How to Train Your Dragon, starring Gerard Butler, Mason Thames and Nico Parker, has some action during the end credits and post-credits. Should you stick around for them?
The live-action adaptation of the 2010 hit How to Train Your Dragon opened in 4,356 North American theaters on Friday. Directed by Dean DeBlois — who directed the 2010 animated version— How to Train Your Dragon stars Thames as Hiccup, a misfit among his Viking residents on the isle of Berk.
Wanting to become a dragon slayer like other teens soon to undergo training, Hiccup wants to prove to his father, Chief Stoic the Vast (Butler, who voiced the character in the 2010 film), that he’s worthy of the challenge, that is until he accidentally ensnares a rare Night Fury dragon.
Realizing the creature is missing part of its tail and unable to fly, Hiccup begins to slowly gain trust in the dragon — which he names Toothless — and soon outfits him with a mock-tail flap so he can fly again. Eventually, Hiccup realizes that Toothless, like all dragons under the rule of a menacing queen, are all harmless creatures and looks for a way to explain their true nature to his father and the islanders of Berk.
Rated PG, How to Train Your Dragon also stars Parker as Hiccup’s teen rival-turned-friend Astrid and Nick Frost as Berk’s blacksmith and dragon trainer, Gobber. How to Train Your Dragon also stars Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd, Peter Serafinowicz and Murray McArthur.
Note: The next section details what happens during the end credits and after the credits in “How to Train Your Dragon.”
Do The End Credits Or Post-Credits Tease A Potential ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Sequel?
Generally, end credits or post-credits scenes for a film serve one of two functions or sometimes both. Either the scene wraps up loose ends from a sequence earlier in a film or it teases a potential sequel.
So, yes, while there is footage during the end credits and after the credits for How to Train Your Dragon, it doesn’t necessarily tease a sequel. Instead, the scene during the end credits highlights overhead shots of some of the real-life vistas that director Dean DeBlois shot the film at. Per the production, DeBlois shot the film in the U.K., the U.S., Iceland and Canada.
As the end credits scene rolls on, a shadow of Toothless and Hiccup flying appears and eventually a shot of the two from behind shows the two soaring away from the camera. As the rest of the credits roll, you can see drawings and writing in Hiccup’s journal that he keeps during the events of the film.
There is also a brief post-credits scene for How to Train Your Dragon, where you first see a close-up shot of Hiccup’s journal with his sketch of Toothless missing his tail flap. Soon after, Hiccup puts his hands on the pages of the journal, giving the impression that’s about to start sketching down some more ideas.
While How to Train Your Dragon does not contain definitive end-credits or post-credits scenes to tease a sequel, there was no need to. Per Variety, DreamWorks and Universal have already announced a sequel for the film to come out in theaters in 2027.
The announcement of the sequel prior to the opening of How to Train Your Dragon only makes scenes. The 2010 animated film — adapted from Cressida Cowell’s book series — spawned the sequels How to Train Your Dragon 2 in 2014 and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in 2019. In total, the animated film trilogy earned $1.6 billion worldwide.
Since DreamWorks and Universal pulled the trigger early on a How to Train Your Dragon sequel, there’s no doubt the studios’ executives will be breathing a sigh of relief given the box forecasts for the opening weekend of the film.
Earlier this week, Deadline projected a $65 million to $75 million-plus opening frame for How to Train Your Dragon, which combined with international numbers could yield as much as $175 million to $185 million worldwide.
In addition, How to Train Your Dragon is projected by Variety to earn $70 million to $80 million, as well as an additional $110 million in international receipts/
Both Hollywood trades reported that How to Train Your Dragon had a $150 million production budget before prints and advertising.
How to Train Your Dragon opens in wide release in theaters on Friday.