Masters Of The Universe Rotten Tomatoes Score Sets An All-Time Audience Record After 41 Years

Masters of the Universe has the power to win over its audience.

Although the fantasy franchise has endured through various television series, the last movie adaptation came out nearly four decades ago and starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man/Prince Adam. Unfortunately, that 1987 attempt underwhelmed both commercially and critically, but it has grown a cult following. Still, it took years for a studio to set up a movie reboot, which finally came to fruition with Amazon and Mattel Studios’ Masters of the Universe starring Nicholas Galitzine as the iconic hero.

Ahead of its release, Masters of the Universe reviews were mixed to generally positive, and the Rotten Tomatoes score landed at 66%. Now, audiences had a chance to watch Champion of Castle Grayskull on the big screen, and the official verdict is in. Based on over 1000 verified ratings, most moviegoers approve of the fantasy movie, with an 88% audience score.

This means that 2026’s Masters of the Universe would have the highest audience score among all movies, just dethroning The Secret of the Sword, which has 80%. In addition, the rating beats almost all the TV adaptations, except for 1983’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (91%) and the 2002 version with the same title (97%).

Masters of the Universe Movie Adaptations	Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score	Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
The Secret of the Sword (1985)	60%	80%
Masters of the Universe (1987)	21%	41%
Masters of the Universe (2026)	66%	88%

Critics and audiences agree that Masters of the Universe‘s strengths were its comedy and action-packed sword-fighting. Older moviegoers who grew up with the original series noted that the film was nostalgic while staying true to the franchise’s silliness and fun, and praised Jared Leto’s Skeletor as a standout for balancing humor and villainy that lives up to the memes. Lastly, most audiences lauded Galitzine’s performance as He-Man and the supporting cast, like Camila Mendes’ Teela.

While the 2026 adaptation is getting a seal of approval and a major upgrade from the 1987 version, the franchise’s future is questionable. Masters of the Universe ends with the doors open for more story, as Prince Adam’s return to Eternia is just the beginning of a new adventure. However, hopes to spawn sequels will rely on the commercial performance, which doesn’t seem to be in the movie’s favor.

With a $170–200 million budget, box office projections indicate that Masters of the Universe will debut with a $31.1 million opening weekend, performing below the parody film Scary Movie. Even with positive audience reception and hopes of word-of-mouth, it’s unlikely that the domestic debut will turn the needle drastically.

The movie’s box-office performance may come down to it being an older IP, which already limited the target audience to those who followed the 1980s series. The expensive budget and summer competition only add to that hurdle, since the break-even point would be around $450–500 million.

Although the projections spell a doomsday scenario, the positive audience reaction may help find a new audience through streaming when Masters of the Universe lands on Prime Video. However, it’s too soon to announce a release date. Meanwhile, Amazon announced a live-action She-Ra series, with Nicole Kassell directing and Heidi Schreck as the showrunner. However, since 2024, there has been no status report on the show’s development.

Alongside Galitzine and Mendes, the Masters of the Universe cast includes Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, and Idris Elba. Bumblebee director Travis Knight helmed the fantasy movie, while the screenplay was handled by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and David Callaham.

Masters of the Universe is now playing in theaters.