Amazon MGM's Masters of the Universe opened to $29.3 million domestically and $54 million globally across 86 markets, according to Variety. The figure is a soft debut for a film that cost nearly $200 million to produce.
Nicholas Galitzine stars as Prince Adam and He-Man opposite Jared Leto's Skeletor, with supporting performances from Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Duncan, and Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn. Travis Knight directed. The film earned a B Cinema Score and a 54 on Metacritic.
The weekend's most telling detail may be in the demographics. According to the Hollywood Reporter, 66% of the opening audience was male, and nearly 29% were between the ages of 45 and 54, skewing toward fans of the original 1980s toy line and cartoon. That narrow base limits the broad attendance the film would need to recover its costs.
Industry analyst David A. Gross noted the challenge: "Right now, the only fantasy heroes doing strong business are the biggest and most established superheroes, like Spider-Man, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Superman." Masters of the Universe, for now, does not rank among them.
The film finished second to Scary Movie, a Paramount and Miramax production that cost $30 million and opened to $55 million domestically. Amazon MGM's head of domestic theatrical distribution, Kevin Wilson, framed the debut as part of a longer play: "building awareness and engagement that will carry well beyond the theatrical window."
The result puts renewed pressure on whether IP from 1980s toy lines can translate into franchise launches capable of drawing younger and broader audiences.
