Box Office: Elio Flops, Zombies Charge, and Dragons Still Fly

In a weekend that saw two high-profile debuts, a familiar fire-breather proved harder to dislodge than expected. Universal’s live-action reboot of How to Train Your Dragon held tight to the top box office spot, raking in $37 million in its second weekend. Neither Pixar’s Elio nor Sony’s 28 Years Later managed to knock it from the throne.

Elio floundered right out of the gate. The interstellar adventure earned a disappointing $21 million across 3,750 theaters, making it the lowest domestic opening in Pixar history. The studio had projected a start closer to $25–$30 million. Globally, the film’s take is a paltry $35 million against a $150 million production budget.

The film did earn a CinemaScore of “A” and holds an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But it’s a steep climb ahead, especially compared to the redemption arc of Elemental, which overcame its slow start last year to finish with nearly half a billion dollars globally.

Meanwhile, 28 Years Later delivered on expectations, opening in second place with $30 million domestically and another $30 million overseas. The $60 million global haul marks a franchise-best debut, surpassing the original 28 Days Later and its sequel 28 Weeks Later. The new installment, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, carries more weight than its $60 million budget. It’s expected to set the tone for a planned trilogy, with the next chapter, The Bone Temple, already on the calendar for 2026.

In fourth place, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch live-action remake held on with $9.7 million in its fifth weekend. The film has become a juggernaut, grossing $386 million domestically and a staggering $910 million globally. All that from a $100 million budget, proof that nostalgia, when done right, still prints money.

Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning rounded out the top five. The eighth installment of the franchise added $6.55 million in its fifth frame. Its North American total now sits at $178 million, with $540 million worldwide. That’s solid on paper, but against a production cost of $400 million, this mission may not have quite enough gas to turn a profit theatrically.

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