Box office

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” breaths fire into slumping box office with franchise-best $55.5 million debut.

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” breathed some fire into a slumping box office with a franchise-best $55.5 million debut over Oscar weekend.

Writer-director Dean Deblois’ third and supposedly final installment in the “How to Train Your Dragon” series notched the best opening of the year in U.S. and Canadian theaters.

Going into the weekend, overall ticket sales for 2019 were down 18 percent, according to Comscore, throwing cold water on the record box office of 2018.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.

1. “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” $55.5 million.

2. “Alita: Battle Angel,” $12 million.

3. “Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,” $10 million.

4. “Fighting With My Family,” $8 million.

5. “Isn’t it Romantic,” $7.5 million.

6. “What Men Want,” $5.2 million.

7. “Happy Death Day,” $5 million.

8. “Cold Pursuit,” $3.3 million.

9. “The Upside,” $3.2 million.

10. “Run the Race,” $2.3 million.