The DreamWorks Animation threequel doesn’t open until Feb. 22, and already there’s a want-to-see for : The Dean DeBlois-directed feature racked up $2.5M in Universal-Fandango early access screenings yesterday, a figure that’s more than the Amazon Prime previews for Sony’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ($1.86M) and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation ($1.28M).
Fandango customers received early-access screenings for Hidden World at select AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas, Cinemark Theatres, Marcus Theaters, Harkins Theatres, Southern Theatres, National Amusements, B & B Theatres, and more.
Hidden World also made more than Warner Bros. sneaks for The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part last Saturday, but that pic had a smaller footprint at 550 locations which played one show at 2pm, grossing an estimated $400K-plus (that’s an industry estimate, not studio-reported). Hidden World played at just over 1,000 at 3PM yesterday. Most of Lego Movie 2‘s locations were sold out with older teens and younger adults showing up. Hotel Transylvania 3 played at roughly 1,000 theaters from one 3PM showtime on a Friday, while Jumanji 2 previewed at 1,200 theaters on a Friday at 7PM.
Already, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World owns a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score and $84.4M at the overseas box office after playing in 41 international markets, opening No. 1 in 34 of them. Hidden World was also the No. 1 film at the international box office this weekend with $40.2M. The franchise currently counts $1.2 billion at the B.O. The first two movies earned Oscar noms for best animated feature with the 2010 original also earning a best score nom.
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a worthy conclusion to a beloved trilogy, and we’re proud to partner with Fandango to bring our first DreamWorks Animation release to theaters in this exclusive engagement,” said Jim Orr, President, Domestic Distribution, Universal Pictures. “We saw sold-out shows nationwide, and the overwhelming response-three weeks ahead of our wide release-is very promising.”
“Thanks to our expansive network of dedicated theaters and to Universal Pictures for helping us bring the final chapter of the beloved How to Train Your Dragon trilogy to fans twenty days before its release date,” said Fandango President Paul Yanover. “We’ve been thrilled with the response from hundreds of thousands of fans to our exclusive early access screening and look forward to bringing Fandango VIP members more exciting screening opportunities in the future.”
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