MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Director Travis Knight Reflects on the Film's Box Office Disappointment and Streaming Success
Travis Knight had high hopes for Masters of the Universe, but the big-screen return of He-Man didn't exactly conquer the box office. While the film struggled to attract moviegoers to theaters, it found a much bigger audience on streaming, leaving the director with mixed feelings about how things played out.
The live-action adaptation earned just $114 million worldwide against a reported $170 million production budget. That's a rough theatrical run for a movie based on such a popular franchise, especially one featuring a recognizable cast and a generally positive response from audiences.
The film currently holds an 85% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter, based on more than 5,000 ratings. Clearly, plenty of people enjoyed the movie. Getting them into theaters was another story.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Knight opened up about the film's disappointing box office results and how Amazon MGM Studios approached its release.
According to the filmmaker, the studio's priorities weren't necessarily focused on theatrical ticket sales. He said: “Its life on streaming was much more important to Amazon than its life in the theaters.”
That approach makes more sense when you look at how the movie performed after arriving on Prime Video. Masters of the Universe racked up an impressive one billion minutes viewed during its first week of digital release, proving that audiences were interested in seeing He-Man's latest adventure, even if they preferred watching it at home.
For Amazon MGM Studios, which considers both theatrical and streaming potential when deciding which projects to greenlight, those numbers were encouraging. However, Knight admitted that he didn't fully understand that business strategy when he signed on to direct the film.
He also described the movie's streaming success as "bittersweet," explaining that he wanted the studio's investment in the filmmakers to pay off with a stronger theatrical performance.
“It’s not something I understood going into it. I wanted their faith in us as filmmakers and in the movie to be rewarded in a way that wasn’t in line with my hopes and expectations. The film deserved a better fate than it got, but I’ve made peace with it.”
I understand why Knight feels that way. When you spend years bringing a massive fantasy adventure to life, you want audiences to experience it on the biggest screen possible. Even with those impressive streaming numbers, it's hard to completely shake the disappointment of an underwhelming theatrical release.
Masters of the Universe is currently streaming on Prime Video, where He-Man has apparently found a much more welcoming audience.
It's an interesting outcome for a franchise with such a devoted fanbase. The theatrical numbers may have fallen short, but the movie's streaming performance shows that plenty of viewers still wanted to return to Eternia.
What do you think? Did Masters of the Universe deserve a better theatrical run, or was this always the kind of movie audiences would rather watch at home?