Following a disappointing run at the box office, Masters of the Universe is now streaming on Prime Video.
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 movie, and it finished its theatrical run with just $113 million worldwide.
Could we still see a sequel? If MOTU proves to be a huge streaming hit, then it's always possible, but expect a significantly reduced budget.
Masters of the Universe features a lot of moments that fans of the '80s animated series will appreciate, including He-Man, Teela and the Heroic Warriors donning their classic costumes, the live-action debuts of She-Ra and Orko, and more.
The pre-credits sequence introduces Orko for a brief nod to the "life lessons" PSA that usually closed out the animated episodes. The Trollan wizard, who looks almost exactly like his small-screen counterpart, speaks directly to the audience:
"In today's story, we saw muscles don't necessarily make a man... and that having a skull for a face pretty much guarantees that you're the bad guy!"
The next scene features arguably an even more exciting debut. As Queen Marlena and Man-At-Arms discuss Adam's return to Eternia, Duncan ponders, "Perhaps one day she'll come back to us, too." We then cut to Adam's twin sister (assuming they stick with this aspect of the lore), She-Ra, wielding the Sword of Protection.
One of her allies approaches and asks, "Force Captain... Adora?," to which the statuesque warrior replies, "No... not anymore."
She-Ra is only shot from behind, and though she does turn her face to the side at one point (actress Lauren Saliu plays the role), the character will likely be recast if we do get a sequel. Adora appears to be standing in Etheria's Fright Zone in this scene, which means there's also a pretty good chance Hordak - who was Skeletor's even more ruthless mentor - and his Evil Horde will show up in the next movie.
You can check out She-Ra's debut, along with some other key moments from the movie, 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 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.