Masters of the Universe
By the power of Grayskull
A young man on Earth discovers a fabulous secret legacy as the prince of an alien planet, and must recover a magic sword and return home to protect his kingdom from the evil Skeletor.
Director
Travis Knight
Studio
Mattel Films / Amazon MGM Studios
Release
June 3, 2026
Runtime
141 min
Genres
Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Budget
$200 million
Box office
$113.7 million worldwide
Cast & Characters
Adam / He-Man
Nicholas Galitzine
↔ Teela, Skeletor
Teela
Camila Mendes
↔ He-Man
Duncan
Idris Elba
Skeletor
Jared Leto
↔ He-Man
Evil-Lyn
Alison Brie
Did You Know?
This adaptation of the 1980s toy line spent over a decade in development hell before finally reaching production.
Source: Variety production history · verified 2026-07-28
Jared Leto's Skeletor design uses full prosthetic makeup rather than CGI for practical effect.
Source: Behind-the-scenes featurette · verified 2026-07-28
Masters of the Universe tied with Street Fighter and The Odyssey in Google search interest among 2026 releases.
Source: Vegas Insider · verified 2026-07-28
Critical Assessment
Masters of the Universe holds a 6.9/10 on IMDb (37,893 votes) and a 52/100 on Metacritic. The film received a warmer critical reception than many toy-based adaptations, with praise for its visual world-building, though Rotten Tomatoes critic data was not yet aggregated at time of writing.
“A surprisingly earnest take on 80s camp.” — The Hollywood Reporter “Galitzine commits fully to the material's inherent silliness.” — Empire
Despite a respectable 6.9 IMDb score, the film's box office ($113.7M) fell well short of its $200M budget—suggesting the decades-long anticipation for a Masters of the Universe film didn't translate into ticket sales, even with generally positive reviews.
Ratings as of 2026-07-28
AI Verdict
AI-generatedMasters of the Universe proves that critical goodwill (6.9 IMDb) doesn't guarantee box office success. After over a decade in development, the film's underperformance against its budget suggests the franchise's nostalgia audience may be smaller than expected.