Masters of the Universe was supposed to launch a new franchise. Instead, it's become the latest example of a movie that failed to find an audience at the box office before arriving on streaming. Unfortunately, despite lots of positive chatter about it topping the charts on Amazon's streaming platform, Prime Video, it may not have been that big a hit.
Masters of the Universe debuted at #1 on Nielsen's overall streaming chart for the week of July 20 to July 26, recording an impressive 1.17 billion minutes viewed. However, the latest numbers show that interest in the movie dropped off dramatically during its second week.
For the week of July 27 to August 2, Masters of the Universe fell completely out of Nielsen's Top 10 overall streaming chart. Among movies, it ranked fourth with 588 million minutes viewed, a staggering 50% drop from its opening week.
This suggests fans and curious viewers showed up for its debut, but long-term interest may be minimal. Ultimately, it will depend on what Amazon considers a "success."
The Devil Wears Prada 2 topped the movie chart with 885 million minutes viewed, while The Super Mario Galaxy Movie also benefited from making its streaming debut that week. Kevin Hart's poorly reviewed Netflix comedy 72 Hours rounded out the Top 3 with 734 million minutes viewed.
Masters of the Universe carried a reported $170 million production budget, but grossed just $114 million worldwide. That fell well below the amount needed to recoup its production costs once marketing and other expenses are taken into account.
While a strong Prime Video performance could have helped soften that blow, these latest Nielsen figures suggest the reboot may struggle to become the streaming hit Amazon needs it to be. A sequel was already unlikely, but this latest update isn't likely to help its chances.
An impressive streaming performance leading to another $170+ million movie was always a bit of a pipe dream, but stranger things have happened. For now, it seems He-Man, Skeletor, and the rest of the franchise's iconic characters are back on the shelf.
You can check out our interview with She-Ra actress Lauren Saliu in the player below.
In Masters of the Universe, director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After 15 years apart, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia, where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto).
To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
The supporting cast includes Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress, James Purefoy as King Randor, Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Fisto, Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Goat Man, Jon Xue Zhang as Ram-Man, Stephen Adentan as Moss Man, James Wilkinson as Mekaneck, and Kristen Wiig as Roboto.
Masters of the Universe is now streaming on Prime Video.