Picture Credit: Universal Pictures
The Vikings of Berk are landing on Netflix sooner than you might think. Unexpectedly, the live-action reimagining of How to Train Your Dragon will make its Netflix US debut in early February, following a brief exclusive window on Peacock.
This isn’t the only Universal Pictures movie coming to Netflix in this first window period. As we reported recently, Megan 2.0 is scheduled to drop on Netflix US on January 26th, although we speculated at the time that it might be because the streamer was evaluating whether to pick up the spin-off. That was made more complicated by the fact that we spotted that Honey Don’t, the Margaret Qualley and Aubrey Plaza comedy, is due out in February, and now, of course, How To Train Your Dragon.
Netflix does have an agreement with Universal, announced in 2024 and due to kick in from 2027, although it’s unclear whether this has been moved up. Under the current deal between Universal Pictures and Netflix, the streamer only gets animated movies after the “Pay-1A” window on Peacock, then moves them to the “Pay-1B” window on Netflix for 10 months before returning to Peacock. The dates align perfectly here, with Peacock beginning streaming the movie on October 10th, 2025.
We have reached out to Netflix for an official comment on these Universal movies heading to the service, but haven’t yet received a response. We’ll update this post should we do.
Either way, as it stands, we can confirm that the live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie will be available to stream on Netflix US starting Tuesday, February 10th, 2026. This date only applies to Netflix US, although other regions will pick up the movie in the months and years to come.
What is the live-action How To Train Your Dragon?
Directed by Dean DeBlois (who also wrote and directed the original animated trilogy), this live-action adaptation stays faithful to the original movie and offers an adaptation akin to what Disney has been doing for the past decade with its beloved animated IP and what Netflix has done with the Avatar: The Last Airbender series.
The story follows Hiccup, a young Viking who defies tradition and befriends one of his deadliest foes, a ferocious Night Fury dragon he names Toothless. Together, they must fight against the odds to convince their world that dragons and humans can live in harmony.
The official synopsis reads:
“On the rugged isle of Berk, where dragon fighting is a way of life, the young Viking teen Hiccup (Mason Thames) aspires to hunt dragons to prove his worth to his tribe and his father, Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). But when he befriends an injured dragon, his world is turned upside down.”
The movie was a big hit for Universal, grossing over $636 million at the box office and scoring rave reviews from audiences. The movie also carries the Certified Fresh rating on RT, and a sequel is already in the works.
The film features a mix of fresh faces and a returning legend from the animated series:
- Mason Thames (The Black Phone) as Hiccup.
- Nico Parker (The Last of Us) as Astrid.
- Gerard Butler reprises his role as Stoick the Vast (making the jump from voice actor to live-action).
- Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) as Gobber the Belch.
- Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2) as Fishlegs.
Are you looking forward to watching How to Train Your Dragon on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
