Masters Of The Universe Repeats This $208M Bomb (& They Have A Combined 96 Years Of Lore)

Masters of the Universe premiered in theaters in June, marking the first time He-Man, Skeletor, and characters from Eternia have appeared on the silver screen in almost 40 years. Critical reception was mixed to positive, though we thoroughly enjoyed Masters of the Universe 2026. Fan opinions are always tougher to gauge, but many comments about the movie online are positive.

Masters of the Universe seems to have achieved the difficult task of pleasing existing fans and newcomers, so what’s the issue? Despite the warm reception, the 2026 movie underperformed at the box office. Franchise fans will be particularly saddened by this, as the movie teases a sequel in two separate post-credit scenes. Travis Knight, the director, has expressed a desire to make a Masters of the Universe 2, but it’s not guaranteed, especially if the title doesn’t become profitable.

While we can theorize about why audiences did not watch the movie in theaters, we can also draw parallels to another notable box office flop. Audiences who did show up seemed to enjoy both movies, and online discussions were positive; there just weren’t enough of them.

A poor box office performance doesn’t always mean a movie is bad. Several genre-defining classics, like the sci-fi horror Event Horizon, didn’t find an audience until much later. Masters of the Universe’s performance in theaters is eerily similar to another fantasy movie released in 2023. Both performed poorly in theaters, but found their footing on streaming services. Fans would also argue they deserve another shot with a sequel.

Masters Of The Universe Repeats Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Edgin Simon and Holga in Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves

Fans of modern fantasy movies will likely draw parallels between Masters of the Universe and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The latter stars Chris Pine as Edgin. He’s a bard on a journey to retrieve a magical artifact. He can’t complete his quest alone, so he assembles a group, similar to a D&D party, to help.

Critics and fans enjoyed Honor Among Thieves, but similar to Masters of the Universe, that simply wasn’t enough. The movie reportedly had around a $150 million budget and took $207 million worldwide. It’s not a colossal failure, though titles typically need to make far more to be deemed successful.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves fared well with home audiences when it premiered on Netflix. Similar to Masters of the Universe, the fantasy movie comfortably took a spot in the top 10 when it released on streaming services.

It’s easy to notice similarities between the movies. They are both based on classic IPs that had success in the 80s. Those IPs have poorly received movies in their portfolio, and they are both in the fantasy genre. Fortunately, the latest offerings in these veteran franchises were positively received and became hits with audiences, even if it was just at home.

Both Masters Of The Universe & Honor Among Thieves Deserve Movie Futures

Nicholas Galitzine's Prince Adam looking intensely with Idris Elba's Duncan, Camila Mendes' Teela, Kristen Wiig's Roboto and Battle Cat in Masters of the Universe — Nicholas Galitzine’s Prince Adam looking intensely with Idris Elba’s Duncan, Camila Mendes’ Teela, Kristen Wiig’s Roboto and Battle Cat in Masters of the Universe

Fantasy enthusiasts would argue that both franchises are ripe for expansion and deserve more movies to flesh out their stories. Masters of the Universe is special in that regard, because it tells a great standalone tale, but clearly hints at more adventures in Eternia. In an interview, Travis Knight expressed he was keen to explore the universe from a different angle. However, he was also realistic, saying about future stories, “If the world doesn’t want them, we won’t tell them.”

The cast of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves weighed in on the possibility of a sequel last year. Many seemed keen to work on another project, though they were unsure it would actually happen. The movie has a post-credit scene, though unlike Masters of the Universe, it does not hint at an Honor Among Thieves 2.

Ultimately, movie studios have the final say on sequels, but fans speak highly of both properties. With Masters of the Universe specifically, the title is performing extremely well on Prime Video since its release on the platform on July 22. Time will tell if that performance will translate to more adventures in Eternia.