The review embargo for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon lifted overnight (you can read a full breakdown here), but the movie's Rotten Tomatoes score tells a different story from what appeared to be relatively mixed verdicts from critics.
As we write this, How to Train Your Dragon sits at 83% based on 40 reviews. That's "Certified Fresh" territory, and suggests even the reviewers who were left underwhelmed still deemed it "Fresh" on the review aggregator.
Despite plenty of complaints about it essentially being a shot-for-shot remake—The Wrap hailed it as a "squandered opportunity"—this score should help ensure How to Train Your Dragon dethrones Lilo & Stitch at the global box office this weekend.
2010's How to Train Your Dragon from DreamWorks Animation is "Certified Fresh" at 99%. The sequel scored 92%, with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World coming in at 90%.
Universal has just opened an entire land at its Orlando theme park devoted to How to Train Your Dragon, and six years after The Hidden World was released, the hope appears to be that this live-action version will spawn a new franchise.
Whether the movie can soar to the same heights as the likes of The Lion King and Aladdin remains to be seen, but the animated franchise has grossed over $1.6 billion over the past decade and a half.
Check out How to Train Your Dragon's Tomatometer reveal below.
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon.
Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society. With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (Nico Parker; The Last of Us) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost; Shaun of the Dead) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding.
As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.
How to Train Your Dragon also stars Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Bodies), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones).
How to Train Your Dragon is written, produced and directed by Dean DeBlois, and arrives in theaters on June 13.