Franchise regular Dean DeBlois returned to direct the live-action remake of his 2010 film about a young Viking boy named Hiccup (Mason Thames) who ignores the wishes of his father (Gerard Butler) and befriends a feared Night Fury dragon named Toothless.

How to Train Your Dragon topped Friday’s North America chart with a mighty $35.6 million from 4,356 theaters, including 11.1 million in previews. That’s less than $10 million behind the three-day opening of the 2010 pic, which started off with $43.7 million, not adjusted for inflation. And it will easily be the top opening of the series, supplanting 2019’s threequel How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World ($55 million).

After ruling for 3 consecutive weekends and shattering records, Lilo & Stitch is headed for a second-place finish domestically with $13 million to $14 million from 3,675 locations as its North American total climbs to $365 million. Globally, it crossed the $800 million milestone last week.

My Oscar Book:

Materialists by Celine Song (Oscar Nominee Past Live)

Celine Song’s new romantic drama Materialists, playing in 2,844 cinemas, should come in third with estimated $11 million to $12 million. That would mark A24’s third-biggest wide opening, unadjusted.

The star-studded pic features Dakota Johnson as ambitious New York matchmaker pairing clients with rich partners who herself becomes entangled in a love triangle with a former flame (Chris Evans) and high-powered exec (Pedro Pascal).

Song herself worked as a matchmaker as a way of supporting her dreams of becoming a filmmaker.

Reviewers like Materialists— Song’s follow up to Past Lives — more than moviegoers. The film received a worrisome B- CinemaScore from ticket buyers, while the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is a tepid 70 percent.

How to Train Your Dragon has advantage in taking over Imax screens that had belonged to Paramount and Skydance’s Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning for three weekends.

However, the Tom Cruise-starrer is looking at a fall of just 37 percent in fourth outing to $9.3 million from 2,942 theaters for a domestic tally of roughly $165 million through Sunday and $500 million globally.

Lionsgate’s John Wick spinoff Ballerina continues to struggle in its second weekend, despite stellar audience exits and solid reviews. The female-led action pic, starring franchise newcomer Ana de Armas is expected to tumble 64 percent to an estimated $8.7 million for a 10-day domestic tally of $41.1 million.