Amazon’s streaming-first strategy leaves ‘Masters of the Universe’ director disappointed

After a soft box office run, Masters of the Universe roared back at home. In its first week on Prime Video , the 2026 He-Man reboot racked up 1.17 billion minutes of viewing in the U.S., according to Nielsen, topping all streaming titles that week. But director Travis Knight says that pivot to the couch wasn’t an accident — it was the plan he didn’t expect.

“Its life on streaming was much more important to them than in theaters, ” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s not something I understood going into it. I wanted their faith in us as filmmakers and in the movie to be rewarded in a way that wasn’t to my hopes and expectations.”

Box office vs. streaming

The movie’s theatrical take — about $114 million worldwide — couldn’t touch its reported production cost, which industry reports put around $200 million before marketing. Once it hit Prime Video, though, the curiosity was clearly there, just not at ticket-buying levels.

Built on one of the ’80s’ most recognizable toy brands, the film paired a sprawling fantasy world with a steep price tag and the tricky task of updating He-Man for younger moviegoers. Reviews questioned the mix of winking humor and earnest mythology, and the nostalgia skewed older — not exactly the demo that rushes out on opening weekend.

Knight’s long road to Eternia didn’t make the outcome any easier. The project spent years in limbo before Amazon MGM revived it in 2024. On screen, Nicholas Galitzine plays Prince Adam and Jared Leto takes on Skeletor — marquee names that still couldn’t turn the theatrical run into a win.

Knight told THR he’s made peace with where the movie landed, even if it stung to watch the big-screen dream shrink to fit the living room. On streaming, at least, it became the hit Amazon was counting on.

Masters of the Universe is now streaming on Prime Video.