Masters of the Universe is tracking for a big opening weekend, which is good news for Amazon MGM Studios, a studio that already had a huge release earlier this year with Project Hail Mary. The movie is the 2026 sword and sorcery reboot of the classic franchise based on a toy line. While these types of movies are often hit and miss, there are some big projections for the new live-action story of He-Man and his allies as they battle the evil Skeletor. With an acclaimed director in Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Bumblebee), and early positive word of mouth, the film just got another big push in its release format.
In a surprise move, Masters of the Universe will get an IMAX release on top of its opening in regular and Dolby theaters. IMAX reports that the new movie will be released in IMAX on June 5, so that will be just in time for the Friday opening weekend push. In the release, the Instagram post says, “The chase for Power begins. Tickets are on sale now for Masters of the Universe, in IMAX June 5.” This should push The Mandalorian & Grogu out of the IMAX theaters after only two weeks.
Masters of the Universe isn’t just getting an unexpected IMAX release, but it is also getting a sneak peek the night before at select theaters across the United States. While the movie’s official release is on Thursday night, before its wide opening on Friday, there will also be a special screening on Wednesday night, June 3. Not only that, but the AMC Wednesday night screenings, at least, will be available on Dolby screens where available. Masters of the Universe is expected to be so big that it will push The Mandalorian & Grogu out of IMAX the same weekend it replaces Backrooms in Dolby. The number of daily screenings is big news for the action movie.
The early Masters of the Universe projections were soft, and a lot of internet commentary was geared toward Jared Leto, who plays Skeletor. Leto has proven to be box office poison lately. His starring role in Tron: Ares is what many fans blamed for the movie’s box office failure. However, Leto is buried under the Skeletor makeup, and isn’t face-forward in the film’s promotions. Instead, things have been based on the giant action scenes and explosive fantasy premise. The projections have been rising, starting at a $25 million opening weekend and then moving up to $35 million. However, early reactions from fans and critics who saw the movie have caused those projections to rise once again.
Masters of the Universe does have a lot of competition. The Mandalorian & Grogu will still be in a lot of theaters, Backrooms has been an explosive hit for A24, and Scary Movie also premieres the same weekend as the new He-Man movie. For a movie with a budget of over $170 million, the film will need a lot of help to make a profit. With the movie added to IMAX, the move could be seen as confidence in the project or a desperate move to add more screenings for a higher opening weekend box office. Whether it works or not remains to be seen.
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