By Chris Snellgrove | Published
So far, this has been a summer filled with some real box office surprises. Among other things, The Mandalorian and the Grogu didn’t do very well, despite being the first Star Wars film in six years. Meanwhile, horror movies Infatuation again Back rooms made a killing, each of them from young filmmakers working on very low budgets. For me, the biggest surprise was also the biggest disappointment: Masters of the Universedespite receiving critical acclaim, it struggled to find an audience. Now, there is no chance of a snowball on Snake Mountain breaking even, let alone making a real profit.
Usually, that would mean no sequels, which is too bad. The sequels to this movie introduced other fan-favorite He-Man characters like Orko and, most intriguingly, She-Ra. However, we might see the most powerful man in the universe on the big screen again. That’s because this film was made by Amazon MGM Studios, and their main goal isn’t theatrical sales; Prime Video subscription. Based on a recent statement from home distribution guru Kevin Wilson, Masters of the Universe did well enough to warrant a sequel, which, like the first film, will keep people watching Prime Video.
A box office disappointment
Currently, the numbers of Masters of the Universe it looks blurry. It cost $170 million to make and, as of this writing, has only grossed $92.1 million. That means this new He-Man movie won’t come close to its production budget. Throw in factors like high marketing costs, and it’s clear that this movie won’t bring any real profit. For movie studios that rely entirely on theatrical sales, that would be the end of the story: if the movie bombed, they wouldn’t shell out another $170 million just to roll those dice again.
However, Amazon MGM has a different goal. Basically, they want to make as much money as possible in theaters before bringing their original productions to Prime Video, where they serve as the most attractive streaming carrot of all: exclusive content. How does this translate to Masters of the Universe are you getting a sequel? According to the studio’s distribution chief Kevin Wilson, the premiere of the film “represents a strong start” that has received “interest, response from international audiences… around the world.” He said, “this opening is the kind of milestone that validates our overall distribution strategy – building awareness and engagement that will extend beyond the theater window.”
He-Man Still Has Power
What does that really mean? Basically, Amazon MGM doesn’t evaluate its movies on a pass/fail system where box office revenue is everything. They have a “holistic distribution strategy” that involves doing as much as possible in theaters and making the film a Prime Video staple. While Masters of the Universe it may not have generated any real profit, it generated tons of good buzz and good word of mouth to help it make a killing in distribution. This happens with Red Onea box office flop that went on to garner 50 million views in its first week, making it the best debut in Prime Video history.
Amazon hopes that Masters of the Universe would be a similar success story, one that helped break into the streaming market with a hit sci-fi/fantasy film. If that happens, the studio is likely to greenlit the next one. Considering that the sequel will introduce She-Ra and that Amazon is actively working on She-Ra television series, it’s a safe bet that the show will be the next episode. All this modern marketing mojo can make your head spin like Triklops, but it adds up to good news: despite a poor box office, Masters of the Universe he may still “have the power” to get a sequel!
