MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Didn’t Have the Power at the Box Office With Disappointing $29.3 Million Debut
Heading into the weekend, many expected Masters of the Universe to be one of the biggest theatrical events of the summer. The live-action adaptation of the iconic Mattel franchise had generated plenty of excitement among longtime He-Man fans, and early reactions suggested audiences who saw it were having a good time.
Unfortunately, enthusiasm from the fanbase didn’t translate into the kind of ticket sales the studio was hoping for.
The film opened to just $29.3 million domestically, a surprisingly soft start for a movie carrying a reported $200 million production budget. While there’s still a long road ahead in theaters, that opening number raises questions about the franchise’s future on the big screen and whether a sequel will ever become a reality.
What makes the result even more surprising is that 2026 has already delivered several unexpected theatrical success stories. Films like Michael, Backrooms, and Obsession have all significantly outperformed industry expectations.
On the flip side, every year has its casualties, and Masters of the Universe appears to be heading toward that category unless it finds some serious momentum in the weeks ahead.
International audiences didn’t provide much of a rescue either. The movie brought in another $25 million overseas, giving it a worldwide opening of $54.3 million.
For a property that many believed could become Mattel’s next major cinematic franchise after the success of Barbie, those numbers are far from ideal. With major releases like Toy Story 5 and Supergirl still waiting in the wings this summer, the road ahead isn’t getting any easier for He-Man.
Of course, Amazon will likely be paying very close attention to how the film performs when it eventually lands on Prime Video. Streaming numbers could become an important factor in determining whether the property has a future beyond this first installment. Still, this clearly wasn’t the massive breakout hit Mattel had envisioned.
One small consolation for Amazon is that it wasn’t the only major franchise having a rough weekend. Unfortunately, The Mandalorian and Grogu continues to struggle at the box office as well.
The latest Star Wars adventure dropped 59% domestically during its third weekend, adding just $10 million and bringing its North American total to $155 million. Worldwide, the film has reached $293 million, putting it on track to finish below Solo: A Star Wars Story's $393 million global total and making it the lowest-grossing Star Wars movie to date.
I imagine a lot of people are just waiting for the film to drop on Disney+ after its theatrical run.
Meanwhile, the real box office champion this weekend came from an unexpected place. Despite earning mostly negative reviews, Scary Movie stormed into theaters with a huge $55 million domestic launch and another $50.5 million internationally.
Its $105.5 million global debut nearly doubled the worldwide opening of Masters of the Universe, a result few analysts would have predicted just a few weeks ago.
Despite the underwhelming debut, MGM is putting a positive spin on the film's performance. MGM Studios' Head of Domestic Theatrical Distro, Kevin Wilson, said:
"This weekend represents a very solid start for Masters of the Universe and the passionate, multigenerational audience response we're seeing around the world has been fantastic."
"Travis Knight and the entire cast and filmmaking team have delivered something truly special, and this opening is exactly the kind of critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy—building awareness and engagement that will carry well beyond the theatrical window."
Whether audiences continue showing up over the next few weeks remains to be seen, but the film will need exceptionally strong legs if it hopes to overcome its costly budget and become a genuine theatrical success.
Here’s how the domestic Top 10 shook out this weekend:
Scary Movie – $55 million
Masters of the Universe – $29.3 million
Backrooms – $25.9 million
Obsession – $25.6 million
Amazing Digital Circus – $12.7 million
Mandalorian and Grogu – $10 million
Michael – $7.7 million
The Breadwinner – $3.4 million
Pressure – $3 million
Devil Wears Prada 2 – $2.8 million
For those who haven't checked it out yet, Masters of the Universe sees Travis Knight bring the beloved franchise back to theaters in live-action form.
The story follows Prince Adam, played by Nicholas Galitzine, who is reunited with the Sword of Power after 15 years away from Eternia. Returning home, he finds the planet under the control of Skeletor, played by Jared Leto.
Alongside Teela, played by Camila Mendes, and Duncan/Man-At-Arms, played by Idris Elba, Adam must embrace his destiny as He-Man and fight to save his world.
The big question now is whether audiences will eventually discover Masters of the Universe in theaters, or if this long-awaited He-Man reboot will find its true audience once it reaches streaming. Right now, the power doesn’t seem to be at the box office.