Masters Of The Universe's 4-Week Prime Video Streak Proves Amazon Right & Boosts Sequel Hopes

Masters of the Universe was one of the big movies that flopped this summer, following the struggles of The Mandalorian and Grogu from the Star Wars universe and Supergirl from the DC Universe. There were several reasons that these movies flopped, and much of that had to do with the competition. Films like Obsession and Backrooms exploded, while a movie like Toy Story 5 was a juggernaut. It left the blockbusters out in the cold.

For Masters of the Universe, the box office was only part of the story for the franchise. This was an Amazon MGM Studios release, and while the studio had a monster success earlier in the year with Project Hail Mary, the studio was not as concerned about the box office numbers. The studio believed there was more to this specific release than whether people paid to see the movie in theaters.

That was proven when Masters of the Universe hit streaming, and since this was an Amazon MGM Studios release, it was the studio that received the immediate dividends of the movie’s actual popularity since it opened its streaming run on Prime Video. The movie about He-Man returning to Eternia shot up the charts, and it is not only the biggest movie on Prime Video, but it is also the biggest movie release on any streaming platform.

Masters Of The Universe Has Officially Been Prime Video’s #1 Show For 4 Weeks

Via MovieStillsDB

When Masters of the Universe launched on Prime Video, it immediately became the most-watched Prime Original film for its first week. While Reacher hitting number one for the service’s original series was expected, no one who followed Masters of the Universe’s box office take could have seen this coming. According to Box Office Mojo, Masters of the Universe made a total of $113.8 million worldwide, and only $64.8 million domestically.

When it hit Prime Video, Masters of the Universe rocketed to the top of the charts, and it has remained there for four weeks and counting. It sits above Project Hail Mary and movies like The Sheep Detectives and A Working Man. This is a huge achievement, and it makes it sound like Masters of the Universe is a lot more successful than anyone believed after its tepid box office take.

Why Masters Of The Universe Is Such A Big Streaming Hit After Its Box Office Disappointment

Jared Leto as Skeletor in Masters of the Universe

There are a lot of reasons that Masters of the Universe is more successful on streaming than it was in theaters, but in reality, it comes down to two things. First, there was some surprising competition at the box office that Amazon MGM Studios might not have expected. Second, there was a cause for concern that this was another nostalgic property that would fail to live up to expectations.

For the second explanation, the idea of people paying money for a visit to the theater to see something that not many people believed would be good is hard in today’s economy. Once the movie hits Prime Video, anyone who subscribes to the service can watch it for no extra cost. This means they can judge for themselves without worrying about paying for something they might not like.

The big reason that Masters of the Universe flopped at the box office was unexpected competition. In its opening weekend, two movies came from out of nowhere and began a monster climb at the box office. Both Backrooms and Obsession had become juggernauts, and word of mouth had people going back for more. There is also the fact that Scary Movie was a surprise success, and The Mandalorian and Grogu were still stealing audience share from He-Man.

By the movie’s second weekend, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day arrived, and both Obsession and Backrooms jumped over Masters of the Universe and never let up their hold on the top half of the box office charts. There was too much competition, and Masters of the Universe took the brunt of the collateral damage.

Amazon MGM Was Right About Masters Of The Universe’s Box Office

Nicholas Galitzine's Prince Adam looking surprised at something in a forest in Masters of the Universe — Nicholas Galitzine’s Prince Adam looking surprised at something in a forest in Masters of the Universe

While doomsayers slammed the movie, Amazon MGM Studios didn’t seem too bothered by the box office failure. Despite a $170 million budget, the studio knew it had more here than just a movie that would live and die at the box office. In fact, Amazon MGM Studios put out a statement on opening weekend that said it was happy about the “special start” for its broad distribution strategy (via Variety).

Amazon MGM Studios was right. As of this past week, Masters of the Universe has racked up 1.1 billion minutes viewed, and it is an official streaming success story. Since it is exclusive to Prime Video, all these viewing minutes are going to the platform owned by Amazon MGM Studios.

It’s even bigger than that. The Hollywood Reporter has a ranking now for streaming services, and Masters of the Universe is number one on all streaming services for television shows and movies. It ranks ahead of HBO Max’s replay of The Big Bang Theory, and it is the only movie with over one billion minutes viewed, ahead of Netflix’s 72 Hours. There isn’t a bigger streaming property right now than Masters of the Universe.

Masters Of The Universe’s Streaming Success Increases Its Sequel Chances

Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn in Masters of the Universe

There looked to be no chance that Masters of the Universe was getting a sequel after the box office failure. These streaming numbers will change that. Masters of the Universe has as good a chance as any movie of getting a sequel with these numbers. The biggest thing to take note of is that people who were worried about taking a gamble to see it in theaters now know that the movie is good.

The streaming success should allow Amazon MGM Studios to release a second movie that now has a proven track record. There is a good chance the studio will have to drop the budget on the follow-up, but as long as they keep the humor and action the same, this is a movie franchise that could have legs.

Masters Of The Universe Deserves A Sequel

Jared Leto as Skeletor stands in front of other warriors surrounded by fire in Masters of the Universe (2026)

The most impressive thing about Masters of the Universe was that it took the iconic cartoon and action figure franchise and delivered a movie that is entertaining and self-deprecating. This was a lot more like Thor: Ragnarok, as it is a film that offers some really funny moments, but it never lacks good emotional beats and great action scenes.

Even Jared Leto, who is box office poison, delivers a great performance in his role as Skeletor. If this movie can get people praising a Leto performance, it did something right. Of all the box office flops at the 2026 box office, Masters of the Universe is the movie that least deserves it, and thanks to streaming, it is finally getting the recognition it deserves.