to $43.7 million. Should the studio be pleased with this result?

Josh Spiegel: I would say it's not that big of a disappointment, even if that's what some people are already saying. Yes, having the Olympics as a major marketing springboard is helpful, but the movie doesn't have a big family-movie star like Jack Black, and DreamWorks didn't capitalize on the very positive reviews the film has. That said, going up against Alice in Wonderland and still getting so much money with 3D competition isn't too bad. Unfortunately, the movie's probably going down next week, with Clash of the Titans in the rearview mirror, unless that film flops, and flops hard.

Michael Lynderey: They shouldn't be pleased. This was clearly intended as a thematic follow-up to Monsters vs. Aliens, and the bustling late March 3D box office that one pulled in last year was almost certainly in the gameplan for the Dragon picture - not to mention the potential for a franchise. Now, even with some good legs, How to Train Your Dragon is just going to end up being seen as another middle-of-the-road CGI picture, marking time between Shrek sequels.

Shalimar Sahota: As I highlighted last week, audiences just don't seem to warm to dragons. I was expecting more along the lines of $35 - $40 million, so I'd say $40+ million is a good result.





Jason Lee: This is a rather lackluster opening given the fact that March is typically very hospitable to family animated releases (Monsters vs. Aliens, the Ice Age franchise, Horton Hears A Who, etc.). In fact, it reminds me a little bit of the weekend of Ratatouille with Pixar - great studio track record, impeccably-reviewed film but slightly disappointing opening. I think for me, the main problem with this movie is the subject matter and locale. No kid is going to get excited over Vikings (just like no mom wants to see a rat in a kitchen), and the muted color scheme of the Scandinavian coast isn't going to be as eye-catching as something like Kung Fu Panda or even Monsters vs. Aliens. This was never going to reach the heights of DreamWorks' previous animated films.

Reagen Sulewski: It's possibly a bit early to call this behavior, but it does seem like we're seeing an early trend of live action 3D films getting more of a boost than animated 3D films, as the latter seems like less of a utilization of the technology. I think all the studios that committed to having all their tentpoles be in 3D just got a shiver up their spines.

David Mumpower: I saw the movie and it's wonderful. Despite my bias toward it, I have to say that this is to my mind what passes for failure for animated 3-D/IMAX releases. Without the doubled ticket pricing for those exhibitions, we'd be looking at a debut around $30 million, which is not the target for a production with a nine figures budget. I think Shalimar has touched upon the key aspect of this. For whatever reason, films featuring dragons have consistently disappointed at the box office. How to Train Your Dragon looked like a potential exception to the rule due to its genius marketing tie-ins with the Winter Olympics and glowing reviews. The fact that this translated into a lackluster debut for a film playing by the new RealD box office rules means it was in a fashion doomed from the start. People seem to distinguish Lord of the Rings from the rest of the pack. There is some sort of glass ceiling for the rest of these pure fantasy films, which is bad news for fans of Dragonlance like myself.

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