DreamWorks' Dragon Tops Box Office

At an unimpressive $43.3 million, How to Train Your Dragon topped the box office this weekend, despite coming in well below the $59.3 million Monsters vs. Aliens raked in on the same weekend last year. Having opened on the lower end of DreamWorks Animation debuts, being No. 1 might be its only consolation, considering the movie's $165 million price tag. With an average grade of A from a market research firm, however, both DreamWorks and Paramount are hoping that word of mouth will contribute to Dragon's longer-term success. Similarly, Shrek, which opened at $42.3 million, eventually earned $267.7 million domestically. Hot Tub Time Machine opened at $13.7 million, earning it the No. 3 spot, below Alice in Wonderland, which saw an expected 50 percent decrease to $17.3 million, as it lost many 3-D screens to Dragon in its fourth weekend.