Masters Of The Universe Success Proves Amazon Was Right The Whole Time

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 7 seconds ago

If your social media feed is like mine, it’s been filled with people saying “No one told me that Masters of the Universe was this much fun!” Closely followed by “I tried to tell everyone not to let He-Man go the way of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves!” The thing is, that the first attempt at a live-action He-Man in 40 years was never going to be a box office hit. It didn’t matter. It was destined to be a streaming hit on Amazon Prime, where it’s been at Number One since debuting, and that is what Amazon was planning on all along. Thankfully, to the streamer, it’s a success, and now we can brace for spinoffs and sequels.

Masters of the Universe bounced around Hollywood for decades before Amazon MGM scooped it up in 2023 and finally made it happen. When it made $113 million, far below expectations, Amazon’s Domestic Distribution Chief, Kevin Wilson said: “this opening is exactly the kind of critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy—building awareness and engagement that will carry well beyond the theatrical window.” That’s what happened, and now, Amazon is having the last laugh. 

Masters Of The Universe Was Destined For Amazon Prime

Fans of the He-Man franchise were upset over the lack of promotion Amazon put behind the film this past Spring. There weren’t a lot of commercials, though the press tour was successful and endeared the cast to the fanbase (except for Jared Leto), but now we can see that Amazon was waiting for the streaming debut. Now there’s commercials everywhere celebrating the film’s launch on Amazon Prime Video. The theatrical release was a fun throwaway to the fans. Streaming was the goal. 

Nicholas Galitzine stepped into the fur-lined underwear of Adam Prince/He-Man, and after acknowledging the original, Dolph Lundgren, he made the role his own. Masters of the Universe is a campy, unserious sci-fi fantasy romp very similar to Honor Among Thieves, and Galitzine holds it all together with a charismatic performance that matches the wild tone. Camila Mendes (Veronica from Riverdale) turned Teela into her second breakout performance. The entire cast, including Idris Elba, Morena Baccarin, and Alison Brie, understood the assignment.

Amazon’s Invested In The Future Of He-Man

Director Travis Knight has a talent with 80s properties. First he directed Bumblebee and salvaged Michael Bay’s Transformer universe, and now he cut the Gordian Knot that has been Masters of the Universe. After his stop-motion fantasy Wildwood comes out, it will be interesting to see if Amazon keeps him onboard for the inevitable sequel, and as teased in the film, the She-Ra spinoff. 

Netflix has been lambasted over not bringing their movies to movie theaters, but Amazon may have shown precisely why it can be a smart move. Kevin Wilson was right. The theatrical run gained the positive press they wanted to ensure a massive debut when it was available on streaming. Now there’s no sharing revenue with movie theaters, no arguing with foreign distributors, only subscribers to their own streaming service. If only Paramount would acknowledge the rabid fanbase for Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves the way Amazon has with Masters of the Universe, but if nothing else, at least one more trip to Eternia is coming.