At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival , Peter Debruge of '' Variety '' praised the film and its ambitions : " The pressures to make a giant four-quadrant monstrosity must be enormous , and yet , like his unflappable hero Hiccup , '' How to Train Your Dragon 2 '' writer-director Dean DeBlois has prevailed , serving up DreamWorks Animation 's strongest sequel yet — one that breathes fresh fire into the franchise , instead of merely rehashing the original . Braver than '' Brave '' , more fun than '' Frozen '' , and more emotionally satisfying than so many of its live-action counterparts , '' Dragon '' delivers . And good thing , too , since DWA desperately needs another toon to cross the half-billion-dollar threshold . " Elizabeth Weitzman of the '' New York Daily News '' gave the film three out of five stars , saying ' It 's the unflinching edge that gives the film its unexpected depth ' . " Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press gave the film three out of four stars , saying " '' How to Train Your Dragon 2 '' does n't play it safe , and that 's why it 's the rare sequel that does n't feel somewhat stale . " Lou Lumenick of the '' New York Post '' gave the film three out of four stars , saying " '' Dragon 2 '' really soars when our hero is aloft , imparting some important lessons about family , ecology and war for young audiences . It should also do very healthy business for hit-starved DreamWorks Animation . " Joe McGovern of '' Entertainment Weekly '' gave the film a B , saying " The flight path needs straightening , but this is still a franchise that knows how to fly . " Jody Mitori of the '' St. Louis Post-Dispatch '' gave the film three out of four stars , saying " For audiences who want a sweet story , they ca n't beat the first film of a boy finding his best friend . For those who are ready for the next stage , try this one about a boy becoming a man . " Bill Goodykoontz of '' The Arizona Republic '' gave the film four out of five stars , saying " It seemed as if there was nowhere new to go after the first film , but this is a richer story that dares to go darker and is thus more rewarding . " Peter Travers of '' Rolling Stone '' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four , saying " '' Dragon 2 '' , like '' The Empire Strikes Back '' , takes sequels to a new level of imagination and innovation . It truly is a high-flying , depth-charging wonder to behold . " Peter Hartlaub of the '' San Francisco Chronicle '' gave the film three out of four stars , saying " DeBlois , who also wrote the script , successfully juggles the multiple story lines , shifting allegiances and uncharted lands . " Rafer Guzman of '' Newsday '' gave the film three out of four stars , saying " Gruesome ? A little . Scary ? You bet . But that 's exactly what makes the " Dragon " films so different , and so much better , than the average children 's fare . " Michael Phillips of the '' Chicago Tribune '' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four , saying " For once , we have an animated sequel free of the committee-job vibe so common at every animation house , no matter the track record . " Stephen Holden of '' The New York Times '' gave the film a negative review , saying " The story seems to be going somewhere until it comes to a halt with the inevitable showdown between the forces of darkness and the forces of light . " Peter Howell of the '' Toronto Star '' gave the film three out of four stars , saying " Taking its cues as much from '' Star Wars '' and '' Game of Thrones '' as from its own storybook narrative , '' How to Train Your Dragon 2 '' breathes fire into a franchise sequel . " Claudia Puig of '' USA Today '' gave the film three out of four stars , saying " Nearly as exuberant as the original , '' How to Train Your Dragon 2 '' nimbly avoids sequel-itis . " Colin Covert of the '' Star Tribune '' gave the film four out of four stars , saying " The impressive part is the storytelling confidence of writer/director Dean DeBlois . He has created a thoughtful tale as meaningful for grown-ups as it is pleasurable for its young primary audience . " Stephanie Merry of '' The Washington Post '' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four , saying " This may be the first and last time anyone says this , but if '' How to Train Your Dragon 2 '' is this good , why stop at 3 and 4 ? " Moira MacDonald of '' The Seattle Times '' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four , saying " Young and old fans of the first movie will be lining up for the wit , for the inventiveness of the characters , for the breathtaking visuals — and just the sheer fun of it all . " Tirdad Derakhshani of '' The Philadelphia Inquirer '' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four , saying " One of this year 's true surprises , the superior animated sequel not only is infused with the same independent spirit and off-kilter aesthetic that enriched the original , it also deepens the first film 's major themes . " Stephen Whitty of the '' Newark Star-Ledger '' gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four , saying " This was not a sequel that anybody needed , outside of the accountants . And there 's another already planned . " John Semley of '' The Globe and Mail '' gave the film four out of four stars , saying " More than just teaching kids what to think about the world they 're coming into , it 's a rare film that encourages them to think for themselves . " Rene Rodriguez of the '' Miami Herald '' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four , saying " '' How to Train Your Dragon 2 '' is its own standalone picture , with a surprising range of emotions that surpasses the original and a brisk pace and manner of storytelling that give it purpose and direction . The fact that it 's also so much fun , no matter what your age , almost feels like a bonus . " Bill Zwecker of the '' Chicago Sun-Times '' gave the film four out of four stars , saying " Not only does this second movie match the charm , wit , animation skill and intelligent storytelling of the original , I think it even exceeds it . " Lisa Kennedy of '' The Denver Post '' gave the film a positive review , saying " '' How to Train Your Dragon 2 '' is soaring , emotionally swooping , utterly satisfying fun . " Bob Mondello of NPR gave the film an 8.5 out of 10 , saying " It 's clear that director Dean DeBlois took inspiration from the first '' Star Wars '' trilogy — not a bad model for breathing new life , and yes , a bit of fire , into one of Hollywood 's more nuanced animated franchises . " Inkoo Kang of '' The Wrap '' gave the film a mixed review , saying " If there is n't enough to feel , at least there 's a lot to look at . Thanks to the superb 3-D direction by DeBlois , we swoop through the air , whoosh down dragons ' tails , and '' juuust baaaarely '' '' sic '' squeeze into small crevices , but still , those experiences are only like being on a really great rollercoaster — they do n't mean anything . " A.A. Dowd of '' The A.V. Club '' gave the film a B - , saying " There are n't just more dragons , but more characters , more plot , more everything . The trade-off is that the charm of the original gets a little lost , a casualty of rapid-franchise expansion . " '' How to Train Your Dragon 2 '' grossed $ 177 million in North America , and $ 441.9 million in other countries , for a worldwide total of $ 618.9 million . The film is the second-highest-grossing animated film of 2014 , behind '' Big Hero 6 '' , and the twelfth-highest-grossing film of the year in any genre . While '' How to Train Your Dragon 2 '' only earned $ 177 million at the US box office , compared to $ 217 million for its predecessor , it performed much better at the international box office , earning $ 438 million to '' How to Train Your Dragon '' 's $ 277 million . Calculating in all expenses , '' Deadline Hollywood '' estimated that the film made a profit of $ 107.3 million
2014 Cannes Film Festival
2014 Cannes Film Festival
How to Train Your Dragon 2