“Masters of the Universe” is finding the audience in living rooms that it couldn’t find in theaters.
The film, based on Mattel’s long-running toy and animation franchise, debuted on Amazon Prime Video on July 22 and quickly overtook the platform’s charts. According to tracking service FlixPatrol, the movie ranked first among films in 47 of 52 countries tracked, and led the combined movies-and-series chart in 21 of 31 countries where that data is available.
The streaming surge marks a turnaround for a movie that underperformed badly in theaters. Directed by Travis Knight and starring Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam, the film opened domestically on June 5 with a $29.4 million weekend and went on to gross $113.1 million worldwide against a reported $170 million production budget, according to Box Office Watch. Some outlets, including Screen Rant, have cited estimates as high as $200 million once marketing costs are factored in.
The story follows Adam’s return to Eternia after 15 years away, where he must reclaim the Sword of Power and confront Skeletor, played by Jared Leto, alongside allies Teela (Camila Mendes) and Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba). Alison Brie, James Purefoy and Morena Baccarin round out the principal cast.
Critics and viewers who caught up with the film on streaming have frequently compared it to another fantasy adaptation that struggled theatrically before finding fans: “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.” A Forbes review drew the parallel directly.
“That was another surprisingly great fantasy action movie with lots of wit and, just as importantly, lots of heart,” film critic Erik Kain wrote.
Not every review was as warm. Deep Focus Review’s Jonathan Christian argued the film’s shifting tone undercut its impact, contrasting it unfavorably with the same 2023 D&D adaptation. Metacritic’s review aggregation similarly notes reviewers repeatedly invoking that film as a tonal touchstone, for better and worse, depending on the critic.
Some viewers have suggested the movie’s marketing misrepresented what audiences would actually get. Yahoo Movies noted the film “was massively let down by its marketing” ahead of its theatrical run, a sentiment echoed across several outlets covering its streaming resurgence.
Amazon has not confirmed a sequel, though multiple entertainment outlets, including Forbes, have reported the studio is moving forward with plans for a follow-up despite the theatrical shortfall, betting on the film’s older, nostalgia-driven audience translating into long-term streaming value.
Prime Video has not released official viewership numbers for the film, and Amazon typically does not disclose streaming metrics beyond chart placement data supplied to third parties like FlixPatrol.
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