Masters of the Universe may not have had the power on the big screen, but the reboot has found a new lease of life since making its streaming debut on July 22.
According to THR, the movie shot to No. 1 in Nielsen’s overall streaming ratings for July 20-26. Masters of the Universe scored 1.17 billion minutes of watch time for the week, and was one of just two titles to cross the billion-minute threshold (the other was The Big Bang Theory).
The PG-13 fantasy adventure was met with a mostly positive reception from critics, and fans of the classic cartoon seemed to embrace this colourful, comedic adaptation. But a soft opening and a "B" CinemaScore indicated that general audiences weren't quite as taken with the perhaps overly goofy tone, and it finished its theatrical run with just $113 million worldwide.
At the end of the day, there's no guarantee of box office success, even when a movie appears to tick all the right boxes. MGM Studios' Head of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, Kevin Wilson, would have us believe that MOTU performed well.
"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," he said when the opening weekend numbers came in. "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."
Nobody really bought into this, of course, but is there a chance that MOTU's streaming success could result in a sequel?
If the studio does decide to move forward with a follow-up, it will almost certainly be a direct-to-streaming release with a significantly smaller budget, but it could happen.
"In MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, 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."
Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam/He-Man, Camila Mendes as Teela, Jared Leto as Skeletor, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress and James Purefoy and Charlotte Riley as Adam's parents, King Randor and Queen Marlena. Alison Brie will also feature as Skeletor's second-in-command, Evil-Lyn.
Sam C. Wilson will play Trap Jaw, with Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops, and Kristin Wiig recently joined the cast as the voice of Roboto.
Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch will produce, along with DeVon Franklin.