'How to Train Your Dragon 3' Pushed Back to Summer 2017

DreamWorks Animation is going to spend an extra year trying to figure out the best way to get the How to Train Your Dragon franchise back into championship shape. The studio changed the release date for How to Train Your Dragon 3 from June 17, 2016, to June 9, 2017, on Tuesday.

Like many films this past summer, How to Train Your Dragon 2 failed to live up to the success of its predecessor, opening at No. 2 its debut weekend and trailing How to Train Your Dragon by over $40 million at the domestic box office.

The original How to Train Your Dragon is by far the best film in DreamWorks Animation's library, valuing storytelling and character development over pop culture references and fart jokes. It wasn't a betrayal of those elements that sunk the sequel, but it's still encouraging to see DreamWorks Animation slow down its sequel machine and push back the third installment of the franchise.