No wings for ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2′: DreamWorks lays off dozens of animators

Unfortunately for many employees of DreamWorks, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is being considered a financial disappointment.

Released on June 13 opposite “22 Jump Street,” “HTTYD2” had a respectable $50 million opening weekend. However, that total was far below the $65-70 million range many had predicted. Since then it’s been nothing but bad news for the film, which has seen its domestic box office totals basically halved each weekend ($25 million the second weekend, $13 million the third weekend, and $8 million last weekend). Though it’s made close to $300 million worldwide, the movie's domestic box office has yet to match its massive $145 million budget.

"How to Train Your Dragon 2" has still made an obscene amount of money. However, when compared to its massive budget, the return on investment just isn't there for DreamWorks. The financial failure of "HTTYD2" is believed to be part of the reason DreamWorks began laying off employees of its animation division this week. The company has reportedly let go between 40 to 50 employees so far.

Soaring Heights
The original “How to Train Your Dragon” was something of an unexpected hit. The tale of a clumsy young Viking named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) who forms an unlikely friendship with a dragon, the DreamWorks animated film ended up being one of the biggest movies of 2010, bringing in nearly half a billion dollars worldwide thanks to great reviews and strong word of mouth.

That’s part of the reason why most industry watchers believed the sequel, the plainly titled “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” would become a mega hit as well. As one of the only animated, family-friendly films of the summer 2014 season, the success of the film seemed like a forgone conclusion. It certainly had the positive reviews that usually go along with a quality summer blockbuster.

So why wasn’t “How To Train Your Dragon 2” as big a hit as people predicted?

The Reasons
“How to Train Your Dragon 2” is ultimately a victim of the summer movie glut. The first film had the benefit of opening in March 2010 with virtually no competition in the family friendly category (Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” had already been out for almost a month at that point). “HTTYD2” found itself smack-dab in the middle of summer blockbuster season.

Then there’s the issue that all sequels made for kids have to deal with: an aging audience. Kids (particularly boys) who were under the age of ten when “HTTYD” hit theatres are simply a lot older now. Someone who was nine years old when they saw "How To Train Your Dragon” is now in their teens and much more interested in seeing a movie like “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (which arrived in theatres a few weeks later) than an animated movie.

Will We Ever Get To See "How to Train Your Dragon 3"?
That's a big question mark at the moment.

If "HTTYD2" can somehow earn close to the $500 million its predecessor pulled in (and that's a big if, given that the movie has already been released in every market) then perhaps DreamWorks can justify producing a follow-up.

It just goes to show that no amount of good reviews or good will can save your movie when the bulk of your fanbase has grown up and flown the dragon's nest. It's a shame that hardworking animators have to lose their jobs as a result.