A feature film reboot of Masters of the Universe has been in development since 2007, making it a project 19 years in the making. The adaptation of the beloved 1980s toyline and animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has finally made its way to the big screen. Expectations are high, and in the best-case scenario, the movie will become a Transformers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-level hit.
However, Masters of the Universe is entering a crowded summer blockbuster season, one that has already seen established franchises like Star Wars struggle against smaller-budget horror films like Obsession and Backrooms, which are aimed at a younger audience. Will Masters of the Universe‘s status as a 40-year-old property hurt its box-office chances with an audience unfamiliar with the brand, or will nostalgia carry the film? Here is a breakdown of the Masters of the Universe budget, what it needs to earn back, and the obstacles in its way.
How Much Did ‘Masters of the Universe’ Cost (and How Much Does It Need to Make)?
Masters of the Universe has a reported budget of between $170 million and $200 million. Even on the lower end, that makes Masters of the Universe more expensive than The Mandalorian and Grogu, which had a $166.4 million budget. It’s also higher than Mattel’s other high-profile feature film adaptation, Barbie, which cost $150 million.
At $200 million, Masters of the Universe would have the same budget as Amazon MGM’s recent hit, Project Hail Mary, which grossed $342 million domestically and $678 million worldwide. However, Project Hail Mary had more working in its favor than Masters of the Universe does.
Project Hail Mary was an adaptation of a popular book by Andy Weir and had a strong critical reaction heading into its release, along with strong word-of-mouth to sustain it in the following months. Masters of the Universe has earned 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a good, but not great, rating. It will need word of mouth to sustain it. For Masters of the Universe to be considered a hit, it needs to gross between $400 and $500 million.
‘Masters of the Universe’s Opening Weekend Projections Don’t Look Good
Variety reported that Masters of the Universe is aiming for a $30 and $35 million debut, and could potentially open at number three behind fellow new release Scary Movie (which is projected to open between $45 and $50 million) and the second weekend of Backrooms. Given its $200 million budget, a $35 million opening for Masters of the Universe would be a terrible start, particularly for a movie that needs to gross at least $400 million.
It also doesn’t help that after its opening weekend, Masters of the Universe will still face stiff competition. The following weekend, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, which has been building positive buzz, will be released. Toy Story 5 is set to hit theaters on June 19 and is projected to open between $150 to $175 million, making it both the biggest opening weekend for a Toy Story film and the biggest opening weekend of 2026 so far. Follow that up with Supergirl, Minions & Monsters, and Moana, and Masters of the Universe will need to grab audiences’ attention quickly.
Masters of the Universe could be saved by a strong worldwide box office. Movies like Pacific Rim and Warcraft underperformed at the domestic box office but grossed over $300 million worldwide. However, it appears Masters of the Universe might not have worldwide appeal as it opened to a disappointing start in the United Kingdom behind Obsession and Backrooms.
A good point of comparison for Masters of the Universe might be 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Like Masters of the Universe, it was an action-comedy fantasy film produced by Amazon MGM Studios. Honor Among Thieves had a budget of $150 million, $20 million less than the low estimates for Masters of the Universe. Despite positive reviews from critics, Honor Among Thieves bombed at the box office, grossing $93 million domestically and $205 million worldwide. This certainly doesn’t bode well for Masters of the Universe at the moment, as it is potentially tracking to open even lower than Honor Among Thieves‘ $37 million debut.
However, if the 2026 box office has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is predictable. Nobody could have predicted the run at the box office for a movie like Obsession. Even Project Hail Mary seemed doomed to fail at one point before becoming one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Maybe Masters of the Universe will manage to stick around at the box office, become a hit with kids, and relaunch the toy line.
- Release Date
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June 5, 2026
- Director
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Travis Knight
- Writers
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Chris Butler
- Producers
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Jason Blumenthal, Robbie Brenner, Steve Tisch, Todd Black
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
