Thursday night box office previews
Summer has arrived and this weekend sees the release of two known but vastly different titles. The fantasy-adventure of Masters of the Universe squares off against Scary Movie and the new He-Man live-action adaptation is no match for the Wayans’ return to the comedy franchise. Perhaps Masters of the Universe could benefit from younger audiences buying tickets for the film only to sneak into Scary Movie. However, as it is, according to Deadline, the horror movie spoof is seeing solid opening numbers with a Thursday preview estimate of $7.5 million at the box office. Ironically, the evening was actually won byThe Amazing Digital Circus, which took in a whopping $7.8 million but is expected to be frontloaded.
Meanwhile, Masters of the Universe, which is doing better critically, doesn’t quite have the power of Greyskull, as it garnered $4 million in Thursday night previews. Both movies started their showings in the afternoon at 2PM, which could be peak showtimes for summer moviegoers.
Scary Movie’s $7 million early take ironically nearly matches Scream 7’s Thursday previews, which garnered $7.8 million, then blossomed into a franchise-best weekend take with $63.6 million. Masters of the Universe’s numbers are being compared to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which saw $4.5 million, and its sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which took $4.7 million in early numbers. All franchises are revamped 80s properties looking to capitalize on audience nostalgia.
Masters of the Universe
Amazon MGM Studios has previously announced their gameplan of going after nostalgia properties, with Masters of the Universe and Voltron as prime examples (no pun intended). They hired Laika filmmaker Travis Knight, which was a smart move since the director had been praised for his loyal treatment of Transformers with the franchise spin-off entry Bumblebee. Knight would admit that he was a fan of Saturday morning cartoons in the era of Transformers and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. However, Amazon MGM may have shot themselves in the foot by opening across from the return of one of the biggest comedy moneymakers at the start of the millennium.
As a newer property, modern audiences would be more inclined to revisit a movie whose references are much more current. And, for better or for worse, the “no one is safe” and “lines will be crossed” marketing of the comedy could entice moviegoers who hunger for more irreverent material in the current climate.
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