Masters of the Universe’s Box Office Prediction Could Rise With 1 Major Change

Amazon MGM Studios will launch its He-Man movie franchise next month with Masters of the Universe. The movie’s box office potential has been a point of contention due to a disappointing projection. However, prospects could increase with one major change.

After the first teaser trailer for the Masters of the Universe movie starring Nicholas Galitzine as Adam Glenn/He-Man was released, reactions did not trend in the right direction. The film was mocked for its silly sci-fi premise. and Jared Leto‘s involvement as Skeletor has also drawn a polarizing reaction. While the official trailers have generated a more positive reaction, the box office projection is still lower than expected.

Tracking pegged Masters of the Universe for a domestic opening weekend of $25 million. That projection has since increased to $35 million. For a movie that reportedly has over a $170 million budget, a $35 million opening is not an ideal start.

How can the Masters of the Universe’s box office increase?

Those box office projections came in before promising first reactions from fans and critics. “Travis Knight completely understood the assignment and delivered exactly what fans of this franchise have been waiting for,” film journalist Scott Menzel wrote on X. BJ Colangelo wrote that it’s “everything you could want” in this He-Man adaptation.

The buzz from the early reactions has led prediction markets like Kalshi to adjust their markets for Masters of the Universe’s Rotten Tomatoes score. The movie is now trending toward a Certified Fresh rating of over 75%, which would be fantastic for a movie many believed would be rated rotten by the aggregator.

Positive reviews and strong word of mouth could completely shift the box office projection as the June 5 release date gets closer. Just look at what happened with Michael and Obsession as two recent examples of how the audience reception can drive a movie’s earnings potential.

Michael was clouded in controversy in the lead-up to its release due to the reshoots and the decision not to address Michael Jackson’s sexual abuse allegations. Michael’s smashed its projected $50-plus million domestic opening with a staggering $97 million.

Obsession, Curry Barker’s horror movie, is only getting stronger as the weeks pass. It was produced for under $1 million, opened to $17.2 million and exceeding expectations with a $23.9 million second weekend. While this drastic change might not happen for Masters of the Universe, Amazon MGM Studios is hoping that a positive reception will allow the movie to have legs at the box office this summer.

Source: Comingsoon.net