Unfortunately, Masters of the Universe has vastly underperformed at the box office, with the film currently sitting at $103 million worldwide against a production budget in the $170-200 million range. Dolph Lundgren, who played He-Man in the 1987 original, has expressed his disappointment that the new Masters of the Universe movie didn’t break the curse.
“Yeah, I was a bit disappointed,” he told ComicBook. “I mean, everybody told me it’s going to do great. I’m not a huge believer in looking at the box office and that influencing how I feel that much emotionally about the picture. But I did think about it like, “Oh, okay. Um that was strange that didn’t do better.” And I don’t know why that is. They did a lot of marketing, they did a lot of press. I was part of it, some of it. I don’t know where it’s at now; I mean, I think it did fairly well overseas as well. I’m not sure what that means really.“
Lundgren’s Masters of the Universe was also a box-office flop, grossing just $17 million against a $20 million budget. That said, it has grown to become a cult favourite, and Lungdren mentioned that he’s been signing Swords of Power for nearly forty years. Could the new film have the same legs?
Despite the film’s lackluster box office, there has actually been talk of a sequel. Shortly after the film’s release, Amazon MGM’s distribution chief issued the following statement: “Travis Knight and the entire cast and filmmaking team have delivered something truly special, and 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.“
Of course, this was before the film dropped nearly 69% in its second weekend, but anything is possible, especially if it becomes a big hit on streaming.
Our own Chris Bumbray enjoyed the film quite a bit. “Even if it’s a one-off, Knight and Amazon MGM went all out, delivering an action spectacle that’s a lot more fun than many recent superhero movies,” he wrote in his review. “It contains plenty of humour and heart without ever going overboard on either. As it should be, it’s a hero’s quest story, and Nicholas Galitzine nails the part.“