Masters of the Universe soars to top of Amazon Prime Video charts

Despite losses at the box office, Masters of the Universe has surged in viewership at home, with the movie taking top slots on Prime Video lists. The reboot film was praised by viewers and has nudged out Project Hail Mary for number one in Prime’s top ten films and overall US charts.

The film premiered in theaters on June 5, with an opening of $29.4 million domestically. Overall, the film brought in $113.5 million worldwide in its six-week run. This was a loss on its budget, which was $170 million.

Amazon MGM, however, acknowledged that despite the loss, the film had received positive responses from viewers and would likely rebound on streaming, per MovieWeb. As of July 27, the film continues to hold the top slot in the Top 10 Movies in the US list. 

Amazon sent Masters of the Universe straight to Prime Video following its theatrical run, where subscribers to Prime can watch it without an extra cost. Other films from the studio, such as Crime 101 and Red One, which did not see success in theaters, similarly saw rebounds with streaming. 

The film is a reboot of the 1987 film starring Dolph Lundgren, which is based on the Mattel toy brand. Mattel already saw success with Barbie in 2023, and the company reportedly has 16 other projects based on toy brands in the works, including American Girl Doll, Barney, Hot Wheels, and Polly Pocket. 

Masters of the Universe had been stuck in development since 2007, passing through multiple studios and directors before finally entering pre-production in 2023 under Amazon MGM Studios. Travis Knight directed the film, which stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man.