How to Train your Dragon

[Whippet Angel]

I saw it today in 2D (I'm not a fan of 3D anymore, those stupid glasses always give me a headache).

Love, love, loved it. Definitely my favorite out of all of DW's films thus far.

Which -- at US$17 per ticket (in Burbank, anyway) -- shouldn't be too difficult.

Good lord... is everything that expensive in Burbank?? I'll be moving there later this year, and this scares me.

[LotsoA113]

Dragon did much better than I though after Friday: 47.3 million. Great job! Looks like that $17 tickets really did help!

[Meg]

Where'd you get that number?

[Dacey]

Box Office Mojo is reporting $43 million:

http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

Not bad at all. The only thing that concerns me is the movie's expensive price tag of $165 million, which might be a hard one to beat. But, word of mouth should be VERY good on this film, so strong legs can hopefully be expected.

[LotsoA113]

Sorry about being off guys. Still, 43 million ain't bad at all. Overseas B.O. should be great actually.

[Macaluso]

The movie was awesome. That's all I really have to say.

[ELIOLI]

I second that Mac.

[eddievalient]

In the past, animated sci-fi or fantasy films haven't done well at the box office, but I'm really hoping this is the film that breaks the cycle. I saw it yesterday and loved every minute of it. I've liked dragons ever since I saw the Rankin/Bass film "The Flight of Dragons" as a kid (it's currently available from the Warner Archive store for anyone who's interested, and I highly recommend it) and I really liked the spin on the creatures that Dreamworks did. I would definitely not mind seeing a sequel as long as they can come up with a story good enough to justify it (although if they announce five sequels, that might be pushing it).

[LotsoA113]

Maybe 2 more sequels..maybe one dealing with the trolls...

[droosan]

Which -- at US$17 per ticket (in Burbank, anyway) -- shouldn't be too difficult.

Good lord... is everything that expensive in Burbank?? I'll be moving there later this year, and this scares me.

That's the local AMC Theaters' newly-inflated pricing for 3-D movie tickets. The average standard 'flat' movie tickets hover between US$10 and US$13 .. with matinees (when available) being US$6 or US$7. It's not just Burbank; that's for the whole L.A. metro area.

Fortunately (for me), I can deduct the full cost of movie tickets from my taxes at the end of the year; as can anyone who works in the entertainment industry. However, there are many thousands living here who can't do that.

But, yes: do prepare yourself for a bit of 'sticker shock'. I went through some, myself, when I moved here from Florida 15 years ago. Even so, I very much enjoy living in Burbank.

------------------

We now return you to Dragon-Training, which is already in-progress.

[GRUNT]

Just read James' review, and I gotta say that it's a very good one .

The film itself is indeed amazing, which to me, says a lot because I entered the cinema with pretty high expectations. Unlike some folks, I was actually quite psyched up from the trailers and had a very good vibe about the film from the get-go. However, despite how nice the look of the trailers is, it doesn't hint at the amount of heart in the film - I think that is what pleasantly surprised me and just elevated the film above the standard fun fantasy romp I was expecting.

Especially because Dreamworks films generally don't do it for me in that particular emotional department .

Definitely going to catch the film again, hopefully in IMAX!

What saddens me is that despite this success (and I hope that this film does make a disgusting amount of money at the box office), I've a feeling that the fourth Shrek film and Mega Mind is going to disappoint .

[Ben]

I'm totally switched on to seeing this in a theater now, after all your VERY good words (and James' review of course)!

And, for once, the UK doesn't have to wait two years for something to turn up...it's out this week here too. But I'll probably just catch the flat version: I still don't think a gimmick should make a movie, and for all those that say Avatar was much better in 3D, well, sure the effects and the visuals flying all around will always be cool, but it doesn't make the story, characters or performances any better (or worse) and, indeed, is perhaps what took audiences' perceptions of a lousy script and derivative plot points away from thinking about too much.

Like many have said here, too, the 3D effect doesn't really add much to a film in terms of enjoyment anyway, except for maybe Imax 3D where your senses are truly are fully surrounded. But that it's such a trek and an expensive way to see anything here puts me off going the Imax route for anything less than something I'm literally gaga over seeing: that's right, I'm talking about Tron Legacy!

However, HTTYD sounds like a sure bet for a good night out, and I'm looking forward to it!

[GRUNT]

I'm totally switched on to seeing this in a theater now, after all your VERY good words (and James' review of course)!

Just don't get your hopes too high!

I think a large part of the reason why we're so happy with the film is because the film surprised us and was different from some of our expectations.

However, you'll be going in with a different set of expectations now that you've heard all this buzz from us .

[Vernadyn]

I had NO idea John Powell was doing the music. That makes me even more excited (John Powell is awesome).

I think John Powell has his moments, but as far as animation is concerned, I personally found most of his scores a little disjointed and not as awesome as his collaborations with Harry Gregson-Williams. Bolt came the closest to providing a sense of cohesion that tied together the always exciting but disparate elements that are Powell's forte.

But I can honestly say that his score for How To Train Your Dragon is by far the best non-Michael Giacchino score for an American animated film since Gregson-Williams' Sinbad. Full of rousing themes, tender moments, and high-energy action, there are no ends to the superlatives I could bestow upon this score. One aspect of the score that I can't help mentioning is the resonant, blood-pumping depth and recording quality of the cellos and low strings. Even those who don't fancy Gaelic/Scottish stylings (overused and abused by James Horner) will likely find Powell's applications refreshing and invigorating. The score stands up there with X-Men 3 as my favorite Powell solo score.

[LotsoA113]

I just want to note something about the Box Office: It did BETTER than Monsters Verus Aliens on Monday. It's like what happened with Cars VS. Finding Nemo..Cars had a lower opening weekend, but both were huge hits overall.