‘Dragon’ wings it back to No. 1

? “How to Train Your Dragon” continues to breathe fire at the box office, while newer releases are mostly blowing smoke.

The DreamWorks Animation adventure took in $15 million to reclaim the No. 1 spot in its fifth weekend of release. “How to Train Your Dragon” opened in first place in late March, then dropped back into the pack. But it has held up strongly and climbed to the top again amid a flurry of so-so new releases.

The tale of a Viking youth and his pet dragon raised its total to $178 million and is on its way to becoming a $200 million hit.

Premiering weakly at No. 2 with $12.3 million was Jennifer Lopez’s romantic comedy “The Back-up Plan,” released by CBS Films. Another comedy, Steve Carell and Tina Fey’s “Date Night” from 20th Century Fox, held up well to finish at No. 3 with $10.6 million, raising its total to $63.5 million.

Among the weekend’s other newcomers, the Warner Bros. action flick “The Losers” flopped at No. 4 with $9.6 million. Disney’s nature film “Oceans” had a solid opening for a documentary, coming in at No. 8 with $6 million.

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

  1. “How to Train Your Dragon,” $15 million.

  2. “The Back-up Plan,” $12.3 million.

  3. “Date Night,” $10.6 million.

  4. “The Losers,” $9.6 million.

  5. “Kick-Ass,” $9.5 million.

  6. “Clash of the Titans,” $9 million.

  7. “Death at a Funeral,” $8 million.

  8. “Oceans,” $6 million.

  9. “The Last Song,” $3.7 million.

  10. “Alice in Wonderland,” $2.2 million.