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Tag: How to Train Your Dragon

  • 11 Fantastic Movies From 2025 to Catch Up on This Holiday Season

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    You’re at home with your friends or family. The turkey is gone. The football game is over. The conversation is slowing. What can everyone do to keep the holiday spirit alive? Well, 2025 has been a pretty fantastic year for movies, and many of the best ones released this year are streaming right now in your home. Maybe you should watch one of those.

    But which one? Below, we’ve got 11 suggestions of sci-fi, horror, or fantasy films released this year that we love and maybe you missed. Some you probably didn’t miss. But we’re going under the assumption not everyone has seen everything, so even if you’ve seen something, maybe your brother or sister hasn’t. Here they are, in alphabetical order.

    Bugonia (for rent or purchase)

    Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons star in the latest film from director Yorgos Lanthimos about two men who kidnap a CEO they believe to be an alien. It’s super timely, very mysterious, and incredibly hilarious. Read our review here.

    Elio (on Disney+)

    It was kind of a box office bomb, but Pixar’s latest film, about a young boy who becomes the voice of the entire planet, is wildly exciting and heartwarming. It 100% lives up to its Pixar pedigree. Read our review here.

    Final Destination Bloodlines (on HBO Max)

    Maybe don’t show this one to Grandma and Grandpa, but the latest film in the tense, funny, gory horror series about the inevitability of death is easily the best film in the franchise. A total riot. Read our review here.

    Frankenstein (on Netflix)

    Frankenstein isn’t Guillermo del Toro’s best movie, but it’s the one he’s been building towards his whole life. It’s a sumptuous, emotional, and unforgettable retelling of the classic tale with wonderful performances across the board. Read our review here.

    How to Train Your Dragon (on Peacock)

    The original animated How to Train Your Dragon is one of the best animated films ever. So, that its live-action remake is also very good is no surprise. It’s the exact same movie, just with a whole new look. Read our review here.

    The Life of Chuck (for rent or purchase)

    We adore this movie. It’s not for everyone, and it gets very weird very quickly, but once it clicks and that lightbulb goes off over your head, you’ll never forget it. Mike Flanagan has become the master of Stephen King adaptations, and this wonderful, joyous King adaptation is so different from the rest. Read our review here, and learn more about some spoilers here.

    The Long Walk (for rent or purchase)

    A group of young men compete in a life-changing event where they have to march until only one remains. Based on the Stephen King novel, the film adaptation is shockingly brutal but well worth the trip for the harrowing performances. Read our review here.

    Predator: Killer of Killers (on Hulu)

    Did you see or hear about that awesome Predator movie, Predator: Badlands, that’s now in theaters? Well, its director, Dan Trachtenberg, released another Predator movie earlier this year, and it might be even better. It’s an animated anthology showing Predators fighting humans from across history. It’s phenomenal. Read our review here.

    Sinners (on HBO Max)

    Part music-driven masterpiece, part terrifying horror story, Sinners is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. But, we’ve come to expect that kind of quality and originality from the team of director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. Read our review here.

    Superman (on HBO Max)

    There have been so many iterations of Superman over the years, you could’ve assumed James Gunn’s new film was more of the same. But that’s not the case. Gunn’s film has a palpable joy about it. An optimism and excitement that so many superhero films these days are lacking. This is one you’ll want to watch again and again. Read our review here.

    Weapons (on HBO Max)

    Again, maybe this one isn’t for the more easily scared or grossed-out members of your family, but for others, Weapons is a can’t-miss. A horror mystery about a town that loses a whole classroom of kids is wholly entertaining and unforgettable. And messed up. And scary. And awesome. Read our review here.

    Also…

    If you want to go to theaters, there are also plenty of good movies to see. Yes, everyone might be seeing Wicked: For Good, and you could do that, but we’d suggest Predator: Badlands, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, The Running Man, or Zootopia 2 instead.

    Finally, we didn’t want this list to be too long, so if nothing on there interests you, here are a few others that didn’t quite make the cut: Pee Wee as Himself (on HBO Max), Jaws @ 50 (on Hulu or Disney+), 28 Years Later (on Netflix), or Black Phone 2 (for rent or purchase).

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Germain Lussier

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  • Superman and Fantastic Four Lead 2025’s Amazing IMAX Slate

    Superman and Fantastic Four Lead 2025’s Amazing IMAX Slate

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    This year is already off to a very good start at the movies but 2025 is looking even bigger, in more ways than one. Fresh off the huge success of last year’s Oppenheimer and this year’s Dune: Part Two, IMAX just revealed 14 titles in 2025 that will not only be released in IMAX, but are being filmed specifically for the format.

    The list, so far, is as follows:

    • Captain America: Brave New World – February 15, 2025
    • Untitled Ryan Coogler/Michael B. Jordan – March 7, 2025
    • Thunderbolts – May 2, 2025
    • Flowervale Street – May 16, 2025
    • Mission: Impossible 8 – May 23, 2025
    • How To Train Your Dragon – June 13, 2025
    • Untitled Formula One – June 27, 2025
    • Superman – July 11, 2025
    • The Fantastic Four – July 25, 2025
    • Mercy – August 15, 2025
    • The Bride! – October 3, 2025
    • Tron: Ares – October 10, 2025
    • Blade – November 7, 2025
    • Chinese New Year, title TBC – January 29, 2025

    Of course, as these films are all so far out, release dates are subject to change and there will probably be more films using IMAX cameras in the coming months. (Also, why isn’t Avatar 3 on this list? Did Cameron not use IMAX cameras? What about Gareth Edwards and Jurassic World?)

    Now, for real film nerds, you all have one question right now. Since all of these films are being “filmed in IMAX,” will they just be released in normal, bigger, 1.9:1 IMAX? Or will any of them be full-frame, Christopher Nolan/Denis Villeneuve 1.43:1 IMAX? io9 reached out to IMAX for clarity and was told since most of these films are still in production, they couldn’t confirm what each film is using or what format each will be released in. It’s simply too early to be sure.

    But let’s have some fun and guess anyway.

    As none of the Marvel movies have ever gone 1.43, you can probably cross all those off the list. Same for the other Disney movie, Tron. Coogler/Jordan is rumored to be a period vampire movie, which sounds amazing, but maybe not “1.43 IMAX” amazing. Flowervale Street is rumored to be about dinosaurs and David Robert Mitchell is an exciting filmmaker, but I’m still thinking “No” there. Mission: Impossible 8 is a real possibility since the format has been used in the franchise, plus this is rumored to be the end of the saga so it would be a nice boost. I doubt How to Train Your Dragon would as it’s a family film but, you never know. The Joseph Kosinski-Brad Pitt Formula One movie, with its rumored $300 million budget, feels like the most obvious one to use the 1.43 aspect ratio, followed closely by James Gunn’s Superman. That would set an exciting precedent for the start of the DC Universe, if true. Mercy is an Amazon movie so, probably not that, and then there’s The Bride!, which we’re of course excited about but seems a bit more personal than epic. But again, that’s all just speculation.

    No matter what the case though, even if none of the films go the full Nolan, just filming for IMAX does give the screen a significant jump in size, not to mention the incredible sound. Out of all of the premium formats out there, it’s certainly my favorite, and one of the most profitable for studios too.

    Head to the Hollywood Reporter for more on these 2025 IMAX releases.


    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Germain Lussier

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  • ‘Epic Universe Is Built on an Amazing Concept,’ Says Literally Steven Spielberg

    ‘Epic Universe Is Built on an Amazing Concept,’ Says Literally Steven Spielberg

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    Ask me about my new best friends, Chronos and Astronomica.
    Photo: Universal via YouTube

    The dream of a classic-movie-monster cinematic franchise called Dark Universe is alive in Orlando. In its ongoing noble quest to become the superior Florida theme-park destination (real heads know it already is), Universal Orlando Resort has released a trailer for Epic Universe, its long-anticipated “third gate” and the first new Disney or Universal theme park to open in America since Disney California Adventure beta-launched in 2001. It looks expensive. It looks creative. It does, in fact, look epic.

    The trailer is hosted by Mark Woodbury, CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, who is feeling his Michael Eisner oats as he talks about the storied history of the studio tram tour that started it all. He then launches into Universal’s current mission of building a theme park that will offer storytelling and immersion in “the most visceral manner possible.” The result is a theme park made up of “five worlds,” connected through “portals,” a frightening example of multiverse oversaturation crossing over from movies to real life.

    This is forgiven, though, once the president of Universal, Molly Murphy, introduces the concept of “Chronos, the first portal, where all the planets will align.” We love highfalutin world-building-, original IP–, sci-fi/fantasy-speak. Chronos leads to Celestial Park, which will “put the park back in theme park,” which I guess means it will have grass, benches, and landscaping in addition to “Astronomica, where you can play with dancing fountains.” Love that. The concept art lands somewhere between the Jules Verne Tomorrowland in Disneyland Paris, His Dark Materials, Spyro, and ancient civ.

    The other four areas are IP based. There’s a How to Train Your Dragon land and a Dark Universe featuring Frankenstein, the Mummy, et al. that promises “everything you’ve ever wanted to experience with monsters in this world” (which … have you ever searched Dracula or werewolf on AO3?). There’s also another Wizarding World park, this time themed to the Ministry of Magic. I shudder at the thought of experiencing Grindelwald’s many crimes up close and in person. Finally, and most anticipated, is the East Coast version of Super Nintendo World, which will be larger than its Hollywood counterpart. While it wasn’t teased in the video, we know that Universal is constructing a Donkey Kong mine-cart coaster in addition to porting over the Mario Kart ride.

    The video ends with Steven Spielberg promising that “Epic Universe is built on an amazing concept,” which the CEO defines as “What I think we’re trying to do most is give people the opportunity to really experience the full thrill of being alive.”

    So what do you think? Too much for a theme park to promise, or just the right amount of ambition? Do you think there will be a Grindelwald meet and greet? Are you excited by the thought of Jay Baruchel’s prerecorded voice telling you to “keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times” on a How to Train Your Dragon ride? Epic Universe opens officially in 2025. Then, and only then, will we really experience the full thrill of being alive.

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    Rebecca Alter

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  • ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Feature Pushed Due To Actors Strike

    ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Feature Pushed Due To Actors Strike

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    More theatrical release date changes due to the actors strike which is clocking 113 days, however, the good news is that it doesn’t impact 2024. Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s live action take of animated movie How to Train Your Dragon goes from March 14, 2025 to Friday, June 13, 2025.

    Uni had the latter date already on hold on the calendar.

    Any rivals out there, March 14, 2025 is now empty of any wide entries. How to Train Your Dragon‘s new date currently has an untitled Pixar movie on it.

    The new live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie is written and directed by 3x Academy Award nominee Dean DeBlois, who has written and directed the entire Dragon trilogy based on the best-selling books series by Cressida Cowell. The live-action film will be produced by 3x Oscar nominee Marc Platt (La La LandBridge of Spies), DeBlois and Emmy winner Adam Siegel (2 GunsDrive). The trio of Dragon movies have grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide and nabbed four Oscar noms and a Golden Globe win for How to Train Your Dragon 2.

    How to Train Your Dragon follows a hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons and becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself. The young lad learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

    The studio also announced that it has an untitled event movie going on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.

    There are several untitled holds by major studios across the 2024 calendar. It has yet to be seen if those holds are real or whether they’re just temporary placeholders which will in and of themselves be moved.

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  • ‘The Last of Us’ Actress Nico Parker To Star Alongside Mason Thames ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Remake

    ‘The Last of Us’ Actress Nico Parker To Star Alongside Mason Thames ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Remake

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    By Brent Furdyk.

    Disney isn’t the only studio remaking its animated hits as live-action films, with Dreamworks getting in on the action with its upcoming live-action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon”.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nico Parker, recently seen in “The Last of Us”, and Mason Thames, star of horror hit “The Black Phone” have been cast as Hiccup and Astrid in the “How to Train Your Dragon” remake, set to be directed by Dean DeBlois, who helmed the 2010 original and its sequels.


    READ MORE:
    ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Remake To Fly Into Theatres In 2025

    Casting for the project reportedly took months, seeking actors who would be able to grow into the roles as the franchise developed; as THR pointed out, “How to Train Your Dragon” was unique in that each sequel jumped ahead to advance the age of the characters.

    Dreamworks

    In the animated films, Hiccup and Astrid were voiced by Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera, respectively.

    The film has been given a release date of March 14, 2025, with production scheduled to take place this summer.

    Click to View Gallery

    Casting Call: Stars Nab A New Role




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    Brent Furdyk

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