DreamWorks Animation has announced that a sequel to the smash hit How to Train Your Dragon has been planned for release in 2013. There is no word yet on whether or not the sequel will be in 3-D, but that will probably be the case.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, says How to Train Your Dragon has become the company’s next franchise, bringing in almost $375 million dollars worldwide so far at the box office. It even took the top spot in the box office during its fifth weekend in theaters, which is not something that is seen very often.
DreamWorks is in need of a new franchise, as the final chapter of the Shrek franchise, Shrek: Forever After is released in theaters next month.
How to Train Your Dragon may have brought audiences into theaters by jumping onto the 3-D bandwagon, but it seems to have worked. It also excelled in the box office because the movie is actually good, receiving great reviews including an unheard of score of 98% at Rotten Tomatoes.
Many other projects are in the works, including a live arena show similar to Walking with Dinosaurs, a TV series in development, and an online virtual world based on the location of the movie.
Cressida Cowell, the Scottish author who wrote the book the movie is based on, says that DreamWorks bought the rights to all ten books within the series before the first movie was released in theaters.
