Andrew J. Salazar

1 week ago | discussingfilm.net | Andrew J. Salazar

Universal and DreamWorks’ live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon came in above expectations on opening week, earning $83.7M domestically and $197.8M worldwide. This impressive box office start broke a new record as the biggest opening ever for the franchise. Neither this news nor the high critical acclaim came as a surprise to fans, though.

2 weeks ago | discussingfilm.net | Andrew J. Salazar

When writer-director Dean DeBlois agreed to return and helm a live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake for Universal, one unique “Toothless” challenge rose above the rest. Of course, having the creator of the original DreamWorks animated trilogy tell this story again established a certain level of trust for diehard fans. However, many things were still uncertain, such as how these characters would translate in the live-action medium.

2 weeks ago | discussingfilm.net | Andrew J. Salazar

Live-action remakes of popular animated films have devolved into soulless cash grabs over the last decade. This is mainly thanks to Disney‘s ouroboros-like strategy of recycling its iconic animated library to generate a guaranteed profit from nostalgia. Coming after this year’s Snow White and Lilo & Stitch remakes, it’s easy to initially disregard How to Train Your Dragon (2025) as an inevitable start to the next chapter of Hollywood’s creative bankruptcy.

3 weeks ago | discussingfilm.net | Andrew J. Salazar

It’s been three years since Prey (2022) proved there was still far more to explore in the Predator franchise. Where some saw little potential in the IP after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, others, like filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane), knew that previous Predator movies had been teasing a rich universe beyond our imaginations. A universe full of ruthless interplanetary hunters that fans were sometimes promised to see more of, but ultimately never did… until now.

1 month ago | discussingfilm.net | Andrew J. Salazar

The Final Destination franchise is finally back after a 14-year hiatus, but at the risk of writing a shameless pun, it could be dead on arrival. Halloween (2018) kicked off a new era for horror legacy sequels, with Hollywood studios reviving any IPs they could still get their hands on. From The Craft: Legacy (2020) to Candyman (2021) to Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) to The Exorcist: Believer (2023), the success rate of bringing horror franchises back has been very hit or miss.