> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://spyglass.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # By the Power of Streaming - URL: https://spyglass.org/masters-of-the-universe-streaming-success/ - Published: 2026-08-21T12:44:45.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-21T12:50:46.000Z - Description: He-Man finds his Sword of Power on Amazon Prime Video... - Author: M.G. Siegler - Tags: streaming, film, entertainment, prime video, movie theaters, tech πŸ”— 'Masters of the Universe' Powers to No. 1 Debut β€’ THR He-Man has the power! Well, on streaming at least. After ([rather predictably](https://thoughts.spyglass.org/i/192991624/i-spy?ref=spyglass.org)) bombing at the box office, Amazon smartly, quickly, pivoted *Masters of the Universe* to Prime Video and by the power of Grayskull... As Rick Porter (Ri-Porter?) reports: > The movie based on the 1980s cartoon series and toys scored the No. 1 overall ranking in Nielsen’s [streaming ratings](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/streaming-ratings/?ref=spyglass.org) for July 20-26, its first week of streaming. It debuted July 22 on Prime Video, less than weeks after its theatrical premiere; it has made a little under $114 million worldwide at the box office against a $170 million budget. *Masters of the Universe* scored 1.17 billion minutes of watch time for the week and was one of just two titles to cross the billion-minute threshold. Let's not get [too carried away](https://x.com/Lucas%5FShaw/status/2090580195518587267?ref=spyglass.org), it barely beat *The Big Bang Theory*, content which is – checks notes – **nearly two decades old**. Still, that's a show with *281 episodes* versus a single movie (I'm still not sure why they bother comparing such things, which is insanely unfair to movies, but I guess time glued to screen is time glued). Anyway, if the movie can hold well on streaming, it will be interesting if Amazon moves forward with the sequel, which – quasi-spoiler[1](#one) – they obviously aimed to do given the tease at the end. There had been [some talk](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2026/06/19/masters-of-the-universe-set-for-sequel-despite-dismal-box-office/?ref=spyglass.org) that they would despite the box office disappointment, and I think that's perhaps a promising sign that Amazon [understands](https://spyglass.org/big-tech-hollywood-releases/) that box office is increasingly just one element of how this can work. To be clear, they would have *loved* a big box office here, but they've also [run this playbook before](https://spyglass.org/streaming-saves-christmas-and-a-stinker/), salvaging big budget "bombs" on streaming. The key is to move relatively quickly, as Amazon did, going to Prime Video just six weeks after the opening – notably, skipping any SVOD window. This is smart. You can take advantage of/recoup some of the theatrical [marketing](https://x.com/MattBelloni/status/2090548280040255565?ref=spyglass.org), which is a trick Netflix has [stubbornly refused to learn](https://spyglass.org/netflix-movie-theaters/) with their [anti-theater](https://spyglass.org/netflix-theatrical-windows/) stance – but that's [obviously](https://spyglass.org/netflix-theatrical/) changing [too](https://spyglass.org/stranger-things-box-office-netflix/). Yes, [even](https://spyglass.org/netflix-movies-movie-theaters/) post-Warner Bros deal [blowing up](https://spyglass.org/netflix-warner-bros-paramount-deal/). It helps that *Masters of the Universe* was decent. Not great, but not awful. Not as good as *Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves* – seriously! – was, but in a similar tongue-firmly-in-cheek vein. The fact that it *looked* a little too *Thor*\-y,[2](#two) but with worse CGI didn't help. But it seemed to find some footing as it went on. So yeah, definitely watchable in a [nostalgic](https://spyglass.org/videogames-hollywood/) sort of way. Which, I was the, um, *prime* audience for. As I've written about – [probably](https://spyglass.org/feeding-the-beast/#:~:text=He%2DMan%20has%20been%20cast%20for%20a%20new%20live%2Daction%20Masters%20of%20the%20Universe%20movie%2C%20oddly%2C%20the%20article%20makes%20no%20mention%20of%20the%20old%20movie%2C%20which%20made%20Dolph%20Lundgren%20a%20large%20part%20of%20my%20childhood%20%28well%2C%20alongside%20his%20role%20in%20Rocky%20IV%29.%20Will%20it%20be%20the%20Barbie%20of%202026%3F) [far](https://spyglass.org/where-to-watch-works/#:~:text=The%20casting%20for,%5BTHR%5D) [too](https://spyglass.org/dispatch-016/#:~:text=Idris%20Elba%20is%20talks%20to%20join%20the%20new%20live%2Daction%20Masters%20of%20the%20Universe%20movie%20for%20Amazon/MGM.%20No%2C%20not%20as%20He%2DMan%2C%20but%20as%20Man%2Dat%2DArms.%20He%20better%20rocks%20the%20big%20mustache%20like%20John%20Cypher%20did%20in%20the%201987%20version%20%E2%80%93%20it%27s%20cannon.%20%5BTHR%5D) [much](https://thoughts.spyglass.org/i/166065880/i-spy?ref=spyglass.org) – I grew up obsessed with the He-Man toys and cartoon. Did I know that it was created by Mattel as a way to combat *Star Wars* ([after they *passed* on those toys](https://geektyrant.com/news/the-crazy-story-behind-why-mattel-passed-on-star-wars-and-created-he-man-instead?ref=spyglass.org))? No. Would I have cared? No – have you *seen* the [Castle Greyskull](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle%5FGrayskull?ref=spyglass.org) toy?[3](#three) It's still awesome.[4](#four) I also loved the first *Masters of the Universe* movie even though it was scary as shit – especially if you're, I don't know, *five years old*, as I was [when it came out](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters%5Fof%5Fthe%5FUniverse%5F%281987%5Ffilm%29?ref=spyglass.org). Frank Langella, FTW. Anyway, the fact that I wasn't there on opening night for this new one probably wasn't a great sign for its box office prospects. Worse, *I didn't see it in theaters at all*! A big part of the problem is that I now have young kids of my own. It's hard to find time to break away to go see a movie (well, one that's not in their wheelhouse at least). Sure, you do it for *The Odyssey* and *Spider-Man* (especially since my wife was interested in the former and my older child interested in the latter!), but *Masters of the Universe*? Sorry, He-Man. And I suspect I wasn't alone in my demographic – again, perhaps the *key* demographic here... But did I watch this new *Masters of the Universe* immediately when it came to streaming? You bet your Skeletor I did![5](#five) So what might Amazon do here for a sequel, strategy-wise? It's early, but I think the right idea would probably be a wide, but limited theatrical run. Make it a two-or-three-week-only engagement – [ideally with IMAX](https://spyglass.org/imax/) – to try to drive super-fans to theaters. Then go even faster to streaming. And ideally augment all of this with some killer toy sales! [You're Amazon](https://spyglass.org/from-amazon-with-love/) for Teela's sake! --- 1 And I don't mean Orko, who obviously also needs to be a focal point of any sequel! [↩](#) 2 Not helped by the role that Idris Elba plays in both. He's good in *Masters*, but come on... [↩](#) 3 As [the popcorn buckets](https://collider.com/he-man-skeletor-masters-of-the-universe-popcorn-buckets-first-look/?ref=spyglass.org) can attest! [↩](#) 4 I couldn't have been the only kid who was confused that the castle shaped like a skull wasn't the home of *the villain with the skull face*... [↩](#) 5 The movie also probably wasn't helped by some level of Jared Leto backlash, though the most recent [allegations](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7lg2nz2x2o?ref=spyglass.org) came out well after the movie was already bombing. Also, he was pretty widely considered to be [the best part/performance](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/masters-of-the-universe-features-actually-great-jared-leto-performance/?ref=spyglass.org) of the movie (not that you can tell it's him). Though shout out to Alison Brie as Evil Lyn! [↩](#)