Despite the success of the figurines Masters of the Universe , the animated series, and other Mattel franchise projects, it looks like He-Man is headed for a mediocre start at the box office.
Of course it is Not refers to the full-length version «"Barbie"» Mattel's 2023 film, which grossed over $1.4 billion worldwide on a production budget of $145 million before marketing expenses. Furthermore, «"Barbie"» received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, a rarity for a comedy.
FORBES | Tim Lammers: Rotten Tomatoes reviews of 'Masters of the Universe' praise 'The Power of Grayskull,' but note flaws.
With the exception of excellence nominations like Best Visual Effects, it's unlikely anyone expects major Oscar nominations for «Masters of the Universe» , and apparently that was never director Travis Knight's intention. After all, the animated series, which spawned the Mattel action figure line, had a cheerful, positive vibe, and after watching the second feature-length adaptation «"Masters of the Universe", I I can say that the new film captures this tone perfectly.
The entire cast, from Nicholas Galitzin as Prince Adam He-Man to Idris Elba as Duncan Man-at-Arms, fully embraces the film's cartoonish atmosphere. Furthermore, Jared Leto, who voices the evil wizard Skeletor, delivers a quirky performance that steals the show.
Moreover, He-Man's origin story in Masters of the Universe« impressed most critics Rotten Tomatoes , receiving a good but not excellent rating of 69% based on 154 reviews as of Friday morning. Furthermore, the reaction from viewers among users RT Brilliant: The film received a "freshness" rating of 88% on Popcornmeter, based on over 500 verified user ratings.
FORBES | Tim Lammers | Roger Sweet, creator of He-Man, dies at 91
But the most wonderful thing is «Masters of the Universe» , as in the case with «"Barbie"» , there's something most films have in common: brand recognition. Starting with a line of toys «Masters of the Universe» Created by Mattel in 1982, the franchise quickly spawned an animated television series in 1983 (which in turn spawned more spin-off series and reboots), a full-length animated film in 1985, and a full-length feature film in 1987, as well as books, comics, and video games.
The film also gave Mattel the opportunity to create more action figures. Masters of the Universe , based on the characters of Galitzine, Elba, and Camila Mendes, who plays Prince Adam's longtime friend, Tila. The iconic toymaker also released reproductions of classic figures and new versions from the original animated series.
FORBES | Tim Lammers. The Michael Jackson biopic "Michael" has received a release date on streaming platforms, and its theatrical box office is approaching $850 million.
It's no surprise that themed popcorn buckets were also released to promote the film. Masters of the Universe , including containers shaped like Grayskull Castle and Skeletor's head. The drink containers are also quite unique: one is adorned with a He-Man figurine, while another is shaped like the muscular hero's Might Sword.
Despite the apparent success «Masters of the Universe» , From a marketing perspective, the film is expected to have a weak opening weekend. But why?
Masters of the Universe is projected to gross between $30 million and $35 million in its opening weekend.
No Escape - Predictions for the film's opening weekend «Masters of the Universe» are disappointing.
On Tuesday Deadline edition predicted the film would gross $30 million in its opening weekend in the US, while Variety estimated the situation at a slightly more favorable $33 million for the first weekend of box office. Even Box Office Pro , which typically uses a wider range of forecasts, noted in mid-May that the film was projected to gross between $25 million and $35 million in its opening weekend.
FORBES | Tim Lammers. "Whiplash" star Inde Navarrete revealed where we'll see Nikki next.
However, the number that will likely prevent the He-Man movie from becoming a hit is its production budget, which, according to Variety , is $200 million excluding marketing costs.
Jared Leto in the movie "Masters of the Universe".
Amazon MGM Studios
Speaking of marketing, one of key members of Masters of the Universe« — Jared Leto — has been virtually absent from the film's promotional campaign. He didn't attend the press conference, and his Instagram page, which has 11.4 million followers, remains silent, with no mention of «Masters of the Universe» or about his role as Skeletor. Instead, the page is primarily dedicated to his musical career with the band 30 Seconds to Mars.
FORBES | Tim Lammers: Behind the Scenes 2: Kane Parsons Shares Exciting News About Future Films and Returning to YouTube.
Of course, given the actor's controversial behavior off-screen - Vulture published a full report on this, and Variety in 2025, I wondered how this might affect the yet-to-be-released film "TRON: Ares" и Masters of the Universe» — It's quite logical that Amazon MGM Studios didn't want his help in promoting the film. At least, Variety requested comment from Amazon MGM, but the studio declined.
Be that as it may, given Skeletor's importance in history «Masters of the Universe» and the absence of even one Leto post on Instagram promoting the film will inevitably damage the film's financial prospects.
Who is Masters of the Universe really for?
Although the situation may change, and «Masters of the Universe» could beat expectations this weekend after a box office boom «Obsession» и «Behind the Scenes» , when everything was possible—Amazon MGM Studios executives will undoubtedly need to conduct a major financial analysis to determine what went wrong. Given the film's box office performance, that analysis may already be underway.
However, intellectual property cannot be blamed for this. Masters of the Universe , which has been around for 40 years. It's obvious that the brand Masters of the Universe There are enough devoted fans to support it for at least a couple of generations, so it was logical to take a chance and make a feature film. However, translating this enthusiasm into a film for a wider audience is a completely different story.
FORBES | Tim Lammers: The streaming release date for Whiplash has been scrapped in favor of a longer window between theatrical release and on-demand (PVOD).
In his analysis of what will undoubtedly be a brutal weekend ahead for «Masters of the Universe » Jordan Ruimi from World of Reel shared his thoughts on the matter on Tuesday, asking a "simple but important question.".
Idris Elba, Nicolas Galitzine and Camila Mendes in Masters of the Universe.
Amazon MGM Studios
«"Who is this movie really for? Is it for kids who have little to no connection to He-Man, or for adults who grew up with the toys and the cartoon?" Ruimi asks in World of Reel . "It turns out that most of the interest in «To the Masters of the Universe» comes from an older male audience that grew up with the franchise—but that demographic isn't typically considered a major factor in box office success.".
FORBES | Tim Lammers | "Behind the Scenes: Streaming. Why Big Movie Box Office Sales Will Likely Change A24's PVOD Strategy.".
The first part of this observation takes us back to the success of low-budget indie horror films. «Obsession» и «Behind the Scenes» . Director «"Obsessions"» Curry Barker and director «Behind the Scenes» Kane Parsons, having gained popularity on YouTube, first achieved success on their own channels and continued to release films that were popular with their fans.
In short, they know their audience, and fortunately, each of them found producers willing to risk money ($750,000 for Barker to make «Obsessions» , $10 million for Parsons to produce «Behind the Scenes» ) to prove their worth, and these investments were generously rewarded.
Another factor to consider is that Barker and Parsons offered audiences something new at a time when major studios like Warner Bros. and Disney have struggled recently to push familiar franchises like Mortal Kombat II , Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, to the masses.
FORBES | Tim Lammers: 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' Dropped 69% in Its Second Weekend.
The overwhelming success of the films «Obsession» и «Behind the Scenes» — a telling sign that moviegoers — at least Generation Z in recent times — are sending Hollywood a signal for the third time this month that they don't like the worn-out tires that can emerge after a miserable start. «Masters of the Universe» .
Does this mean there's no more room for entertaining films featuring familiar faces, places, and characters from pop culture? Of course not. But if the major franchise film of 2026— «Avengers: Doomsday» — the start will be comparable to «Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu и Masters of the Universe» , then the days of big-budget films that rely on audience nostalgia are doomed.
FORBES | Tim Lammers. A24 is selling yellow wallpaper with the words "Behind the Scenes" amid the film's resounding success.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com.