‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Pre-Production Costs Soar Past $50 Million

Universal Pictures is taking a page out of Disney's playbook by creating a live-action film adaptation of 'How To Train Your Dragon.'

Universal Pictures has announced that it invested over $50 million in its upcoming live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, even before the cameras started rolling.

Universal is making a significant investment in the children’s film industry with its first live-action adaptation of a DreamWorks animated feature. If "How to Train Your Dragon" achieves success, it could pave the way for more remakes, especially since DreamWorks has a treasure trove of beloved franchises like "Kung Fu Panda," "Shrek," and "Madagascar." This move takes inspiration from Disney, whose animated classics remade into live-action have notably boosted their profits, as we've previously noted.

It’s logical for Universal to kick things off with How to Train Your Dragon, since the trilogy of animated films has brought in a total of $1.7 billion and received four Oscar nominations.

The live-action adaptation is set to come out in June next year and features teenager Mason Thames, who received a lot of praise for his leading role in Scott Derrickson's 2021 horror film, The Black Phone. In How to Train Your Dragon, he portrays Hiccup, a young Viking who goes against his family's long-standing practice of hunting dragons after he forms a friendship with an adorable winged dragon named Toothless. In the upcoming film, Toothless will be brought to life as a digital character by the special effects team at Framestore.

In the animated movies, Hiccup's furry father, Stoick the Vast, is voiced by Gerard Butler, who returns to play the character in the live-action adaptation. Nick Frost voices Gobber the Belch, the blacksmith. Meanwhile, Hiccup's classmate and love interest, Astrid, is portrayed by young actress Nico Parker, who is the daughter of Thandie Newton from Mission: Impossible.

Last week, fresh photos from the filming were released, and today, the official teaser trailer was launched. These glimpses showcase the film's faithful adherence to the original. In a significant recent announcement, it was revealed that maintaining this authenticity required a considerable investment.

The budgets for films produced in the United States are often kept under wraps, as studios tend to lump these costs in with their overall expenses without breaking down individual project expenses. Movies from the United Kingdom, however, tend to be more transparent, and "How to Train Your Dragon" is a prime example. This animated film was shot in the rugged landscapes of Northern Ireland, which served as a stand-in for the Vikings' fictional homeland of Berk in Scandinavia.

Studios shooting in the UK take advantage of the government's Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, which allows them to receive a cash rebate of up to 25.5% on their spending in the country. To be eligible for this rebate, at least 10% of the total production expenses must be associated with activities carried out in the UK. To prove this to the government, studios establish individual production companies in the UK for each film they produce.

The companies use code names to avoid drawing attention from fans when they apply for filming permits at various locations. For instance, the Universal Pictures division responsible for How to Train Your Dragon goes by the name Toothless Productions, which pays tribute to its animated main character.

As is the case with many studios, Universal refrains from sharing specific budget details about its films and did not take the chance to provide comment. This isn't necessary, however, since UK production companies are required to submit financial reports that detail information such as overall expenses, reimbursements, and the size of their workforce.

Toothless Productions recently submitted their latest financial statements, revealing that by December 31, 2023, they had invested $53.5 million (£42.2 million) into the movie's production. This amount includes expenses from the pre-production phase, as actual filming only started in January of this year, having been postponed from July 2023 because of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

The documents reveal that 119 workers were involved in the production during the nine months leading up to the end of last year. One of the reasons the UK government offers substantial financial incentives to studios is to support local employment. The financial records indicate that the company received a reimbursement of $10.6 million (£8.3 million), which reduced its net expenses to $42.9 million—still a significant amount. There are solid reasons behind this.

Among the many crew members, the craftsmen were particularly busy creating full-scale replicas of famous locations from the animated movies, including an arena for dragon battles. "There are many real sets, so we’re not just in front of a blue screen. We're actually inside these large structures. They’ve constructed the arena well," explained Julian Dennison, who portrays Fishlegs Ingerman, Hiccup’s friend.

Gerard Butler will return to the character he voiced in the animated films (Photo credit: ROBYN ... [+] BECK/AFP via Getty Images).

Butler mentioned that his genuine Viking outfit was demanding both physically and financially. A recent report highlighted the expenses of tailored costumes, pointing out that one of the outfits in this summer's superhero movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, cost an astonishing $100,000, even though it was only featured for under ten seconds. Butler, on the other hand, wore his costume for much longer than that.

"I was bundled up in seven heavy layers, along with a thick beard and what felt like a bearskin or wolfskin on top. It was incredibly weighty," he explained to Collider. "When I had my sword, shield, and the heavy helmet on, plus all those layers secured with clasps, my costume weighed about 90 pounds. Even on the coldest day, I was drenched in sweat inside because it felt like a furnace in there."

This proves that even though How to Train Your Dragon is designed for children, it certainly doesn’t lack depth or substance.