The latest challengers have entered the summer box office fray, taking advantage of the Juneteenth holiday for early previews. Danny Boyle’s highly anticipated zombie sequel, 28 Years Later, kicked off its run by earning $5.8 million, while Pixar’s newest animated feature, Elio, brought in $3 million from previews and select earlier screenings. Both new films are aiming to make their mark against the current box office leader.
How to Train Your Dragon Soars Over Thursday
Maintaining its strong hold, Universal’s live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon continued its impressive performance. The film led the Juneteenth Thursday box office with $9.7 million in ticket sales. This adds to its already robust early domestic total, which is now nearing $125 million as it heads into its second weekend. Benefiting significantly from playing in large format IMAX cinemas, How to Train Your Dragon is poised to remain a top contender this weekend.
28 Years Later Aims High Despite Audience Split
Danny Boyle’s return to the world of the infected in 28 Years Later, from Sony, generated a solid $5.8 million from Thursday previews. While these preview earnings will officially be folded into Friday’s opening day gross, they offer a promising early indicator.
Sony is projecting a conservative weekend opening in the $28 million range. However, tracking services and other box office analysts are more optimistic, suggesting a potential debut exceeding $30 million, with some forecasts even reaching as high as $40 million to $45 million.
The film’s early reception, however, presents an interesting contrast. Despite receiving “glowing reviews” from critics, leading to a high 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score currently sits notably lower at 69%. This suggests that while critics are largely embracing Boyle’s vision, general moviegoers may have a more mixed initial reaction.
A New Chapter in the Rage Saga
28 Years Later is planned as the first installment in a brand new trilogy, reuniting Boyle with original writer Alex Garland 25 years after their groundbreaking cult classic 28 Days Later. Set nearly three decades later, the film features a new ensemble cast including Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes. The official poster teases the enduring threat with the tagline “Time Didn’t Heal Anything.” Reports indicate ambitious plans for this new saga, with the first two films in the trilogy reportedly having already been filmed back-to-back, with Nia DaCosta (Candyman) directing the second installment. Cast members like Ralph Fiennes have hinted the film delves into what “Britain is 28 years into…” the crisis.
Pixar’s Elio Lands With Quieter Previews
Meanwhile, Pixar’s latest original animated adventure, Elio—the story of a young boy’s cosmic journey—earned $3 million from its Thursday previews and select Wednesday screenings. Tracking estimates place its potential North American opening weekend around $30 million.
However, this figure comes with cautious optimism. Pixar is reportedly braced for the possibility that Elio could record the studio’s lowest three-day opening ever, potentially falling below the unadjusted debuts of Elemental ($29.6 million) in 2023 and even their foundational film, 1995’s Toy Story ($29.1 million, though Toy Story had a stronger five-day holiday opening).
Navigating a Changed Landscape
This potential low opening for an original story highlights the challenges Pixar has faced in the post-pandemic era. Original animated films have struggled to reach the robust $70 million+ opening weekends they once routinely achieved. Industry watchers often point to Disney’s earlier decision to send several Pixar films (Soul, Luca, Turning Red) directly to Disney+ domestically during the pandemic as potentially conditioning audiences to await streaming releases.
Despite this, Disney and Pixar remain hopeful that Elio could demonstrate strong staying power throughout the summer, much like Elemental did. Elemental initially opened softly, even being labeled a “debacle” by some, but ultimately legged out to nearly $500 million globally. Elio currently boasts a better critics score on Rotten Tomatoes than Elemental had upon release, though an audience score is not yet available. Furthermore, the phenomenal success of last year’s Inside Out 2—which shattered records as the highest-grossing Pixar film ever and top animated film globally with over $1.69 billion worldwide—underscores that audience demand for Pixar content, particularly established IP, remains incredibly high.
As the weekend unfolds, all eyes will be on whether How to Train Your Dragon can maintain its lead, how strongly 28 Years Later opens despite its audience score disparity, and if Elio can defy low tracking and find its audience for a long summer run.
