Long Range Forecast: Amazon MGM Faces a New Theatrical Test with MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

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Long Range Forecast – June 5, 2026

Masters of the Universe | Amazon MGM

Domestic Opening Weekend Range: $25M – $35M

Amazon follows up their first major theatrical release, Project Hail Mary—currently the second highest domestic grosser of the year with $329.7M—and this weekend’s new revenge drama Is God Is with Masters of the Universe, based on the popular ’80s cartoon series that introduced He-Man to the world.

At this point in Project Hail Mary‘s release cycle—roughly a month in advance of its theatrical debut—it was tracking in the $60M – $70M range, an estimate that it would shoot past with its $80.5M opening in late March. A savvy marketing push over the next few weeks could have Masters of the Universe‘s trajectory ticking upwards in a similar fashion, though there are several hurdles that Amazon MGM will have to overcome to get there. One is the absence of an actor with Ryan Gosling-level name recognition in the lead role; He-Man himself, Nicholas Galitzine, is a relative newcomer, and the cast member with the highest level of name recognition, Jared Leto, is virtually unrecognizable as villain Skeletor.

Then there’s the long dormancy of the Masters of the Universe IP, which served as the basis of several short-lived animated series throughout the 21st century but is well removed from its 1980s peak. There’s a nostalgia factor here for Gen X and elder Millennial audiences, though parents of young children may be put off by the film’s PG-13 rating.

On the plus side: director Travis Knight has experience with CGI-heavy blockbusters, having directed the surprisingly well-reviewed Transformers spinoff Bumblebee, which despite having the lowest opening of the franchise ($21.6M) also has by far the highest multiple (5.87), indicating positive word-of-mouth. That word-of-mouth should be helped along by last month’s Amazon MGM CinemaCon presentation, where Masters of the Universe was one of the highlights.

Other recent live-action adaptations of ’80s cartoons include 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ($65.5M opening), 2021 G.I. Jones spinoff Snake Eyes ($13.3M), and 2015’s Jem and the Holograms ($1.3M).

Tracking Updates [As Of 5/15/26]