\n\tOuch.<\/p>\n
\n\tUniversal\u2019s live-action How to Train Your Dragon<\/a> will have no trouble staying No. 1 in its second weekend with an estimated $35.7 million despite the entry of the zombie sequel 28 Years Later<\/a> and the animated Elio<\/a> \u2014 which is headed for the lowest opening in the history of Pixar amid a crowded marketplace for family fare.<\/p>\n \n\tDanny Boyle\u2019s zombie sequel<\/a>, from Sony, topped Friday\u2019s chart with $14 million, including $5.8 million in Thursday previews, but will be overtaken by How to Train Your Dragon, from the Universal-owned DreamWorks Animation, sometime on Saturday.<\/p>\n \n\tA few weeks ago, 28 Years Later<\/a> was tracking to open to $35 million, with more bullish pundits thinking it could come in north of $40 million. Instead, it\u2019s headed for a solid $30 million to $31 million domestic start. Similar to the family space, some are speculating that the horror marketplace may be over-saturated, led by the box office<\/a> hit Final Destination: Bloodlines<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t28 Years Later will still mark the biggest opening of Boyle\u2019s career<\/a> and reunites the filmmaker with writer Alex Garland 25 years after\u00a028 Days<\/a>\u00a0hit the big screen and became a cult classic. Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O\u2019Connell, Alfie Williams and Ralph Fiennes star in what\u2019s the first installment in a planned trilogy.<\/p>\n \n\tReviewers have widely embraced the R-rated title, but actual moviegoers are somewhat less enthusiastic; its current audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 67 percent, compared to a 90 percent critics\u2019 score. At the same time, it\u2019s garnering decent exit scores from leading exit-polling service PostTrak. And it earned a B CinemaScore, which is like an A grade when it comes to horror fare.<\/p>\n \n\tFacing fierce competition from How to Train Your Dragon and fellow Disney release Lilo & Stitch<\/a>, Elio took in $9 million on Friday for a projected third-place domestic opening in the $20 million to $22 million range. Elio<\/a> \u2014 an original film about a young boy whose wish to travel to outer space and interact with aliens comes true \u2014 was expected to open to at least $30 million domestically<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tBut with interest stalling in recent days, Disney insiders lowered their projections to $20 million to $25 million as Pixar braced for the worst 3-day opening in its history behind Elemental<\/a> ($29.6 million) in June 2023 and its very first film, 1995\u2019s Toy Story ($29.1 million), not adjusted for inflation. Toy Story opened over Thanksgiving and amassed $39 million over the long five-day holiday weekend.<\/p>\n \n\tIn 2023, Elemental\u2018s opening was called nothing short of a debacle, yet it turned into a sleeper hit on its way to earning nearly $500 million globally. Pixar and parent company Disney, are confident that Elio will have the same sort of staying power throughout the summer when kids are sprung from school. So far, Elio is graced with a better critics score on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a> than Elemental, as well as glowing PostTrak exit results and an A CinemaScore, including an A+ from kids.<\/p>\n \n\tPixar has been struggling to find its footing in a world where original animated stories don\u2019t open to the heights they once did \u2014 think north of $70 million \u2014 in the post-pandemic world. And during the pandemic years, then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek decided to send three Pixar titles straight to Disney+ domestically, including Turning Red, Luca and the Oscar-winning Soul, a decision rivals said taught families to wait to watch a film at home. (All three were considered streaming hits.) <\/p>\n \n\tBut Pixar and Disney reversed course and are once again committed to telling original theatrical stories, mixed in with known IP, such as last year\u2019s blockbuster and record-shattering Inside Out 2, the top-grossing pic of 2024, the top ever title for Pixar and the top animated movie of all time with more than $1.69 billion in worldwide ticket sales, not adjusted for inflation. (As fate would have it, Inside Out 2 opened on the same June weekend a year ago.)<\/p>\n \n\tThe live-action Lilo & Stitch remains a force to be reckoned with in its fifth weekend, and could earn as much as $9 million to $10 million domestically for a fourth-place finish. Also, now in its fifth weekend, Mission: Impossible \u2014 The Final Reckoning<\/a> continues to show staying power and is expected to round out the top five with $7 million.<\/p>\n