The timing of Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret has prompted questions about why the documentary arrived now, more than a year after an earlier report detailed allegations against the Oscar-winning actor. Some online commenters have suggested the BBC released the film on the 2026 movie calendar because Leto’s recent box office struggles had weakened his position in Hollywood.

Director Alice McShane rejected that interpretation during an interview with Variety. When asked about chatter that the documentary came out after Leto had become “box office poison,” McShane said:

McShane acknowledged that some of Leto’s recent movies have struggled, but she argued that he remains a major celebrity with access to prominent roles. Those movies included Disney’s Tron: Ares and Amazon MGM’s Masters of the Universe, in which Leto played Skeletor.

The question about his industry standing followed reports about the financial performance of his recent projects, but the documentarian said the BBC’s work was guided by its journalistic purpose. She continued:

McShane said work on the documentary began before the Air Mail story detailed multiple women's allegations of sexual assault by Leto. Because a television investigation takes time to report, corroborate and produce, she knew other journalists could publish first. The magazine eventually ran accounts from nine women who accused Leto of sexual misconduct, allegations his representative denied.

According to McShane, the limited effect that the report appeared to have on Leto’s career gave the documentary team further reason to continue its investigation.

Released July 29, Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret features allegations from 10 women concerning incidents they say occurred between 2002 and 2016. Four women accused Leto of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers, including allegations of sexual assault, statutory rape, explicit calls and sexual propositions. The BBC said it corroborated the accounts, though the Associated Press could not independently verify them. Leto and his representatives did not respond to requests for comment before the documentary aired. After its release, the Dallas Buyers Club actor issued a statement denying the accusations.

The documentary has also brought some of Leto’s old interviews and set stories back into the spotlight. Margot Robbie’s comments about working with him on Suicide Squad are among those resurfacing. She once recalled panicking after learning Leto would remain in character as the Joker because Harley Quinn and the villain share an abusive relationship. In the same interview, however, Robbie also described him as respectful, professional and fascinating to watch work.

Other stories about Leto’s on-set behavior are receiving similar scrutiny as viewers revisit years of comments from former collaborators. Those accounts predate the allegations and do not prove them, but the documentary has changed the context in which they are being discussed.

The American Psycho performer has denied the accusations, saying he has never sexually assaulted anyone and calling the claims “absolutely and categorically false.”

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is currently killing it at the box office, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was up for Best Picture come Oscar season.

One movie that will NOT be up for Best Picture and did terribly at the box office is Masters of the Universe, which came and went so quickly that it barely even registered on my radar (It’s actually one of the reasons why I think this summer is one of the weaker ones in recent memory).

However, now that it’s available with an Amazon Prime subscription, I watched it and really liked it! Dare I say, even more so than The Odyssey? I’ll explain.

First Of All, The Odyssey Held Back On The Fantasy, While Masters Goes Full Throttle

When it was announced that The Odyssey would be Christopher Nolan’s next project, I was excited…but with some trepidation. You see, I love Homer’s The Odyssey, and mostly for its fantastical elements. However, Nolan is the absolute king of making grounded, realistic movies, even when it concerns a rich guy who dresses up as a bat at night. That’s what I go to see his movies for.

That said, I DIDN’T want that with The Odyssey, and that’s what we got: A grounded version of this fantastical tale, which is why I wasn’t in love with it (Though, it’s superb when it comes to the human elements). When I want fantasy, I want it full throttle, and Masters of the Universe does just that!

MotU is a fantasy movie par excellence! There are swords, sorcery, firepower, weird monsters, you name it! I was just a wee one when the Masters of the Universe cartoon first aired in the ‘80s, but the colors, visuals, and ridiculousness of this movie struck a chord with me that put a huge smile on my face. Do you know how many times I smiled while watching The Odyssey? Not once!

Masters Of The Universe Also Has A Lot More Personality Than The Odyssey

Not too long ago, my colleague, Jessica Rawden, wrote about one thing that Masters of the Universe does better than The Odyssey, and can I say that it does a lot more than ONE thing? I can name several things that MotU does way better than The Odyssey.

For one, it has WAY more personality. Nolan has a particular style, and it works for him. It’s why he can make a movie about dreams, and the farthest he goes to showing how weird dreams can be is having a city fold in on itself (In contrast, watch a movie like Paprika to see the real surrealness of dreams). And look, I LOVE Inception, but I find Nolan’s style a little bland sometimes.

Well, MotU is full of personality, humor, and color! Jared Leto is unrecognizable as Skeletor, but he has personality for days. Eternia feels way more alive than the various islands that Odysseus travels to. I mean, is The Odyssey an overall better movie than MotU? Of course! I’m not going to argue that, but which would I rather watch again? Well…

I Could See Myself Watching Masters Again. The Odyssey? Not So Much

Another one of my colleagues, Hugh Scott, recently wondered why Masters of the Universe was even made, and he has some valid points (Namely, who was this even made for?). That said, even though some of the jokes were definitely bad, and He-Man’s journey could have been better, I still find that I enjoyed the journey…for the most part.

You see, when I was watching The Odyssey, I found myself engaged in the story, but I don’t really see myself carving out another three hours to watch it again, mostly because I feel like I got what I needed to get out of it the first time. On the other side, watching MotU, I felt there were probably in-jokes that I might have missed, or other cool details hidden in the story, which is why I enjoyed the film.

It never takes itself seriously, which I love. It’s fun, and I highly recommend it. So, if you missed it in theaters, check it out now. It’s no The Odyssey, of course, but in this instance, I prefer that.

I’d been wanting to watch Masters of the Universe in theaters when it came out. Then it dropped right in the middle of several work trips, and I, like many, did not catch it during its theatrical run, though I’ve had time now that it’s one of the new streaming movies. I did catch The Odyssey a few days ago, and I was a little shocked to realize Masters does one thing way better than Christopher Nolan’s film did.

I’m not someone who was super familiar with Mattel’s Masters of the Universe before I watched it with my Amazon Prime Video subscription this week. I am not an ‘80s kid, and I had never more than a passing familiarity with the concept, so one thing I really needed when watching was a solid introduction to the characters. Frankly, Masters of the Universe does this way better than The Odyssey does.

As someone with no foreknowledge of what I was getting into, Travis Knight’s movie does a great job of explaining what Eternia is and who the relevant stakeholders are. This is particularly true when it comes to the folks from Eternia who are not the major names in the movie but who help to build the universe: Ram-Man, Dian, Fisto, Mekaneck and more.

Masters of the Universe really hammers home these names. There’s a whole backstory behind their ridiculous nicknames, and how Adam had given them when he was still a child before he left for Earth. Adam doesn’t know that much about his people because he left when he was 10, and we learn about them through his younger perspective. This explanation helps us to understand why the names feel a little silly, but it also burns them into our brains, no prior knowledge required.

Then, later in the movie, Adam also gives a speech during which he repeats character names and asks his motley Eternos family to join together. Because of this, there’s a second time where we are asked to focus on the side characters and how they impact the story.

It’s not just the good guys either. We learn a lot about Eternia, Eternos, and baddies beyond Skeletor. Audiences learn who Beast Man and Trapjaw are. These people are not just background scenery. This movie wants you to remember them as characters. (And presumably buy toys later, but that’s another story.)

OK, So Here's Where The Odyssey Comes In...

In comparison, can I tell you Himesh Patel’s name in The Odyssey? Sure can’t. I can’t actually tell you the names of any of Odysseus’ men outside of Sinon (Elliot Page), who isn’t really around much. I don’t even think I can name Robert Pattinson’s character, or Jon Bernthal’s or Charlize Theron’s, and I only really know Samantha Morton is Circe because I read Circe by Madeline Miller many years ago. Sure, I know Odysseus himself and Tom Holland’s Telemachus and Anne Hathaway’s Penelope, and we all know Lupita Nyong’o is Helen of Troy, but mostly that’s because there was backlash to her playing the character. It’s clear The Odyssey has a side character problem, and it’s noticeable when you watch.

Listen, I’m not trying to compare apples to oranges here, or say I liked Masters of the Universe better than Nolan’s 94% positive-rated new 2026 movie release; that would be disingenuous. The Odyssey is a wonderful movie, but this is one area where I think it struggled. Plus, I do think Masters does an A+ job of letting us know who its many characters are and what they stand for. The movie has strengths beyond He-Man’s physical ones.

We may not get more Masters of the Universe after the film failed to convert its $170 million+ budget at the box office. (Although Amazon has been very clear that theatrical windows and making theatrical money is a bonus rather than the end goal). Regardless, I just wanted to call out one thing the fun little Amazon/MGM collaboration did well. If you’re giving it a watch streaming, just know that if you weren’t in the Masters target audience way back in the ‘80s, this one is very easy to pick up and throw on, no background information required.

When the long-awaited Masters of the Universe live-action movie first hit the 2026 movie schedule, I would say I was moderately excited. I’m a Gen Xer who grew up in the ‘80s, and the original cartoon was appointment viewing when I got home from school every day, so reliving those old glories sounded like it could be fun. I even rewatched the 1987 live-action movie in anticipation.

I had my reservations, because even as a kid, I recognized that the plots of the shows were pretty flimsy. Now I’ve finally caught the movie with my Prime subscription, and I have to ask, why did we need this?

The Jokes Were Bad, And He-Man’s Story Was Frustrating

There are two big gripes I have with Masters of the Universe. One, the jokes really didn’t work for me at all. I completely appreciate what the writers (of which there were at least three) and director Travis Knight were trying to do: make the movie fun and cheeky, with a wink the audience acknowledging how silly the whole world of Eternia is, but the jokes didn’t land. The sexual innuendos felt both completely childish AND too adult for the material. I don’t know how they pulled that off, but they did.

My biggest gripe, though, was the origin story of Prince Adam/He-Man. In the cartoon, He-Man is a superhero who rarely shows any weakness (at least, I don’t remember there being a lot of pathos; maybe it went over my head). In the 2026 movie, Adam, played by Nicholas Galitzine, has been sent to live on Earth to escape the wrath of Skelator (Jared Leto, who is the best part of the movie). On Earth, he’s basically a goofy wimp. I hated that. Even worse, when he finally does return to Eternia with Teela (Camila Mendes), his newfound power is completely unearned. If you’re going to set up a hero’s journey, our hero has to struggle with more than a comic book store mannequin.

Which Leads To Ask: Why Was This Made, And For Whom?

I was left to struggle with the question of why Masters of the Universe was even made, and more importantly, who the target audience is. I mean, sure, I get why it was greenlit in the wake of the massive success of Barbie, but Barbie is an iconic toy that has transcended multiple generations. He-Man was a flash in the pan, comparatively. The toyline (and subsequent cartoon) was wildly popular, but only for a small window of time in the mid-’80s, and only with a specific age group (one I happen to fall right into).

I can’t say it left me satisfied, and theoretically, I’m at least one part of the target audience as a movie fan who grew up with He-Man. But it didn’t seem like it was made for me. It reinvents who Prince Adam is, and not very successfully, in my opinion. It also doesn’t feel like it was made for a new audience, either, because, again, it’s not like this is an enduring franchise on the level of Barbie, or even G.I. Joe for that matter. I think that’s reflected in the movie’s poor performance at the box office, despite mostly positive reviews.

Looking ahead to the 2027 movie schedule, there is another toyline from the same era releasing a new movie, Voltron, that I think shares a lot of commonalities with He-Man. Does the same fate lie ahead for it? Time will tell.

What is the last summer blockbuster that you can truly remember? I’m talking about a movie where you were like, “Yep, that was DEFINITELY the movie of the summer.”?

For me, it was Avengers: Endgame, which made over $2 billion, but also came out SEVEN YEARS AGO. Yeesh. However, you don’t have to go all the way back to 2019 to find a summer blockbuster, as some might go back to as recently as 2023 when we got the double whammy of Oppenheimer/Barbie, better known as Barbenheimer. Or, you could even point out 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick, which people adored.

Here’s the weird thing. On paper, 2026 seems like it would be the biggest summer of all time with this current slate of films, and yet…it doesn’t feel like that at all. Here’s why I think that is.

Big Budget IPS Have Come And Gone With Little Fanfare

Notice how the last summer blockbuster that comes to my mind was Avengers: Endgame, and I think that’s pretty telling. There used to be a time when the big, tentpole movie of the summer was obvious to pretty much everyone. That has grown murkier every year.

Take, for example, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which kickstarted this summer season when it came out on May 14th. Sure, I liked it, but articles were written about how it was the lowest-grossing live-action Star Wars movie of all time. And, when Star Wars underperforms, you know that the very notion of “the summer blockbuster” is put into question.

Next up was Masters of the Universe on June 5th. Now, granted, some might argue that MotU was doomed from the start, given that it was based on an IP that was at its zenith back in the ‘80s. That said, making a paltry $111 million worldwide on a $170 million production budget is a box office bomb any way you slice it.

Lastly, we have Supergirl, which had a 73% drop in its second weekend, after having a tepid box office total in its first. Yes, Supergirl isn’t Superman, so of course it would have lower box office numbers than DC’s poster boy, but it fell out of the conversation before it even got started. That said, it’s not just tentpoles that have come and gone with little fanfare…

Disclosure Day Had A Big Debut, But The Talk Has Quickly Died Down

Most cinephiles can tell you that Steven Spielberg pretty much invented the “summer blockbuster” with his 1975 classic, Jaws. In fact, Spielberg is often synonymous with the summer season, as some of his biggest hits - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, War of the Worlds - all came out in the summertime.

Spielberg’s latest movie, Disclosure Day, looked to be on a similar trajectory. It had a domestic total of $44 million, and $93 million worldwide on its opening weekend. However, in the following week, all talk turned to Toy Story 5, and Disclosure Day felt all but forgotten.

Now, to date, Disclosure Day has made upwards of $200 million worldwide on an estimated $115 million budget, which is…okay. The main issue I see here is that Disclosure Day has completely left the conversation, and everybody has pretty much moved on. This is Steven Spielberg we’re talking about here…with an ALIEN MOVIE.

Sure, Disclosure Day isn’t your “typical” Spielberg alien flick, but it’s just another reason why this summer feels both big but also small at the same time, as even a summer Spielberg film has been forgotten.

The Biggest, Most Talked About Movies Of The Summer Thus Far Have Been Low Budget Horror Movies

Ask anybody what the movie of the summer is, and they’ll likely tell you: Obsession. The little indie that could, Obsession cost less than a million to make, and has now made 200 times that amount, and for good reason! Melding both humor and horror, Obsession is by far the most memed movie of the summer, with people who haven’t seen it still likely able to identify what it is.

Quite frankly, that shouldn’t be. The last time we saw an indie horror movie dominate the summer box office was in 1999 with The Blair Witch Project, and Obsession is even bigger than that movie, which didn’t seem possible.

It doesn’t stop there, as the other major movie of the summer is Backrooms, which is now A24’s biggest movie to date, which again, doesn't make sense when it comes to what a summer blockbuster USED to be. I think that’s an important distinction. The summer blockbusters that used to be big tentpole pictures seem to be flopping, and smaller, Gen-Z coded movies are supplanting them.

Don’t misconstrue me! I don’t think this is a bad thing at all. It's just…different. Which is why this summer might feel underwhelming to many, despite also being massive. The meek have somehow inherited the box office.

There Seems To Be Something Every Week, But Excitement Feels Minimal

From May 1st to now, we’ve pretty much gotten a “big” movie every single week, but excitement just seems so muted. Again, let me list some of the movies that we’ve already gotten: The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Which was big, don’t get me wrong - May 1st), Mortal Kombat II (Here and gone - May 8th), Obsession (surprisingly massive - May 15th), The Mandalorian & Grogu (Quickly forgotten - May 22nd), Backrooms (surprisingly massive - May 29th).

Then, we had June: Scary Movie (surprisingly big…but forgotten - June 5th), Masters of the Universe (Made less on opening weekend than Scary Movie - June 5th), Disclosure Day (June 12th), Toy Story 5 (Big, but probably the least loved in the series - June 19th), Supergirl (flop - June 26th, as well as Jackass: Best and Last, which didn’t make a huge splash, June 26th).

July kickstarted with Monsters & Minions, which barely made more than the weeks-old Toy Story 5 in its first week. Then came Evil Dead Burn and Moana on July 10th (with Moana doing particularly poorly at the box office, given its budget).

We’re pretty deep into July now, and I don’t quite see a clear movie of the summer just yet (Unless we’re counting Obsession, which again, just feels weird that one of the cheapest movies is the biggest). Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey or Spider-Man: Brand New Day could change everything, and either could be THE MOVIE OF THE SUMMER. However, even if one of them is, I still think this summer will have felt underwhelming, given what we’ve gotten thus far.

In The End, I Guess Maybe There’s Just Too Much This Summer To Get Excited About, Which Still Feels Bizarre To Me

In conclusion, we’ve gotten a ton of films this summer, and many of them are ostensibly huge, but they just don’t FEEL huge, which has been very strange for me.

It’s not that movies haven’t made money, as Toy Story 5, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and, of course, Obsession and Backrooms were notable box office successes. When Obsession is still the most talked-about movie of the summer, things just seem…off.

I don’t think I’m alone. Talk to most people, and they'll likely tell you that they're way more excited about the World Cup than Spielberg, Star Wars, or superheroes.

So, in that way, this summer FEELS big, but also underwhelming at the same time. Quite the paradox, is it not?

While I’m here each Sunday to break down all the fun bits about the weekend’s box office, I’m sure nobody needs to hear from me that Toy Story 5 took the No. 1 spot upon hitting the 2026 movie release calendar. Of course it did, and of course it broke records along the way. For instance, its $160 million is the most any movie in the franchise has made in its first three days, and by a large margin.

For me, though, the biggest mystery coming into today was how last week’s winner Disclosure Day would fare in its second weekend in release — and if it could hold off the trio of horror movies that have taken possession of the Top 5 for so long that Backrooms’ Kane Parsons has even turned 21 since then. He was 20 years old.

Take a look at the Top 10 below, per The Numbers, then we’ll get into just how monumental Toy Story 5’s debut was and if Steven Spielberg’s aliens have a long-term chance against the One Wish Willow, the liminal spaces below Clark’s furniture store and the Wayans Brothers.

Weekend Box Office: June 19-21, 2026

* denotes new release

Toy Story 5 Is The Biggest Domestic Release Of The Year So Far

So just how good is that $160 million? For one thing, it knocks The Super Mario Galaxy Movie out of the top spot for having 2026’s biggest premiere weekend. The Universal video game sequel opened to $131.7 million back in April.

As for worldwide debuts, however, Mario retains first place. Toy Story 5 added $152 million internationally for a global total of $312 million. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie opened to $372.5 million, but that total included more international markets than the Pixar product, as well as Wednesday and Thursday showings.

Toy Story 5’s opening already puts it in the Top 10 of the year’s highest-grossing movies — at No. 9 behind Hoppers domestically ($166 million) and No. 9 behind The Mandalorian & Grogu globally ($321.8 million). I’d say we should expect to see Tim Allen, Tom Hanks and Joan Cusack’s animated film continue to climb those ranks.

Pixar is likely extremely happy with ticket sales this weekend, as Toy Story 5 had the second-best opening for an animated movie in the U.S. and Canada after the studio’s own Incredibles 2 ($182.6 million), as well as Pixar’s best worldwide opening of all time (excluding China) behind Inside Out 2 ($384 million).

With a budget of $250 million before marketing costs, Toy Story 5 likely needs to make around $600 million to break even, and it’s well on its way after a strong first three days and lots of summer to go.

How Toy Story 5's Premiere Compares To The Rest Of The Franchise

We know that this weekend's release was the best of the franchise, but just how did the other movies fare in comparison? Below you'll find every Toy Story movie's domestic opening-weekend pull:

• Toy Story 5 (2026): $160 million
• Toy Story 4 (2019): $120.9 million
• Toy Story 3 (2010): $110.3 million
• Toy Story 2 (1999): $80.5 million*
• Toy Story (1995): $29.1 million

*Toy Story 2 ran in one theater for five days before its wide release on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in 1999. This total reflects its earnings through that Sunday.

Leviticus Didn’t Make The Same Splash As Other Recent Horror Flicks

As for the week’s other new releases, Leviticus failed to make the same splash as other recent horror flicks — specifically the ones from YouTubers Kane Parsons and Curry Barker — despite reviews saying it gave moviegoers “goosebumps,” and The Death of Robin Hood also was a tough draw for audiences. Those premiered at No. 8 and 9 for the week, so let’s see how critics and audiences scored those:

Disclosure Day Fights Off Obsession, For Now

As we can see from the chart, Emily Blunt’s highly regarded performance helped Disclosure Day drop only one spot in the box office Top 10, but it certainly wasn’t a runaway victory. Steven Spielberg’s fifth alien movie bested the year’s hottest horror movie by less than $3 million, falling 62% from its first weekend’s earnings.

That’s not a completely devastating drop, but with a budget of $115 million, it probably needs between $250 million and $300 million to break even. After 10 days in theaters, Disclosure Day has earned $160.4 worldwide, and losing that big of a chunk of audience makes me a tad nervous about its run.

Obsession Finally Falls Below Its Week 1 Earnings

It was certainly no surprise to me that following Toy Story 5 and Disclosure Day in the box office rankings that the rest of the Top 5 were populated by horror movies. Obsession has been the biggest surprise, earning $17.2 million in its first weekend before seeing that number jump for the next two consecutive weekends.

It’s simply unheard of, and now — after six weekends in release — Obsession’s three-day domestic total of $14.2 million is lower than its initial pull for the first time.

Global Milestones Have Been Hit

• Scary Movie crossed the $200 million benchmark this weekend, with international markets adding $104.4 million to its domestic total so far of $97.5 million for a worldwide $201.9 million.
• Masters of the Universe itself crossed into nine-digit territory, combining its North American earnings of $56.9 million with an overseas total of $45 million for a global sum of $101.9 million.

Next Week: It's A Bird, It's A Plane ...

No, it's not Superman, but it is his drunker, more jaded cousin Supergirl. The DCU antihero will fly into theaters with an expected debut of between $39 million and $51 million. First reactions were positive for Milly Alcock and for Jason Momoa as Lobo, so I'm excited to see where this falls in next week's Top 10.

We'll also see the premiere of Jackass: Best and Last, which should see between $12 million and $18 million.

Be sure to hit the theater sometime this week, then join me back here Sunday to see where everything lands.

Steven Spielberg’s aliens are back in the box office, as Disclosure Day took top honors this weekend following its debut on the 2026 movie calendar. However, I’d love for somebody to ask our new non-human friends if they see Michael Jackson moonwalking up there in the cosmos, because Michael has finally surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody to become the world's highest-grossing music biopic of all time.

Horror offerings also continued to impress, so let’s look at this week’s biggest box office wins and what we can expect from Disclosure Day and our spooky summer flicks as Toy Story 5 and more of the season’s blockbusters approach.

First, check out this weekend’s Top 10, then we’ll get into the highlights:

Weekend Box Office: June 12-14

* Denotes new release

How Far Will Disclosure Day Go In Theaters?

Disclosure Day’s three-day domestic opening fell in between projections, which ran from $40 million to $55 million, with its $44 million marking the fifth-best opening domestically for Steven Spielberg. It’s also his highest first-three-day total for an original title not based on previous IP, Deadline reports.

More than half of its worldwide earnings came from overseas markets, earning a combined $92.9 million globally. So what should we expect from the sci-fi flick with other big titles premiering soon, like Toy Story 5 next week, Supergirl and Spider-Man: Brand New Day? Looking back at Steven Spielberg’s other four alien movies, it’s pretty clear that when this filmmaker talks about us not being alone, people pay attention:

These numbers haven't been adjusted for inflation, so it's somewhat difficult to see how Disclosure Day compares to even one of the best movies of the 1970s (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, of course), but the totals earned by each one by the end of their times in theaters speaks volumes. I'd say Universal Pictures will have no problem making back the approximately $300 million it will need to break even on the movie's $115 million budget.

How Critics Rated This Week’s New Releases

The excitement for Disclosure Day has been obvious since we saw those over-the-top first reactions, and the praise continued when full reviews were released. However, based on the experiences of the staff here at CinemaBlend — and what we overheard during our own early screenings — we thought audiences’ overall reactions might be a little more divisive. Let’s take a peek at how critics’ opinions of this week’s new releases differed from moviegoers’:

The Furious is an English-language action film out of Hong Kong that got overwhelmingly positive buzz after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall. That was echoed in moviegoers' experience, as you can see above, earning enough to put the movie in the Top 10.

Stop! That! Train! earned less than its low-end projection of $3 million but was still able to steamroll its way into the 10 spot. (We should all know better than to try to stop any train the fabulous RuPaul is on.)

Woo! Michael Is Now The World’s Highest-Grossing Music Biopic

We’ve had our eye on this stat for a while, as Michael, the biopic starring Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop, has now earned a global total of $932.2 million ($362.8 million domestic, $569.5 million international, per The Numbers), gliding past the previous record held by Bohemian Rhapsody with $910.9 million. Michael became North America’s highest-grossing biopic about a month ago after three weekends in theaters.

The movie finally premiered in Japan this weekend, and the Bad artist’s popularity there sealed the deal. The next big milestone would be to cross the $1 billion mark, which would make it just the second movie this year to do so, following The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Scary Movies Continue Their Reign … And You Can Eat Them

Hot horror summer continued this week, as scary movies populated the three box office slots below Disclosure Day. We’re five weekends in, and Obsession has yet to drop below its Week 1 earnings. A horror movie pulling $19 million after more than a month in theaters is impressive to say the least — not to mention its domestic total was good for the No. 2 spot at the box office.

At this point there’s no doubt Curry Barker’s film is drawing repeat viewers, and I get it. I’ve wanted a rewatch basically since the credits rolled on my first viewing.

Instead, I spent my weekend box office dollars on Backrooms at the strong behest of my teenager. I definitely needed an explanation of that ending (and I agree at times I got a bit bored), but at least now I have some context for all those “You can eat them” memes she’s been sending me.

Toy Story 5 Is Coming, And Other Quick Hits To Wrap Up The Week

• Toy Story 5 is projected to earn between $150 million and $184 million when it premieres June 19, so we’ll be saying “I Knew It, I Knew You” when it takes gold in next week’s Top 10.
• I’m extremely interested to see how Leviticus fares. The upcoming horror movie stars Joe Bird (who had a pretty rough go of it in 2022’s Talk To Me) and is already Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with 95% following its January premiere at Sundance. Will this be another boon for the genre?
• Lots of hoopla is being made over Masters of the Universe falling 71% in its second weekend in release. However, Amazon MGM insists it’s not a flop, and with audiences finding the movie funnier than critics did, it should continue to bring in the bucks when people can start streaming it with a Prime Video subscription.

Be sure to hit the theater this week, then come back next Sunday to see how your dollars affected the box office.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for Masters of the Universe. Read at your own risk!

Halfway through Masters of the Universe, I had a few things running through my mind. First off, I agree that Jared Leto is at his best in this movie, and second, I too questioned who raised Prince Adam on Earth. The biggest takeaway, however, is that I couldn't decide if I was watching a movie primarily aimed at adults, or something for all ages, provided parents are flexible on violence and raunchiness.

It was clear in my screening that not every parent with children in the audience was aware Masters of the Universe would feature double entendres for sex acts and some occasionally brutal violence. I don't blame them, because I didn't gather that from the trailer, but if that was the direction this movie was headed, why not shy away from some of the other more childish themes?

Masters Of The Universe Is Not A Movie For Kids, But It Acts Like One At Times

Masters of the Universe has plenty that would make parents second-guess taking their kid to it, and yet, large chunks of the plot play out as though I'm watching a movie tailored to children. Prince Adam yearns to return to Eternia, but rather than become a scientist who studies intergalactic travel, he adorns his room with photos he drew when he was a kid?

All of Masters of the Universe is like this, with the general vibe like it's a kids' movie that had one person who came in and said: "Let's make some wild moments for the parents." The end result is like if Robin Williams used his incredibly NSFW stand-up as improv during his voice work in Aladdin, which is a complicated way of saying it's weird.

I Think Had Masters Of The Universe Leaned Into The Older Audience Nostalgic For He-Man, It Could've Been Better

It's complicated for me to reconcile my feelings about Masters of the Universe. I think it was the right call for the movie not to take itself too seriously, but I think there were other ways to accomplish this without making a kids' movie that feels as though some risque moments were thrown in to justify the PG-13 rating it earned for its action sequences.

It almost reminds me of those old '80s movies that would not be PG today, which is a cool vibe we're not seeing a lot of in Hollywood. That said, I almost think the movie should've leaned a bit harder into the overall raunch of the movie, and maybe made it abundantly clear in the trailer that you may want to leave the kids at home for this one. It is, after all, a movie based on a children's cartoon, so I don't think the average person would even second-guess making it a family affair.

I think if you up the action and make things a bit bloodier, this movie firmly justifies the raunch and maybe even gets a few more looks from those in search of something different from the action/fantasy genre. My girlfriend thought going in this movie was tied to the upcoming 2026 Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday, because it gave her MCU vibes. I totally understand that too, because I think in some ways this movie is "Marvel-lite," and come to think of it, I would've cringed just as much with my young daughter in the theater as I did when I took her to Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

I do still think people should see Masters of the Universe, and maybe help it out at the box office. It still seems like Amazon may give it a sequel regardless of how it performs, and I'd love to see them tweak the tone if it happens.

Spoilers ahead for Masters of the Universe.

After Barbie became a wild success, Mattel quickly began developing another movie based on its IP. Enter Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe, which hasn't been performing quite as well in theaters but is a ton of fun. The movie's mid-credits scene featured a brief appearance by none other than She-Ra, and the director spoke to CinemaBlend about how he approached that sequence.

Masters of the Universe's reviews praised the movie's humor and faithfulness to the source material, and fans were excited by how well superfan Travis Knight adapted Eternia for the big screen. As you can see in the video above, the director spoke to CinemaBlend about the inclusion of She-Ra, where he said:

He's not wrong. If Masters of the Universe doesn't actually get a sequel, the movie will have told a complete story about Adam's ascension to He-Man and his quest to save Eternia. But MOTU also has some unanswered questions as well as some cameos that could be expanded if Amazon MGM orders a follow-up movie.

Later in the same conversation with CinemaBlend, Travis Knight spoke about wanting to bring She-Ra into the narrative of his burgeoning franchise in a more significant way. In his words:

We mostly saw the back of She-Ra in Masters of the Universe's credits scene, but it was an exciting tease for longtime fans of the IP. During the movie, Adam's mother Queen Marlena hinted at Adora's existence, and it would be fascinating to see that dynamic played out and Nicholas Galitzine's protagonist reunite with his twin sister. Hopefully, that's something that can actually happen in the future.

While Travis Knight was careful not to reveal too much about his plans for She-Ra, he did confirm the location that we saw the character in her MOTU cameo. As he put it:

She-Ra has her own extensive lore that can be explored, which has previously been the focus of projects like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription). Not only did she get to appear briefly in Masters of the Universe, but she was leading a battle in the Fright Zone. Fingers crossed we get to see the seeds of this narrative take root in another big-screen adventure.

Masters of the Universe is streaming now as part of the 2026 movie release list. While it's not cleaning up at the box office, it still has the potential to make a ton of money once it goes to streaming. Fingers crossed that'll result in a sequel being ordered.

Masters of the Universe, in many ways, follows in the footsteps of many of the best superhero movies ever: It’s all about a new superhero finding his or her way. I have no problem with this film doing the same things we have seen before. In fact, Masters of the Universe, being such a standard superhero movie, reminded me how much I used to enjoy them.

Often, I would see Marvel films during their initial theatrical releases. Master of the Universe is like those movies, but it deviates a bit from the standard great Marvel movie. These differences make Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine)’s hero journey more interesting.

Warning: Masters of the Universe spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.

Prince Adam Stumbles Along As He Became He-Man, And That Was Fun To Watch Because It Made Him More Human

Most film superheroes stumble along as they figure out their new powers. However, they eventually grow into them and develop confidence. They go from a nerd to the cool guy within the first half of the movie.

Prince Adam remains the nerd. Even with his big muscles, good looks, and new abilities, he's still pretty much the same Adam as he was at the start of the film. The movie opens with him not living up to expectations because he isn’t mastering combat like his peers.

Adult Adam now has a much bigger frame (thanks to Galitzine’s bulking up for the role), but is the same kind, goofy kid at heart. I loved that Adam doesn’t have a personality glow-up. If he did, it would imply that something was wrong with him from the start. But, besides being bad at combat, he's a kind soul. That is the key factor in being a good superhero.

Additionally, it feels more realistic that he doesn’t transform into a completely different person just because he has a new outfit and powers. He spent most of his life a certain way, so it would be weird if one change turned him into a new man. Adam also doesn’t feel like this overwhelmingly cool superhero. He feels human.

You could be friends with a Prince Adam. You might be intimidated by a Thor, Batman, Iron Man, or even one of the X-Men, but not Adam. He's your buddy.

Masters Of The Universe Showcases That His Heart, Not Muscles, Makes Him Heroic, And That Made Me Warm To Him

Adam’s hero journey shows him that he doesn’t need the sword for powers. The power was always within him. He just had to unlock it. Masters of the Universe ends with a funny, “and that’s our tale, kids” moment.

It highlights that Adam’s powers aren’t his muscles but his heart that makes him heroic. I adore a goofy superhero with a big heart. Therefore, I automatically adored Adam.

The film has plenty of great action scenes. They are some of my favorite parts of Masters of the Universe, but they aren’t what make Adam such a likable hero. He comes across as more of an average dude than many of his superhero peers. You could see anyone having a similar journey. That sort of weird guy in your office could be a superhero stuck on this planet. That’s why he’s socially awkward.

Adam’s whole persona emphasizes that a bit of childlike wonder, kindness, and unrelenting belief in something could take people far. They don’t need the perfect physique. They just need the right heart.

His Story Shows Anyone Can Become A Hero

Obviously, that’s not true in the sense that not everyone will suddenly develop superpowers. However, everyone can find a purpose and turn that into their hero’s journey. Adam’s purpose is to find his way back home. His backstory may have some plot holes, but that doesn’t matter because the overall theme of Adam’s story is that hope runs deep within him. His hope leads him home. It also keeps him focused on his mission, even when things seem bleak and impossible.

Unshakable hope is essential to any hero’s success. They must not let it die, even when their purpose may seem fruitless or out of reach. They must continue to push towards it. Adam is a prince and a superhero, but for a while, he’s just a man. It’s the humanity that he learns on earth that acts as one of his greatest strengths.

Humanity doesn’t make people weak, it makes them the hero. They just need to find the power within them and use it to accomplish great things. This is one of Masters of the Universe’s greatest and strongest messages.

I Love That Adam Tries To Use Words To Save The Day. This Proves Words Can Be Powerful Enough To Stop Evil

It’s played for laughs to some degree, but I loved that Adam stops physically fighting Skeletor (Jared Leto) to ask him if they can just talk about things. He knows that words hold a lot of power. There doesn’t have to be more bloodshed, senseless violence, and endless battles. It’s a funny moment but also a powerful one.

It’s true. Fighting doesn’t solve everything, and some resolution can come from talking things out. However, it depends on the audience. Skeletor is beyond reasoning with, so Prince Adam must speak to him in a language he understands: violence. Some madmen are beyond reasoning with.

Nonetheless, it’s still a good sentiment, and I wish more action movies would at least have their heroes try to talk more than fight.

By The End of Masters of The Universe, It Makes A Major Statement By Having Adam Still Be An Imperfect Hero

Adam isn’t suddenly the perfect hero by the end of Masters of the Universe. His friends actually continue to make fun of him and his dorky ways. The movie opts out of the He-Man bob, but it drops his hero name at the end. This is played for awe and claps, but it highlights that Adam is still the dork that we came to love throughout the film.

Masters of the Universe is another great movie that highlights Nicholas Galitzine’s onscreen charm. You want to continue to watch him as this lighthearted, kind superhero. You don’t suddenly want to see him as this ultra-cool and sleek one. He works best as a bit of a beefy nerd.

Despite the film’s box office numbers, I think it’s worth watching for the fun playful plot.

Catch Master of the Universe in theaters.

Nostalgia has been a powerful force in the entertainment industry for years, and Masters of the Universe hitting theaters sparked joy for fans of the original '80s toys and animated series. Nicholas Galitzine gained a ton of muscle to play He-Man, and has been getting lots of love for his performance. And the Idea of You actor spoke to CinemaBlend about one potential plot hole in the movie: Adam's foster parents on Earth.

Masters of the Universe's reviews praised the movie's comedy and visuals, as well as Galitzine's work as Adam Glenn/He-Man. As you can see in the video above, the 31 year-old actor spoke to CinemaBlend's Jeff McCobb, where we asked about one unanswered question: who raised Adam after he showed up on Earth as a child? Galitzine shared some of the BTS conversations that went this backstory, offering:

While we got to see Adam as both a kid in Eternia and an adult on Earth, there wasn't much information about what happened in between. And there was not even a line of dialogue about who raised the movie's protagonist after he crash landed on a new planet altogether.

While Masters of the Universe isn't making a ton of money at the box office, that doesn't take away from how passionate fans of the IP are. The fandom was likely wondering about Adam's backstory, but it sounds like Nicholas Galitzine and director Travis Knight did talk it out. As the actor went on to say:

There was clearly a great deal of care taken with the new MOTU movie, especially since Knight is a hardcore fan himself. Galitzine spoke to CinemaBlend about his character's signature bob haircut, but also confirmed he knows what happened to Adam while he was new to Earth. As he told us:

This offers so much-needed context and answers to a lingering question from Masters of the Universe. It appears that we didn't meet Adam's adopted family because he didn't really have one. Instead he bounced around a bit, possibly through the foster system. Although now I need a prequel to show how this all went down.

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll just have to see if it gets a sequel, which may offer more answers about Adam's backstory.

After Barbie's massive success at the box office and Award Season, Mattel quickly started working on another big screen adaptation. That title arrived in theaters this past weekend: Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe starring Nicholas Galitzine. Unfortunately the movie failed to make money in its opening weekend, but Amazon doesn't seem to think it's actually a flop. Let's break it all down.

MOTU was expected to have a soft opening, and that's exactly what happened during its first weekend in theaters. Scary Movie beat it at the box office, with Knight's movie making a reported $54.3 million so far on a budget of around $200 million. While some might call this a failure, Amazon MGM’s domestic distribution chief Kevin Wilson offered another perspective to Variety. He was quoted saying:

Well, that's certainly a more positive outlook on the movie's first weekend at the box office. It sounds like the folks at Amazon MGM are still feeling positive about Masters of the Universe, and are confident the movie will be remembered fondly long after its run in theaters. We'll just have to wait and see if it ends up making more money at time goes on.

While Amazon could have simply put out MOTU on streaming, the fact that it went to theaters is a boon for the industry as a whole. Both theaters and the studio get to make money from this, although there's more opportunity for profitability once Travis Knight's movie hits homes. Because once He-Man and company hit streaming, Amazon can make more money through ads on the Prime Video. Whether its a longer ad before the movie or breaks throughout its runtime, Masters of the Universe still has the chance to make tons of money for the studio after its tenure in theaters.

Critical response for Masters of the Universe was largely positive, with folks praising the movie's comedy, as well as its visuals and performances. But its uphill battle at the box office might be for a few reasons. To start, He-Man and MOTU is an IP that's largely popular from the '80s. While it's got nostalgic power, it hasn't necessarily been a player in the modern pop culture landscape. So younger moviegoers might not have shown out in theaters.

It should be interesting to see how much more money MOTU makes during its run at the box office, as well as how it performs once it goes to streaming. The movie's ending definitely left some narrative threads open for a potential sequel, especially its mid-credits scene. But whether or not they'll be able to see these play out with a follow-up movie remains to be seen.

The fact that Amazon MGM is so positive about the movie is a hopeful sign for those hoping to see another Masters of the Universe movie. The franchise has a ton of beloved characters that could potentially join in a sequel, as well as the starring cast of Travis Knight's first movie. Only time will tell the burgeoning franchise's future.

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. He-Man and his friends are on the big screen, hopefully they get to return sometime in the future.

The Wayans Brothers ensured that the horror genre continues to dominate the summer box office, as their return to the Scary Movie franchise after a quarter-century earned $55 million on its opening weekend. That’s not all though — Backrooms set another record after its shocking debut, and Obsession crossed a big milestone of its own.

This success in the horror realm unfortunately meant that Masters of the Universe saw disappointing numbers on opening weekend, earning just $29.3 million over its first three days, as blockbusters like Disclosure Day and Toy Story 5 draw nearer on the 2026 movie release schedule.

Take a look at the Top 10 chart below, per The Numbers, and then we’ll get into some context:

Weekend Box Office: June 5-7, 2026

* denotes new release

Scary Movie 6 Gets International Bump As It Sets Franchise Record

The amount earned by Scary Movie in North America got some help from international markets, nearly doubling for a global total of $105.5 million in three days. That’s great news for Miramax, who financed the movie for $30 million.

In fact, the ticket sales earned by Scary Movie in the U.S. and Canada alone make it the best debut for the franchise since the first movie premiered in 2000. Check out where it stands next to its counterparts' first weekends:

• Scary Movie (2000): $42.4 million
• Scary Movie 2 (2001): $20.5 million
• Scary Movie 3 (2003): $48.1 million
• Scary Movie IV (2006): $40.2 million
• Scary Movie V (2013): $14.2 million
• Scary Movie (2026): $55 million

The first movie leads the rest in overall global earnings with $277.2 million. Could the sixth installment eventually pass it? Time will tell.

Continuing the trend of seeing younger audiences — and the death of theater etiquette, in some moviegoers’ eyes — 62 percent of Scary Movie ticket buyers were under the age of 30, per THR. The majority of those checking out Backrooms and Obsession last week were under 35 years old.

Masters Of The Universe Does Not Have The Power

While the new horror movies may have skewed younger, Masters of the Universe catered to Gen X nostalgia as it revived the popular ‘80s cartoon to underwhelming success. The soft opening for the Nicholas Galitzine-led flick may not be as catastrophic as what’s happening to The Mandalorian and Grogu (which has earned just $293.6 million globally after three weekends), but its sub-$30 million debut is a rough start, considering Masters of the Universe is estimated to have cost around $200 million to make.

It’s going to need a long stay in theaters if it wants to break even, which is a tough ask with how strong the trio of horror movies is doing, along with big titles in the coming weeks like Disclosure Day and Toy Story 5 — the latter of which was bolstered by the release of the delightful new Taylor Swift single “I Knew It, I Knew You” for its soundtrack.

How Critics And Audiences Rated The New Releases

Word-of-mouth advertising can definitely help a movie’s longevity, especially if audiences enjoy a movie that was negatively reviewed by critics. After six movies, it’s come to be expected that critics are pretty harsh on the Scary Movie franchise, while Masters of the Universe also fared better in the eyes of the moviegoers. Let’s take a look at the new releases’ Rotten Tomatoes and CinemaScore grades:

Backrooms Sets Another Record; Obsession Crosses Big Milestone

The wins keep coming for the YouTuber-helmed Backrooms and Obsession. Despite the former’s 68% drop from opening weekend, it still earned $25.9 million domestically, and adding in international numbers, its global total stands at $195.9 million.

That means that after just 10 days in theaters, Kane Parsons’ Backrooms has become A24’s highest-grossing release worldwide, beating Marty Supreme’s $191 million.

Not to be outdone, Obsession crossed the $200 million mark globally after four weekends in release, accumulating $224.8 million. That makes it Focus Features’ highest-grossing title of all time, beating 2019’s Downton Abbey ($194.6M worldwide). And let’s remember, Obsession cost less than $1 million to make.

After increasing its weekend-over-weekend audience for the past two weeks, Curry Barker’s film finally started to backslide, but to a comically low degree. Obsession lost just 7% of its ticket sales between its third and fourth weekends, which means this week’s $25.6 million is still higher than both its first ($17.2 million) and second ($24 million) weekends in release.

What Can We Expect From Disclosure Day’s Upcoming Premiere?

Lots of people, myself included, are highly anticipating Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, which hits theaters on Friday, June 12, so how will it shake up the box office rankings? According to Box Office Theory, the sci-fi movie is projected to draw between $40 million and $55 million in its first three days.

That should be enough for the top spot, but the rest of the Top 5 could see some moves, given how close this week’s finishes were.

Next Week Could Be Michael’s Week

For the past few weeks, we’ve been watching Michael’s steady climb en route to take the title of highest-grossing music biopic in the world away from Bohemian Rhapsody, and it looks like that time has come. The film currently sits at $888 million globally and needs only $23 million more to surpass the 2018 Freddie Mercury story.

On June 12, Michael will finally premiere in Japan, and given the King of Pop’s large fanbase there, the movie is practically guaranteed to storm past Bohemian Rhapsody’s $911 million global total.

Be sure to hit the theater sometime this week to take in one of these movies, then come back next Sunday to see where everything falls in the Top 10.

Nostalgia continues to be a powerful force in the entertainment industry. And after Barbie's record-breaking performance in theaters, Mattel has brought another major IP to the big screen: Masters of the Universe. Actor Nicholas Galitzine got jacked to play Adam Glenn/He-Man, but it turns out that there are some exercises that his co-star Camila Mendes has him beat on. Let's break it all down.

In the lead-up to the release of Masters of the Universe, it's been made clear that Galitzine gained a ton of muscle in order to bring He-Man to life on the big screen. He kept it up while shooting, frequently working out with Teela actress Camila Mendes in the process. As you can see in the above video, the Riverdale star spoke to CinemaBlend about being He-Man's gym buddy. She was asked which workout she was superior at, responding with:

Take that, He-Man. Because while folks have been drooling over Nicholas Galitzine's new physique, there were some exercises where bigger wasn't better. Namely, pilates, and any other workouts that were more about flexibility. That's where Mendes shone, and was able to one-up her scene partner as they maintained their fitness together.

Masters of the Universe reviews have praised the movie's comedy, as well as how great Galitzine looks as the movie's protagonist. And while Camila Mendes' Teela costume wasn't as revealing as the cartoons, she still worked hard to look at strong as possible as the Guard of Eternia. In the same conversation with CinemaBlend, the Do Revenge actress still gushed about her hulking co-star, offering:

Listen, you can't win them all. And while the Idea of You actor has more upper body strength, Camila Mendes has him beat when it comes to flexibility and pilates. It's too bad that we don't get to see Teela and Adam spar in Masters of the Universe. Instead, they're working on the same side throughout its 140-minute runtime. But hey, maybe these allies and friends can come to blows if a sequel ends up being ordered.

It should be fascinating to see how Masters of the Universe does at the box office, and if it ends up starting a new movie franchise. There are generations of fans out there who love He-Man and the rest of the characters, but only time will tell if that translates to money at the box office.

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. So fans can see just how jacked Mendes and Galitzine got for themselves.

The power of nostalgia in Hollywood has been clear for years, as moviegoers love to see properties they enjoyed as young people back on the small or silver screens. Following Barbie's record-breaking success, Mattel has brought another IP to the big screen: Masters of the Universe. Travis Knight's movie is nearly here, and while some folks might be worried about Jared Leto's role as Skeletor, as someone who has already seen the movie I can confidently say he's incredible as the beloved villain.

What we know about Masters of the Universe has been limited, but I was lucky enough to visit the set in the midst of filming. I didn't get to see Leto at work, so my early screening of Knight's movie was the first time seeing him in action. And while he's had box office bombs with Morbius and Tron: Ares, the Oscar-winning actor is a total delight at Skeletor, and worth the price of admission.

Jared Leto Has Some Haters, But His Skeletor Is Incredible

Jared Leto has his share of haters. Whether its his method acting in Suicide Squad or his recent box office struggles, folks are entitled to their opinions. But I think it' a misstep to not see Masters of the Universe due to his inclusion. Because he is wildly entertaining as Skeletor, pivoting between being a scary villain and a hilariously campy antagonist.

The Masters of the Universe trailer debuted the wild character voice Leto uses for Skeletor, and it's even better in the movie's theatrical cut. He sounds pretty unrecognizable, and the delivery he brings as He-Man's foe had me laughing consistently throughout the film's 141-minute runtime.

Masters of the Universe's reviews praised the movie's comedy, and there are a surprising amount of laughs throughout its runtime. Jared Leto deserves credit for many of these moments. Whether its him getting frustrated at the end of his villainous monologues or the truly hilarious dream sequence opposite Nicholas Galitzine's Adam Glenn, Leto's performance really helped to nail down the movie's unique tone. So while the 54-year-old actor might not have done press for the movie, he really helps to make the blockbuster what it is.

Apart from Leto's performance, the way visual effects aided in his appearance as Skeletor are also impressive. While the suit was all practical (I saw it myself during my set visit) CGI is masterfully used to animate the He-Man villain's skeleton face. Add in Leto's delivery and the funny one-liners that often leave his mouth, and Skeletor is one of the biggest scene-stealers in the movie

Audiences will get to judge for themselves when Masters of the Universe hits theaters on June 5th as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll just have to wait and see how it performs at the box office, and if Travis Knight's movie kickstarts a bonafide movie franchise.

After Barbie's record-breaking performance at the box office, it should be no surprise that Mattel quickly moved forward with more film projects. Case in point: the new Masters of the Universe movie, which arrives in theaters this weekend starring The Idea of You's Nicholas Galitzine. The movie is directed by Travis Knight, who recently admitted he's seen the online discourse, as well as folks prematurely hating on the next live-action He-Man adaptation.

What we know about Masters of the Universe has been limited, but that changes this weekend when it gets its wide theatrical release. During an interview with IndieWire, the director got real about folks who are criticizing the movie before even seeing it. In his words:

He's not wrong. Folks love to hate on movies and TV online; it's simply the way the internet works as of late. And when bringing a campy franchise like He-Man to life for modern audiences, Travis Knight was probably prepared for those naysayers. We'll just have to wait and see if people change their tune once the movie has its wide theatrical release.

Critical response to Masters of the Universe has been pretty positive, especially related to both the comedic beats and He-Man himself, Nicholas Galitzine. That's likely helping the movie's director keep his head on straight and not give the haters too much power. Later in the same interview, Knight shared his understanding of He-Man fans who might be skeptical about the new movie. As he put it:

The trailer for Masters of the Universe showed some of the care that was taken in bringing Eternia to life in live-action. Travis Knight is a self-proclaimed superfan who grew up playing with the original toys and watching the animated series. That, as well as his previous history in the film world, seemingly prepared the Bumblebee director to let hate roll off his back. Instead, he's letting the new blockbuster speak for itself.

Masters of the Universe hits theaters this weekend as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll have to see how audiences ultimately respond to the movie, and if the online hate quiets down as a result.

The box office knives are already out for the 2026 movie calendar release, Masters of the Universe, which is probably inevitable when a big, expensive-looking He-Man movie heads into theaters with soft tracking attached. A lot of the early review chatter has framed Amazon MGM’s fantasy reboot as a likely flop before it even has a chance to lift the sword. I get the instinct, but I also think that framing misses much of what makes this release interesting and why it should be seen as less of a disaster than The Mandalorian and Grogu’s second week in theaters.

According to Boxoffice Pro’s Long Range Forecast, Masters of the Universe is tracking for a $30 million to $40 million domestic opening when it opens on June 5. That would be a muted start for a major franchise play, especially one built around a legacy toy brand with Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Jared Leto as Skeletor and Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn. Still, a soft opening for an Amazon MGM movie does not mean the same thing as a brutal second-week drop for The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Masters Of The Universe Just Got An IMAX Boost

One curious late development is that Masters of the Universe picked up IMAX screens at the last minute. IGN reports IMAX made room for the film after The Mandalorian and Grogu opened up space earlier than expected, with tickets going on sale just one week before the movie’s release.

That is good news for fans who want to see Eternia on the biggest screen possible, and it suggests Amazon MGM is still giving this thing a real theatrical swing. Unlike Netflix, which often treats theatrical releases like a velvet rope outside a streaming premiere, Amazon is putting Masters of the Universe into theaters for an actual run.

It may not explode out of the gate, but there is value in a streamer-backed studio still treating theatrical as something worth doing.

Early Buzz Could Give Masters Of The Universe Some Muscle

The good news is that early buzz has been warmer than the “this thing is doomed” chatter might suggest. Film commentator and critic Perri Nemiroff posted on X that Masters of the Universe could be one of her biggest surprises of 2026, saying she was swept away by its “super vibrant, weird and gleeful” energy.

Critics have been saying similar things. Mashable’s Kristy Puchko admitted her expectations were low before ultimately saying she really enjoyed Travis Knight’s take on the material, while The Irish Times called the film “all solid good fun” and “a minor miracle.” That doesn’t guarantee a breakout, but it sounds, by all accounts, the movie may have more going for it than tracking alone can show.

If families, nostalgic He-Man fans and curious folks with a Prime Video subscription hear the movie actually works, Masters of the Universe may have a better shot at hanging around than the early doom cycle suggests.

Amazon’s Math Is Not Disney’s Math

Of course, Amazon would love a hit. Nobody spends this much money on producing a big-budget fantasy flick because they hope for “decent enough.” But Amazon also has Prime Video waiting in the background, which changes how the movie should be judged.

A theatrical release can bring in real money, but for Amazon, it can also act as an awareness campaign before the movie eventually becomes a Prime title. That does not make the box office irrelevant. It just means a softer opening is not automatically a flaming wreck.

The challenge is that audiences know this, too. Amazon has trained many viewers to expect its movies to stream later. Even with a full theatrical rollout, some people will look at Masters of the Universe and decide to wait for the couch.

The Mandalorian And Grogu Has Heavier Baggage

That is why the Mandalorian and Grogu box-office comparison is a bit of an "apples-to-oranges" comparison. If Masters of the Universe opens soft, it is a stumble for a franchise trying to regain theatrical relevance. If a new Star Wars movie falls hard in Week 2 and gives up premium-format space sooner than expected, that feels like a warning light on a much bigger machine.

Star Wars is not supposed to be a bonus add-on for a Disney+ subscription. It is a legacy brand that has been around for decades. It's one of the first major film franchises that, in many ways, taught Hollywood how to think about blockbusters. The Mandalorian began as a streaming phenomenon, but bringing that story to theaters was meant to prove it could return to theaters.

That is a harder ask than what Masters of the Universe is facing. He-Man has nostalgia and a passionate fan base, but it is not carrying the same burden as Star Wars. So, yes, Masters of the Universe may have a soft opening weekend, but if it gets a real theatrical run, builds awareness and becomes a splashy Prime offering later, that is not the same kind of problem as Mando and 'Baby Yoda' losing altitude after one weekend.

Following the wild success of Barbie, Mattel is bringing another iconic IP to the big screen with Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe. The movie stars Nicholas Galitzine as Adam Glenn / He-Man, with the actor putting on a ton of muscle to look superhero fit. It turns out he almost rocked the character's signature bob, with Galitzine telling CinemaBlend why they decided to change up his hairdo for the big screen.

What we know about Masters of the Universe has been fairly limited, but the cast chatted with CinemaBlend's own Jeff McCob ahead of the movie's release. As you can see in the video above, Nicholas Galitzine was asked about He-Man's cartoon bob, with the Idea of You actor saying:

Points were made. While Masters of the Universe reviews have praised the movie's comedy, giving Galitzine a cartoon-accurate bob as He-Man might have been just a bit too goofy. While he's still got long blonde rocks, the cut was made slightly less goofy than the source material.

Clearly there was special care taken with how He-Man looks in Masters of the Universe, even apart from the actor's physicality. He later spoke to CinemaBlend about the difference between He-Man's hair and Adam's when he's not transformed. Galitzine said:

As someone who was lucky enough to see Masters of the Universe early, I have to say that the process behind finding He-Man's hair really paid off. On top of Adam getting more ripped when he transforms, his hair gets an upgrade. And I found myself staring at He-Man's hairdo while watching the movie on the big screen.

It was fascinating to see how various characters were adapted in live-action for the new Masters of the Universe movie. While Teela got a new costume that was less revealing, He-Man is more accurate to the source material. We'll just have to see if the movie gets a sequel, and if Nicholas Galitzine's protagonist ends up with a new look.

Masters of the Universe will hit theaters on June 5th as part of the 2026 movie release list. That includes He-Man and his slightly less goofy haircut.

After the success of Barbie, it was a given that we’d be seeing more movies based on classic toys, specifically of the Mattel variety. Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe, which hits the 2026 movie calendar on June 5 brings He-Man, Teela, Skeletor and more to life, as Adam Glenn is reunited with his Sword of Power, returning to an Eternia that has been taken over by Skeletor. Reviews are in for the upcoming action film, and I was surprised by the main thing critics disagreed on.

The movie brings the jokes, but the question is whether or not they work — or are even funny — and that is definitely not the disagreement I expected to see in the Masters of the Universe reviews. After all, the early reactions lauded Nicholas Galitzine and his comedic timing, so what’s all the fuss about? As far as Clint Gage of IGN is concerned, there’s no problem. He gives it a “Great” 8 out of 10, agreeing with director Travis Knight’s decision to not take anything too seriously, writing:

Pete Hammond of Deadline also praises Nicholas Galitzine’s performance, as well as the director for keeping the tone light and plot moving. Hammond says:

Frank Scheck of THR, however, says Masters of the Universe is “exhaustingly jokey,” as the director drives home the fact that they are in on the joke. The humor is juvenile and the dialogue is worse, the critic says. It’s hard for him to imagine this appealing to anyone who isn’t already a fan of this franchise. Scheck continues:

Germain Lussier of Gizmodo says it’s a shame that Masters of the Universe “isn’t a good movie,” because the passion that all involved have for the franchise is very clear. The actors are game, but it fails to hit the mark of a movie that will appeal both to its longtime fanbase and to newcomers alike. Forcing humor into every situation is part of the problem, Lussier says, writing:

Guy Lodge of Variety says Nicholas Galitzine almost pulls off the impossible task of making us care about our hero’s battle while simultaneously laughing at his loincloth. But at 140 minutes and an overabundance of self-deprecation, Masters of the Universe is only likely to draw laughs from the over-40 crowd who grew up playing with He-Man toys. Lodge writes:

As unlikely as it may seem, it's the jokes that the critics don’t agree on, but this movie still definitely sounds like a viable option for those looking for a couple of hours of (hopefully) laughs and fight scenes. If you’re excited to draw your own conclusions about this movie, you’ll want to get your ticket for Masters of the Universe, because this one hits theaters on Friday, June 5.

Method dressing is a staple of press tours these days, with celebs like Zendaya, Margot Robbie, and Jenna Ortega being major adopters of the fashion trend. I love how Masters of the Universe’s Camila Mendes and her glam team are doing with it in the last couple of weeks. As we anticipate her role in one of the latest of 2026 movie releases, she’s back at it again with another great look.

On Thursday’s Masters of the Universe premiere in Berlin, Germany, Mendes turned up in a head-turning leopard print gown that seems to channel Battle Cat. Check it out:

She was wearing a Roberto Cavalli dress in another red carpet look styled by Molly Dickson. In Masters of the Universe, Camila Mendes plays the role of Teela, who is a powerful “warrior goddess” who is by the side of Adam Glenn / He-Man throughout his quest to save the world.

The gown is elegant and yet is cleverly designed to look like it does come from the skin of a leopard. There’s some corset-like detailing around the chest, and that effortless off the shoulder styling on the right side is just chef’s kiss! I also love the silver bracelets and necklace used to accessorize the getup.

The past couple of weeks Mendes and her cast have been all over to promote the new action film. She wore a sparkly gown with a cape at the Los Angeles premiere before going for a more relaxed sheer look for an appearance in Sao Paulo, Brazil over the weekend. Then, earlier this week, the Riverdale actress turned up wearing a gorgeous white gown and Teela-blue eyes at the London premiere.

I think this might be my favorite of her looks, but it’s honestly hard to choose. The 31-year-old shares top-billing in Masters of the Universe with Nicholas Galitzine from Red, White & Royal Blue as He-Man, Jared Leto’s Skeletor, Alison Brie’s Evil-Lyn, Morena Baccarin’s Sorceress and Idris Elba’s Man-At-Arms.

Mendes spent seven months shooting the film in London with the cast and director Travis Knight. When the movie wrapped, Mendes said taking on the iconic role was “one of the most exciting and challenging experiences” of her career, citing that it turned her into “a full-blown gym bro”. She doesn’t prance around “in a swimsuit” like the ‘80s cartoon character, but she had to play a believable warrior goddess.

Prior to Masters of the Universe, Mendes played Veronica on Riverdale for seven seasons. She’s also been in some solid movies the past few years like Do Revenge, Upgraded and Música. This marks her first big action role and she’s owning it like a pro with these looks. You can see Camila Mendes in Masters of the Universe in theaters starting next Friday, June 5.

Right now, lots of eyes are on Nicholas Galitzine because we’re about to see him play He-Man in Masters of the Universe. However, some of his other fans (like me) are also highly anticipating seeing him back as Prince Henry in the Red, White and Royal Blue sequel. Although when he comes back on screen as the beloved royal in that romance, he’s going to look a bit different, and that’s because of his blockbuster on the 2026 movie schedule.

When CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb spoke to Galitzine about Masters of the Universe, he also asked if Henry would be a little bulkier in Red, White and Royal Wedding since it was filmed after he played He-Man. In response, the actor said:

This all makes a whole lot of sense to me. Nicholas Galitzine bulked up big time for Masters of the Universe. He’s previously said that getting in shape for this movie was “the hardest thing [he’s] ever done," and he has been clear that this process wasn’t for the faint of heart and that it took a very long time. However, it paid off, as the film’s director, Travis Knight, told EW his leading man didn’t just get in shape, he looked “like a totally different dude” after going through this process.

Plus, to top it all off, Masters of the Universe’s first reactions have been solid, showing that this was all worth it. However, this commitment to bulking up and his transformation will impact other projects.

Specifically, with Red, White and Royal Wedding, which is a sequel to the romance Red, White and Royal Blue, Galitzine will be returning to a character he played three years ago. While he’s always been in shape, Prince Henry was by no means bulky. So, as the actor who plays him said, the next time we see this royal, he’ll look like he’s spent a bit more time at the gym than he did during the early days of his relationship with Alex.

For context, Red, White and Royal Wedding went into production in January this year, and it wrapped in March. Masters of the Universe wrapped up its production in June of 2025, per Galitzine’s Instagram. So, he had some time to get out of He-Man shape. However, as the actor told us, the frame he developed while playing this character did stick around.

Now, to see Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, you can catch Masters of the Universe in theaters on June 5. Meanwhile, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see this slightly more jacked version of Prince Henry, because Red, White and Royal Wedding does not have a release date yet. However, you can go back and see the actor as a royal and before he was He-Man, by streaming Red, White and Royal Blue with an Amazon Prime subscription.

With a brand new live-action Masters Of The Universe hitting screens soon on the 2026 movie schedule, I decided I should go back and watch the first live-action adaptation of the cartoon/toy line. It’s a movie I haven’t seen in, well, almost 40 years. I saw it in theaters in the ‘80s, and I’ve never revisited it. The only thing I remembered about the movie was that I actually remembered nothing about it, except standing by the poster at the theater where I saw it. So how was it? Well, I’ve got thoughts.

It Was A Legendary Flop

Masters Of The Universe, starring Dolph Lungren as He-Man and a young Courteney Cox as a teenager from Earth caught up in the battle between good and evil on Eternia, was a notorious box office bomb when it was released in the summer of 1987. Sure, critics mostly hated it, but they weren’t the target demo. I was. I was 11 years old that summer, and I was the prime target for the movie, having already spent years coming home right after school to watch the cartoon and play with the action figures. Though, to be honest, I was always a much bigger fan of GI Joe.

The problem was, I hated the movie. Well, I think I hated it. As I said, I don’t remember it, but I also never went back to watch it again, so at a minimum, it wasn’t worth a rewatch. This was an era in my life when I rewatched movies I loved over and over again. Master of the Universe wasn’t good enough to find its way into my rotation. I remember being excited for it. I was a fan of Lundgren from Rocky IV, and I knew the cartoon well, but I understand why the movie flopped, because that wasn’t enough to keep me excited about it.

It’s Not That Bad

I’m not going to make a case for Masters of the Universe to be added to the Library of Congress or anything, but I was surprised that it was better than I anticipated. Sure, the special effects are pretty terrible, and Lundgren’s performance is completely flat, but I think the filmmakers made some solid choices, and the movie is pretty fun. Not good, but not bad, either. It’s not deserving of its terrible reputation, at least.

I thought it was smart for writer David Odell and director Gary Goddard to set most of the action on Earth, in small-town USA. That meant they didn’t have to recreate the fantasy planet of Eternia. In fact, almost all of the action on Eternia is in Castle Greyskull’s throne room. With the limited amount of special effects that they had at their disposal, this was a pragmatic decision.

I also love that for most of the movie, it’s kind of a caper, with all the characters chasing after the film’s MacGuffin, a key that frankly had a purpose that was pretty garbled. The key changes hands multiple times, and often characters arrive just minutes too late to reacquire it. It makes the movie super fun. Frank Langella, who plays Skeletor, is also super fun, as he is just chewing the scenery in the best way possible throughout the whole movie. Jared Leto has a lot to live up to!

The new Masters of the Universe is just around the corner, and with the early reactions being mostly very positive, I’m getting excited to see it and how it compares to this one.

Whether you’ve already got your ticket for the live-action Masters of the Universe, or still haven’t bought in yet, He-Man’s arrival is almost here, and the first reactions to the film have been wildly positive on the whole. That buzz hopefully added a veneer of enjoyment for cast members Camila Mendes, Nicholas Galitzine and others as they showed up on the red carpet for the 2026 release’s UK premiere. Though I dare say any event where Mendes shows up in a stunning dress and a key piece of MotU costuming automatically slots as a great time.

The highly anticipated action-fantasy’s UK debut took place at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, England, and though it might be Galatzine’s home turf, Mendes looked perfectly comfortable showing out on the carpet in a white/ivory halter neck dress from designer Anna October where the descriptor “plunging” might count as an understatement.

T'is a gorgeous dress that only becomes more eye-popping with Camila Mendes in it, of course. Not to mention looking comfortable AF, though that could just be naivety speaking on my behalf.

Regardless, the dress isn't even the biggest hook for all the Teela-adoring fans out there. Rather, it's that the actress is actually wearing her character's blue-tinted contacts that pop so hard in the movie. (As confirmed by Entertainment Tonight on Instagram.) Here's another look, with her eyes more on display.

Galitzine is said to have been as surprised as anyone when Mendes showed up on the red carpet with Teela's eye color. In his words:

Camila Mendes' red-carpet look is definitely more revealing than her costume in the MotU movie, although that's somewhat only because the character's swimsuit-esque costume was changed for live-action. Not that the Riverdale vet would have had an issue with wearing it. Maybe for another red carpet...

Perhaps unsurprisingly, star Jared Leto doesn’t appear to have attended the UK premiere, continuing his non-publicity run for the Travis Knight-directed feature, amidst rumors that he isn’t pleased with the final product. (FWIW, Knight has praised Leto’s performance.) Whatever the reality may be behind all that, it’s unclear if or how it’d damage Masters of the Universe’s shot at box office glory, as the film is currently tracking for a $25-35 million opening weekend, which is on the lower end for a flick budgeted at more than $170 million.

Are you Evil-In or Evil-Out? (That joke doesn’t really work, since that's Alison Brie's character, but we're abiding.) Masters of the Universe hits theaters on June 5, 2026.

As the busiest time in the 2026 movie calendar continues to bring us new buzzy releases every weekend, excitement for the Masters of the Universe movie is starting to pick up – especially after first reactions called it “a colossally epic time” and “a hell of a lot of fun.” However, Jared Leto, who plays the movie’s big bad Skeletor, has been nowhere to be seen during the movie’s press tour. A new rumor suggests there’s a specific reason why he’s been absent from promoting the movie.

What Jared Leto Allegedly Thinks Of Masters Of The Universe

The Masters of the Universe press tour has been in full swing lately, with the cast reuniting at the Los Angeles premiere last Monday… with the exception of Jared Leto. The actor skipped out on the movie’s world premiere event, didn’t take part in the press junkets alongside Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, Morena Baccarin and Idris Elba. Plus he hasn’t posted about the movie on social media – despite being active on his Instagram otherwise.

Jared Leto allegedly “wasn’t thrilled” with Masters of the Universe, according to Puck News (via ComingSoon), and that’s why he’s stayed clear of promoting it. Amazon has also reportedly been “downplaying” his involvement as well. While there’s positivity around those who’ve seen the upcoming movie, according to Box Office Pro it’s looking at a $25 to $35 million opening weekend range, which isn’t good news for a movie that allegedly cost $175 million in production costs.

Other Reasons Why Jared Leto Is Sitting Out Masters Of The Universe Press Tour

While Jared Leto could be avoiding promoting Masters of the Universe due to not liking the film or it heading toward becoming a commercial flop, there’s also quite a few reasons why Amazon MGM Studios might also want to not associate with the actor either. For one, Leto was accused of sexual impropriety back in June of last year (per The Guardian), which included allegations of him flirting with teenagers and having “predatory” behavior.

Additionally, the last movie Leto starred in Tron: Ares which had a $33 million debut before stumbling at the box office with a $142 million worldwide box office haul against a $220 million production budget. Many believe that this had to do with Jared Leto leading the movie, but we should also note that one insider suggested that the Tron film would have flopped with or without him.

While Jared Leto’s name and face was all over Tron: Ares, in Masters of the Universe the actor literally plays a character that looks like a skeleton, so there’s less inherent connection with the actor. You can check out Masters of the Universe yourself when it hits theaters on June 5.

Until very recently, I wasn't sure if I was going to see Masters of the Universe in theaters, however the decision has now been made. The ticket has been purchased, and I want to talk about a couple of reasons why I'm planning to see the He-Man film, which arrives soon on the 2026 movie schedule.

While nostalgia is a factor, it wasn't enough to make Masters of the Universe a must-see-in-theaters for me. My sisters and I were '80s kids and the prime age for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe when the animated series aired on TV. We loved that show, and the She-Ra spinoff that followed. Of course, we had some of the toys, and we saw the 1987 live-action film starring Dolph Lundgren and a pre-Friends Courteney Cox.

When I learned that they were making a new Masters of the Universe movie, I recall feeling a spark of nostalgia, but otherwise, I was fairly neutral. As fondly as I remember watching the original show as a kid, I can't say that I've been clamoring for a reboot. Still, I was curious enough to keep an eye on the promotions for Travis Knight's movie, and that brings us to the things that sold me on seeing it sooner rather than later...

The Trailers Really Look Fun

The story centers on Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) returning to his home world of Eternia after spending more than a decade living on Earth. With the Sword of Power and the help of his friends Teela (Camila Mendes) and Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), he's tasked with trying to save his world and fight Skeletor (Jared Leto).

I like the mix of humor and fantastical action featured in the trailers for the new movie. The footage has given us a good glimpse of the cast and the journey Adam is on. Also, I need to admit that I forgot just how much I loved Cringer/Battle Cat. As a kid, I remember liking that he could be brave even though he was also sometimes terrified. The sight of him roaring inside the MGM logo in the trailer made me smile.

Nicholas Galitzine Is Great -- The Whole Cast Is, Really

Though I'd seen him in The Craft: Legacy and the Amazon's 2021 Cinderella, Nicholas Galitzine won me over with two specific performances: the ridiculous, cheating-boyfriend Jeff in Bottoms, and the warm, charming, deserves-so-much-love Prince Henry in Red, White and Royal Blue (I can't wait for Red, White and Royal Blue 2 to come out!). These characters couldn't be more different if they tried, and yet, Galitzine played both so memorably and perfectly. For all the humor he brought to Bottoms, he brought as much warmth and depth to his Red, White and Royal Blue character.

Learning that he'd play Prince Adam had me curious, but also much more optimistic about the quality of the movie they were putting together. For Masters of the Universe, they picked an actor with genuine range to play the part of Adam (and from the sound of it, he put in a lot of work to bulk up for the role).

There's even more talent among the cast, which – in addition to Galitzine, Mendes, Elba and Leto – includes Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, and Charlotte Riley.

The cast and trailers had me mostly sold on buying a ticket, but there's one more thing to talk about...

Reviews Aren't In Yet, But Early Reactions Sound Positive

I don't rely solely on critics' reactions to determine if I'll see a movie, but if I hear it's good, that's certainly going to factor into my decision. In the case of Masters of the Universe, as of this writing, actual reviews aren't out yet, but early reactions on social media sound positive, with the words "fun" and "funny" being used to describe it. This isn't a property that I need to see taking itself super seriously. If what we're in for is popcorn fun where the heroes fight the bad guys and there are some bits of humor sprinkled throughout, that works for me.

Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters on June 5, 2026, but luckily, I was able to grab a ticket for an early access screening on June 3rd at my local theater, so if you're planning to watch it sooner rather than later, check the listings to see what's available near you.

The summer portion of the 2026 movie calendar is officially upon us, as we’ll finally get to lay eyes on highly anticipated projects like The Mandalorian and Grogu, Disclosure Day and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Before those offerings, though, we’ve got to talk about Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto and more serving up a blast from the past with the upcoming blockbuster Masters of the Universe, based on the Mattel action figures, comics and cartoon series from the ‘80s. Let’s take a look at early reactions.

Masters of the Universe doesn’t hit theaters until June 5, and feedback hitting social media more than two weeks ahead of time is typically an indication that studios are confident in their product. I’d say director Travis Knight has good reason to be optimistic, given posts by critics like Courtney Howard, who was charmed by everything from the story to the score, writing:

Nicholas Galitzine may have bulked up to play He-Man, but it’s Jared Leto’s Skeletor who steals the show, according to Chris Killian of ComicBook.com. We got our first look at the villain in the Masters of the Universe trailer early this year, and while there was some confusion about his voice, critics seem pleased with his performance. Overall, Killian says he had a great time, writing:

Peter Gray of The AU Review slightly disagrees with the above statement, saying that it’s not Skeletor who is the showstopper but Nicholas Galitzine’s comedic timing. Gray’s post reads:

Scott Menzel of We Live Entertainment says fans of the the ‘80s cartoons won’t be disappointed, as Masters of the Universe fully embraces its over-the-top roots by leaning into its sillier elements. The critic says:

More than one movie lover who caught an early screening has said the movie wears its heart on its sleeve, and critic Rachel Leishman speaks to that in regards to the He-Man portrayer, writing:

Nick L’Barrow of World of Screens says Masters of the Universe features some impressive set pieces, with Travis Knight flexing as many creative muscles as Nicholas Galitzine does physical muscles in the upcoming fantasy flick. L’Barrow posts:

Junior Felix of That Hashtag Show says those who grew up in the ‘80s will have a nostalgic blast with Masters of the Universe, specifically praising Jared Leto’s character, writing:

Critic BJ Colangelo echoes that, saying it’s everything fans of this franchise could want:

These reactions are likely to leave fans even more excited for this one, which is set to hit theaters on Friday, June 5. You’ll definitely want to snatch up those Masters of the Universe popcorn buckets and cups, too, to reawaken that ‘80s child inside of you. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage of the movie leading up to its premiere.

The power of nostalgia is very real, and one beloved property that's returning to the big screen this summer is Masters of the Universe. Years after the infamous Dolph Lundgren movie, Travis Knight's blockbuster will bring the beloved characters to life, with Nicholas Galiztine playing the title role (and getting ripped in the process). I was lucky enough to be among a small group of journalists who got to visit the set last May, and was shook by all the huge practical sets, props, and costumes that I got to see (and touch) in the flesh.

What we know about Masters of the Universe has been limited, but I was fortune enough to get some insider information while visiting the set across the pond. While one might assume that the movie was brought to life with CGI and motion-capture suits, that's not the case. Instead, massive sets were built by hand, and basically every single costume and prop was build in-house. Producer Jason Blumenthal spoke to us about this process, offering:

While rumors swirled that Masters of the Universe would take place mostly on Earth, that simply was never the case. So to bring beloved characters and their iconic weapons to life, the production team needed to hand-build every single prop and costume piece. Yes, the movie will be enhanced with visual effects, but it didn't feel like it was being filmed with just green screens and tennis balls.

The Masters of the Universe trailer showed just how successful these effort, and I can't wait to see the finished product when it hits theaters in June. In addition to being able to see and touch the costumes and prop, we visited four impressive sets that were up in various sound stages. That includes the Sanctum of Castle Greyskull, where I was allowed to pose with the Power Sword. Check out the proof below:

Talk about a pinch me moment. We were also shown an epic, colorful forest, where Teela's ship had crash landed. Myself and fellow journalists were able to climb aboard the ship itself, and see every little detail in the cockpit. Then there was a prison complex, with doors that looked blasted open. Additionally, there was a hallway that featured the likeness of Morena Baccarin's Sorceress, who was given an awesome new look for the new Masters of the Universe movie.

Clearly there was a great deal of care and specificity brought to brining Masters of the Universe to life, which was palpable while visiting the movie's set. And I can only imagine how great it'll look on the big screen, especially with VFX added.

All will be revealed when Masters of the Universe hits theaters on June 5th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Despite visiting the set I still have so many questions, so I'll be there with bells on like the rest of the fans.

Masters Of The Universe's release date is months away, which is a shame because I have to wait that much longer to get ahold of its newly released popcorn bucket and drink holder. In fairness, I'm not entirely interested in it for the way it holds my food and beverages, and more into the fact it looks like a playset.

Maybe it's just my age and that I more commonly associate He-Man with toys than I do the classic cartoon, but I can't stop thinking about the absolute ball my kid would have letting its action figures dance around the Castle Grayskull popcorn bucket shared by Cinemark. Check it out below, along with some other items as well:

It really has the same vibes as those vintage Fisher-Price castles from when I was younger, which isn't a bad thing. I'm of the opinion that while functionality in terms of holding popcorn is sometimes important, it also has to look cool. Let's be honest, I'm not going to buy the Yoshi popcorn bucket because I think it holds the theater snack in the best way.

I think the same is true for the Sword of Power drink container. I can already imagine someone in the theaters being shocked by Jared Leto's portrayal of Skeletor, only to be soaked with soda because a kid tipped their drink to hit their sibling. Plus, how cool of a pool toy is that going to be for a film that's arriving on the 2026 movie schedule at the perfect time to capitalize on it?

The more functional cups are also great, and I guarantee I will own that Skeletor one before the summer is over. The only thing that might sway me otherwise is if Prince Adam is removable from his cup and can be used as a standalone action figure. I didn't see that happen in the video, but I'm crossing my fingers.

I also have to talk about the plushies and how I never thought I would see a version of Battle Cat that looks adorable. No offense to those who are fans of the original design, but I just know my kid is going to be begging for that when it comes time to see it in theaters.

Honestly, I'm just so impressed by how much the collectible popcorn bucket space has grown, and how it all started with a Dune 2 one that resembled a sex toy. Masters Of The Universe is a strong contender for one of the best popcorn buckets of 2026, for sure in my mind, but there's still plenty of time for another contender to line up.

Be ready for Master Of The Universe when it arrives in theaters on June 5th. Start saving money now for sweet merch, and be prepared for some added nostalgia when the movie finally comes out.

Masters of the Universe is a beloved franchise that's been around since 1982. And while it had a failed live-action adaptation in 1987 with Dolph Lundgren and Courteney Cox, moviegoing audiences will once again be brought to Eternia when Travis Knight's forthcoming blockbuster hits theaters this summer. It looks like it will be one of Nicholas Galtizine's biggest movies, although he recently spoke about just how grueling it was to bulk up to play He-Man.

What we know about Masters of the Universe has been limited, but the footage that's been released so far feel super accurate to the source material. Galitzine previously compared wearing He-Man's costume to doing sex scenes, and during an interview with EW he revealed just how hard it was to get swole for his leading role. As he put it:

The trailer for Masters of the Universe has showed the fruits of that intense labor. The Red White and Royal Blue actor looks huge as Adam Glenn/He-Man, and his body is almost unrecognizable from his past projects like The Idea of You. While he was always fit, it's clear just how much he bulked for MOTR.

Galtzine's body was on display from the first Masters of the Universe sneak peek, and He-Man's skimpy costume doesn't leave much to be imagined for the 31 year-old actor. He says he really suffered for the weight gain, and spoke more about how "personal" this process was for him. As he put it:

While fans of Galitzine had to wait until footage for Masters of the Universe to see just how swole the actor got, his collaborators on the movie definitely took notice. Director Travis Knight spoke about how surprising the transformation was to witness, offering:

Talk about hard work. One can only imagine how intense those workouts were, and how many calories Nicholas Galitzine had to consume in order to put on the weight. That work paid off, although I have to assume that he'll be looking much bigger when reprising his role as Prince Henry in Red, White & Royal Wedding.

Rather than pretending that training for He-Man wasn't difficult, I appreciate that Galitzine was so real about how hard it was. But he looks the part, and we'll be able to see him wield the Power Sword in a few months.

Masters of the Universe will hit theaters on June 5th as part of the 2026 movie release list. And I can't wait to see He-Man and Skeletor come to blows on the big screen.

As somebody who was a kid in the 1980s, I won't pretend I haven't been supremely curious about the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie. I watched the original cartoon and had many of the toys. I watched the first live-action movie and convinced myself I liked it even though it was mostly terrible.

When I saw the first teaser trailer for the new Masters of the Universe, I was surprised at how much the new film really did look like the old cartoon brought to life. However, the thing that had me the most curious wasn't what was in the trailer; it was what wasn't there. While we got brief glimpses of Jared Leto's Skeletor, the first teaser never had him speak. I was sure this was an intentional marketing decision. I was certain the voice, when we heard it, was going to be divisive. Now we know how Skeletor sounds, and I am certainly surprised.

Jared Leto's Skeletor Has Spoken, And He Sounds...Fine?

This morning, we got a brand new trailer for Masters of the Universe, and it does include a few lines of dialogue from Leto's villain. The most surprising thing about the voice of Skeletor is that there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it at all. It's a fairly generic sound. This voice would be perfectly at home being the next villain of a Paddington movie as much as it belongs in Masters of the Universe.

When Jared Leto is involved in, well, anything, you can almost guarantee things are going to get weird. His characters are often polarizing, but they are rarely boring. His take on franchise characters, like The Joker and Morbius, has been the stuff of memes.

Especially since Skeletor doesn't look like Jared Leto in this movie, I fully expected the actor's performance to come out in the voice, so I'm shocked that the voice is so normal. It's far less crazy sounding that the tone voice actor Alan Oppenheimer took in the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon series.

I'm Glad The Voice Is So Subdued

I'm curious about Masters of the Universe, but that's not the same thing as saying I'm particularly excited for it. Yes, I was a fan as a kid, but I haven't been a kid in a long time. And, weirdly, studios have been making movies aimed at me for my entire life, when they really should be making movies aimed at younger audiences.

Whoever's decision it was to not go crazy with the voice, I'm glad that decision was made. Even if most people saw the voice as "good," there was a decent chance that anything particularly unusual would have the chance to suck all the oxygen out of the room and become the only thing that anybody talked about. Now we can all focus on everything else. Jared Leto probably won't be what we're all talking about with this film, which is unusual for any movie he's in. It's a nice change of pace.

There are three months to go until Masters of the Universe is released on the 2026 movies schedule and introduces the world to Nicholas Galitzine’s version of He-Man. The last time this franchise was adapted for film was the 1987 movie of the same name, where Dolph Lundgren brought He-Man to life. Nearly 40 years later, rumor has it that Lundgren will also be present in this reboot, but his role is rather surprising.

No, the new Masters of the Universe isn’t getting in on the multiverse craze by having Nicholas Galitzine’s He-Man meet his older counterpart from another universe. Instead, He-Mania reports that Dolph Lundgren will play someone whom Galitzine’s Adam interacts with at the fitness gym he works out in. The outlet says that Lundgren’s character will give Adam some “some life advice,” and when their conversation ends, he’ll tell the young man “Good journey.” That’s the same thing that Teela and Man-At-Arms said to Julie Winston in the 1987 movie.

Assuming this information is accurate, this is a nice way to include Dolph Lundgren in the new Masters of the Universe and subtly pay tribute to his time as He-Man. Sure, it would have been great if he’d played a denizen of Eternia, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Of course, the fact that Lundgren is appearing at all in the reboot isn’t totally shocking, as he was cagey, but not dismissive when commenting on his potential involvement in October.

Dolph Lundgren’s been no stranger to high-profile theatrical releases over the last decade. In 2018, he reprised his Rocky IV role of Ivan Drago in Creed II, as well as appeared as King Nereus in Aquaman. That was followed by him voicing Svengeance in Minions: The Rise of Gru in 2021, and then in 2023, he both reprised Nereus in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and returned as Gunnar Jensen for Expend4bles. He most recently starred with Stephen Lang and Harvey Keitel in the action-thriller Hellfire, which was released February 17.

As far as Masters of the Universe’s main cast goes, Nicholas Galitzine is joined by Camilia Mendes as Teela, Jared Leto as the faithful-adapted Skeletor, Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress and Kristen Wiig as Robot, among others. Bumblebee and Missing Link’s Travis Knight directed the reboot, and Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee and David Callaham all worked on the script. Amazon MGM Studios will release Masters of the Universe in theaters on June 5.

If you grew up in the ’80s, 2026 is shaping up to be a big year. Masters of the Universe is finally getting the big-budget live-action treatment from Amazon, and for a lot of us who spent childhood afternoons watching He-Man defend Eternia, that’s genuinely exciting. But as the franchise gears up for a major comeback on the 2026 movie calendar, there’s also a much heavier story unfolding behind the scenes involving one of the people who made it all possible in the first place.

Marlene Sweet, the wife of Roger Sweet, widely credited as the creator of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toy line, recently shared devastating news on GoFundMe. Roger was diagnosed with dementia, and as his condition worsened, Marlene made the difficult decision to move him into a full-time memory care facility. Things took a frightening turn when Roger returned home from a walk with visible bruises but couldn’t remember falling. After taking him to the emergency room, doctors admitted him to the ICU, where he was treated for two brain bleeds.

Sweet has since been placed in a full-time care facility, which reportedly costs $10,200 per month. Faced with mounting medical expenses, Marlene launched the GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of his ongoing care.

When MovieWeb reached out about the outpouring of support, Marlene shared a heartfelt message for fans. She told the outlet:

As Marlene suggests in her statement, the lack of sufficient healthcare coverage is an ongoing problem in the U.S., affecting people across many walks of life. Roger Sweet is among a handful of celebrities notably forced to raise money to cover healthcare costs: the families of James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane both started fundraising efforts following the actors' recent deaths.

Roger Sweet, born in 1935 and raised in Akron, Ohio, went on to become a lead designer at Mattel during the ’70s and ’80s, where he played a pivotal role in creating the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1982, which quickly became an underrated cartoon series of the era. After Mattel famously passed on making Star Wars figures, the company was hungry for its own breakout action brand.

Sweet’s solution was brilliantly simple: a powerful, instantly recognizable hero with a universal name, He-Man, a character sturdy enough, conceptually and physically, to drop into any world and let kids’ imaginations do the rest. That “billion-dollar idea,” as he later called it, didn’t just sell toys, but launched a franchise that’s still flexing its muscles decades later.

What makes this situation especially bittersweet is the timing. Amazon MGM Studios is reportedly investing around $200 million into the upcoming Masters of the Universe adaptation, positioning it as one of 2026’s major summer tentpoles. With one of the world’s largest companies backing the project, it’s hard not to feel a pang of frustration knowing that the man who helped bring He-Man to life is facing such financial strain.

As fans gear up for Adam’s return to Eternia on June 5, 2026, many are also keeping a close eye on Roger Sweet’s health and wondering whether the studio behind the franchise’s revival might step in to offer support to the creator who started it all.

Of all the movies on the 2026 release calendar, one that I am personally looking forward to is Masters of the Universe. The live-action adaptation of an ‘80s kids cartoon is already going to have a hill to climb when it comes to making a modern live-action movie that gets audiences excited. Those who grew up with the original show are the obvious target audience, but they may not love the changes being made.

In many ways, the Masters of the Universe trailer looks like the cartoon brought to life. He-Man is wearing his traditional outfit. Skelator looks like Skelator, although how Jared Leto’s version of the character will sound remains to be revealed. One character that has received a bit of a makeover, however, is Teela. One might assume the character’s revealing costume was vetoed by the actress who would have to wear it. However, speaking with Empire (via He-Mania.com), Camila Mendes said she was fine with the outfit, but others just didn’t think it made sense. She said…

To be fair, the outfit that Mendes is seen wearing in the trailer, as well as in images from the set she posted to Instagram, isn’t that different from the Teela costume from the old cartoon, at least from the waist up. It’s still a sleeveless piece of armor with a collar. The big difference is that the movie’s version of the costume has pants.

In the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon show, Teela’s legs were bare, which absolutely gave the outfit a bit of a “swimsuit” vibe. It wasn’t particularly revealing; this was a kid’s show after all, and it was downright modest compared to some of the “armor” you’ll see on female characters in sword and sorcery movies.

While some fans have real issues when elements of the source material are changed, I can’t imagine anybody will be too upset with this particular change. Teela is not defined by her lack of pants. There are far more important things a Masters of the Universe movie will need to get right if it wants to win over the hardcore fans or otherwise just make a great movie. We’ll find out how well it all works when Masters of the Universe arrives later this year.

There are a lot of cool things that come with being the star of a major franchise film. Money is obviously a big thing, and there’s also both professional and public notoriety. For the nerdier set, however, I can imagine that one of the best bonuses of all is having an action figure modeled after you… and it turns out that Masters Of The Universe star Nicholas Galitzine is one of those nerds.

We’re now just a few months away from the release of the Travis Knight-directed blockbuster, and that means that the promotional push has begun. The first trailer for the movie just dropped online a couple weeks ago, and the star playing Prince Adam of Eternia a.k.a. He-Man has also gotten his hands on some of the first toys. He posted about his excitement for the action figures on his personal Instagram, and you can check out the photos below:

You can definitely see his inner kid coming out in that second photo, which has him with both He-Man and Battle Cat – mounting the former on the latter.

In his caption, Galitzine explains that he was one of the many people who spent their youths playing with action figures and imagining whole worlds, and he is thrilled that in the case of Masters of the Universe, it has become a meta experience. The actor wrote,

The fantastical Masters Of The Universe will tell the story of Prince Adam, a young royal from the planet of Eternia who is taken away from his home amid a civil war and brought to live on planet Earth. As an adult, he quests back to reclaim his family’s throne from the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto). The impressive ensemble cast includes Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, Morena Baccarin, James Purefoy, and Kristen Wiig, and based on the footage that we’ve seen so far, it looks like the blockbuster is embracing the weird and wildness in its source material.

After competing production in the first half of last year, Masters Of The Universe will be in theaters this summer, set to arrive on the big screen on June 5. For a full look at the blockbuster slate on the way in the coming months, check out our 2026 Movie Release Calendar.

From Marvel and DC to Star Trek and Sonic the Hedgehog, Idris Elba has assembled an impressive collection of franchises he’s acted in. The latest of these is this summer’s Masters of the Universe, where he stars in the forthcoming reboot as Duncan, a.k.a. Man-At-Arms, one of He-Man’s key allies and adoptive father of Teela. Regarding why he decided to join the 2026 movie release, Elba revealed that he has a personal connection to Masters of the Universe stretching back decades.

While joining a major motion picture tied to existing IP can simply boil down to the paycheck for some actors, while others like the script they’ve read even without having any familiarity with the source material, Idris Elba goes way back with Masters of the Universe. As he told Empire:

Mattel launched Masters of the Universe as one of its toylines in 1982, and the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe premiered a year later. Since Idris Elba was born in 1972, that means he was in just the right age range to enjoy those toys. Sure, they wouldn’t have been his first choice had his family been able to purchase those Star Wars toys, but it sounds like Elba had fun playing with He-Man and the gang, as well as watching their cartoon adventures.

Masters of the Universe was previously adapted into a movie in 1987, and a reboot had been stuck in development hell since 2009. Bumblebee Director Travis Knight signed on to helm the new movie in 2024, and when Idris Elba learned how faithful the filmmaker intended to stay to the MOTU mythology, he was eager to be involved, saying:

By November 2024, Idris Elba was announced to be playing Man-At-Arms, and Masters of the Universe, which debuted its first trailer last month, began filming the following January and ended in July. Elba was impressed by the reboot’s Eternity sets and how the characters are being adapted for live-action this time around. As he put it:

After being stranded on Earth for 20 years, Masters of the Universe will follow Nicholas Galitzine’s Prince Adam Glenn rediscovering his Power Sword and returning to Eternia. He won’t have much time to enjoy a homecoming though, as Adam will have to team up with Man-At-Arms, Camila Mendes’ Teela, Kristen Wiig’s Roboto, Cringer/Battle Cat and more to defeat the evil forces led by Jared Leto’s creepy-looking Skeletor. With the Power Sword back in his hands, Adam will be able to transform into the mighty He-Man and embrace his heroic destiny.

Should Masters of the Universe be successful upon its release on June 5, Amazon MGM Studios will surely consider making a sequel. And should that get the greenlight, fingers crossed Idris Elba is brought back. If he had this much fun working on one MOTU movie, you know he’ll want another bite of that apple with another movie.

Masters of the Universe fans have been waiting nearly 20 years for a theatrical reboot of the popular sci-fi/fantasy franchise, but their patience will be rewarded on the 2026 movies schedule this summer. The new Masters of the Universe movie brings He-Man back to the big screen with Nicholas Galitzine inhabiting the role, Of course, you can’t have the Power Sword-wielding hero not battle his arch-nemesis Skeletor, and director Travis Knight shared how he bluntly reacted to how the reboot was going to change up the villain’s look before he came long.

Jared Leto is playing Skeletor in live-action this time around, following in the footsteps of Frank Langella in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie. And as you can see in the Masters of the Universe trailer, Leto’s Skeletor looks pretty faithful to the source material, skull face and all. But in previous iterations of the reboot, that skeletal visage was going to just be a golden skull mask. As Knight recalled to Empire about how he reacted to this baffling change:

I mean, yeah. If you’re going to make a Masters of the Universe movie, Skeletor needs to have the actual skull face, not merely using a skull mask to cover a normal-looking face. It makes me think that this incarnation of the character was from earlier in Masters of the Universe’s long development. In the late 2000s or even early 2010s, I could imagine a writer or studio executive being under the impression that going the mask route would have made Skeletor more palatable for general audiences.

Let’s just be thankful Travis Knight put the kibosh on that idea. The director also described Skeletor in the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon as being “cool,” “scary,” “funny” and “intimidating,” all with a “distinctive voice.” From his perspective, Jared Leto fit all of those qualifications, with Knight saying:

This is the first time I’ve heard toxic masculinity applied to Skeletor, but in terms of pure entitlement by believing he should control Castle Grayskull and rule Eternia, it makes sense. It’s also not like he’s a stellar boss to minions like Evil-Lyn, Goat Man and Tri-Klops, He only values their help in accomplishing his evil schemes, and if that usefulness runs out or they in any way jeopardize those plans, he’ll toss them aside. I would say Skeletor needs to get a talking to from HR, but who are we kidding, he probably had that division of his operation eliminated.

Jared Leto’ and Nicholas Galitzine are joined in Masters of the Universe by Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, Alisone Brie as Evil-Lyn, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress, among others. This take on the property sees He-Man, a.k.a. Prince Adam, being stranded on Earth for 20 years. Upon regaining his Power Sword, he’ll return to Eternia to help its remaining warriors fight Skeletor and his forces, and we’ll see how that conflict turns out on June 5.

Actor Nicholas Galitzine's starpower has been steadily growing over the past few years, thanks to roles in projects like Red, White and Royal Blue and Cinderella (both of which are streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription). While Galitzine's movies have been big, he's heading into the action genre as He-Man in the live-action Masters of the Universe movie. And he just related wearing the character's harness/costume with filming sex scenes. Let's break it down.

What we know about Masters of the Universe is limited, but fans of the original animated series are hyped for it to jump to live-action. Galitzine bulked up to play He-Man and rock the costume... which is basically just a harness. While speaking with Empire about his role in the project, he mentioned walking around the set barely clothed. In his words:

Honestly, I see the similarities. On paper both love scenes and walking around barely clothed are a very vulnerable things for actors to do... especially in front of a whole crew of people who are watching. But according to Nicholas Galitzine, once you get over those nerves it can be quite empowering.

From the minute the first look at Masters of the Universe was released, it was clear that Travis Knight's adaptation would look faithful to the source material. As as such, Galitzine had to wear the skirt and harness that shows off just how much muscle he put on to play Prince Adam/ He-Man. The Masters of the Universe teaser showed off how awesome he looked wielding the Power Sword, check it out below:

Galitzine's comments make particular sense because he's no secret to filming love sequences scenes. He had notable sex scenes in Red, White and Royal Blue, with fans expecting more when the sequel is released. He also shot some steamy scenes opposite Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You, and even filmed four sex scenes in the same day for Mary & George. So if the 31 year-old actor sees a connection between rocking He-Man's costume and filming those types of scenes, I'm going to take his word for it.

While the first teaser for Masters of the Universe showed a glimpse of Galitzine in full He-Man regalia, I'm eager to see more footage with a full trailer. Since the movie is arriving this summer, hopefully that'll happen soon.

Masters of the Universe will hit theaters on June 5th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Nicholas Galitzine looks great as He-Man so far, and is totally rocking that skimpy costume.

After languishing in development hell for over a decade and a half, the Masters of the Universe reboot is now less than half a year away from premiering on the 2026 movies schedule. This second film adaptation of the popular franchise, following the 1987 one starring Dolph Lundgren, sees Nicholas Galitzine bringing Prince Adam, a.k.a. He-Man, to life. Following a teasy look at Galitzine’s He-Man wielding the Power Sword from almost a year ago, the first Masters of the Universe trailer has finally arrived, and it looks like a total blast. Gonna need my own power sword after this.

Traditionally, Prince Adam’s only tie to Earth is that his mother hails from there. However, this new Masters of the Universe movie is going several steps further by having Adam crash-land on Earth as a 10-year-old and get separated from his Power Sword. 15 years later, he finally claims his weapon again and ventures back to Eternia, only to discover it’s being ruled with an iron fist by the sinister Skeletor, played by Jared Leto. With the help of allies like Camila Mendes’ Teela and Idris Elba’s Man-At-Arms, Adam will fight to take back his homeworld from this bony brute and embrace his destiny of becoming the mighty He-Man.

The trailer really plays up how "normal" and Earth-y Adam has become, but it doesn't take much beyond a sword-shaped nudge in the direction of heroism, and he is only too happy to jump into action. Which is a good thing, because he'll need every ounce of energy and stamina to take down Skeletor and his minions. (Also, the word normal only half-applies here, since Galitzine is way more bulked-up than most at that age.)

Speaking of...no sign of Jared Leto's face here, so maybe audiences will buy into Skeletor's evil without thoughts of Morbius or Tron: Ares running amok.

It's a fierce look for the villain, and one that will no doubt lead to countless toys produced. (Such is the MOTU cycle of life.) Do I wish his costume better represented the bright blues and purples of the cartoon? Perhaps. Maybe we'll get to see a flashback where his earliest costume skews more colorful in that way.

Of course, this movie is way more than just its core hero and villain. The Masters of the Universe cast also includes Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Morenna Baccarin as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Fisto, SNL vet Kristen Wiig as Roboto, James Purefoy as King Randor, and Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena, among others. We’ll also get to see Cringer in his Battle Cat form, but it hasn’t been announced who, if anyone, is voicing the character.

No sign of Dolph Lundgren cameos in the movie, but I'm still holding out hope that his vague tease will pay off in the final film.

Behind the scenes, Travis Knight of Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee fame directed the blockbuster, which gives context for why the digital effects aren't the exact same kind that we're used to. Meanwhile, Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee and Dave Callaham all worked on the script.

Masters of the Universe hits theaters on June 5, 2026. In the meantime, you can catch up with more current He-Man fare by streaming Masters of the Universe: Revelation and the follow-up Revolution, as well as the most recent He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series, with your Netflix subscription.

Actor Nicholas Galitzine's starpower has been steadily growing for years, thanks to his acclaimed performances on both TV and film. Galitzine's movies span multiple genre, and he'll take center stage in the upcoming live-action Masters of the Universe movie. The star of Red, White, and Royal Blue (which is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription) recently talked about bulking up to play Prince Adam Glenn / He-Man. And he makes the whole process sound super intense.

What we know about Masters of the Universe is super limited, but longtime fans of the franchise are curious to see how Bumblebee director Travis Knight will adapt it into live-action. Fans are waiting to see the movie's first trailer, but in a conversation with People Galitzine got real about just how hard it was to bulk up for He-Man. In his words:

Ouch. Plenty of superhero actors put on weight to play comic book characters, including Paul Rudd, Chris Pratt, and more. He-Man is particularly massive in the animated series, and wears very little clothes. So the pressure was on for Nicholas Galitzine to do his character justice in Masters of the Universe, and it sounds like it was a daily struggle to work out and consume the amount of calories necessary to get yoked.

In the first look at The Sword of Power, we saw a glimpse of Galitzine's body in Masters of the Universe. Longtime fans of the franchise will likely be judging his physique closely, which the 31 year-old actor likely knew ahead of time. In the same interview he spoke more about the physical transformation he made, saying:

That must be a strange experience. While actors are often required to change their appearances for roles, Galitzine couldn't wear any of his actual clothes as a result of his Masters of the Universe bulk. And he also seemed surprised by what he looked like when seeing his own reflection.

Throughout his career so far, Nicholas Galitzine has definitely rocked a number of looks, including big changes to his hair color and style in projects like Red, White, and Royal Blue and The Idea of You. But his weight gain for Masters of the Universe was another type of transformation.

Despite how hard this process was, the Craft: Legacy star doesn't regret the work he put in in order to fill out He-Man's harness and skirt. As he put it:

Larger than life is right, and I can't wait to see just how huge he looks when the first footage from Masters of the Universe is finally released to the general public. The movie is expected to hit theaters this summer, so it's only a matter of time.

Alison Brie debunked a rumor about Masters of the Universe, specifically the idea that most of the movie would be set on Earth. Anticipation for the project is steadily building, and it should reach a fever pitch once fans can see the cast in costume.

Masters of the Universe is currently set to arrive in theaters on June 5th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Fingers crossed the trailer comes sooner rather than later.

Dolph Lundgren isn’t ruling out a return to Eternia just yet. With a brand-new Masters of the Universe live-action reboot on the way, fans have been speculating whether the original He-Man from the 1987 cult classic might make a surprise appearance. And according to Lundgren himself the answer is maybe.

In a recent sit-down with Extra, Lundgren was asked directly if he’d be suiting up for a cameo in the new film. His response? Cagey, for sure, but not dismissive. He responded:

Classic non-answer, but one that fans are already reading between the lines of. With legacy cameos now basically standard in big-budget reboots, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Lundgren show up in some capacity. A quick nod, a mentor moment, a multiverse glitch? Any of it would work. He’s the original live-action He-Man after all, the man who made “I have the power!” a VHS-era battle cry.

The Extra interview wasn’t just about He-Man, though. Lundgren also opened up about his 2025 schedule release documentary, Dolph: Unbreakable, which dives into his decades-long career, his battle with cancer, and his personal life, including his relationship with his much-younger wife, Emma. Now three years cancer-free after a 2015 kidney cancer diagnosis, Lundgren told the outlet he’s in a good place physically and emotionally, crediting his wife for helping him stay positive through it all. He added:

And thankfully, he did make it. The Rocky IV star looks as healthy as ever and would fit right in with the larger-than-life world Mattel built.

What we know about the Master of the Universe reboot, after years in development limbo, the flick is finally making its return to the big screen. The new live-action reboot from Amazon, MGM Studios, and Mattel Films is set to hit the 2026 movie schedule on June 5, 2026, and yes, it’s a full-scale revival of Eternia, Castle Grayskull, and the most jacked alter ego in toy history.

This time around, Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White & Royal Blue) takes up the Power Sword as Prince Adam/He-Man, leading a star-studded cast that includes Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress, and James Purefoy as King Randor. Jared Leto is also playing Skeletor, and the supporting cast features Sam C. Wilson (Trap Jaw), Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Goat Man), and Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena, with Community’s Sasheer Zamata and Miguel Wants to Fight’s Christian Vunipola playing new characters created for the film.

Travis Knight, who directed Bumblebee and the Oscar-nominated (and one of Laika's best movies) Kubo and the Two Strings, is at the helm, with a script from ParaNorman writer Chris Butler. Production wrapped earlier this year, and from the early buzz and behind-the-scenes details, the scale sounds massive... as it should be for a property this iconic.

This will be only the second live-action Masters of the Universe film, following Lundgren’s '80s cult classic, a film that flopped on release and is often considered one of the worst toy-to-movie adaptations, but that has gained nostalgic cult status over the years. This new version is being positioned as a true franchise-starter, likely boosted by the recent success of Barbie and the growing Mattel Cinematic Universe.

We’ll have to wait until summer 2026 to see if this MotU adaptation has made room for OG He-Man in a surprise role. Until then, you can check out the most recent adaptation of the property, an animated Masters of the Universe series, available with a Netflix subscription.

In 2023, Mattel struck pay dirt with Barbie, which was met with positive critical reception and became the highest-grossing movie of the year with its $1.4 billion global haul. Next up for the toy company on the film front is the long-awaited Masters of the Universe reboot, which will be part of the 2026 movies schedule’s summer blockbuster season. Mattel Studios president Robbie Brenner opened up about Masters of the Universe’s scope at a recent event, as well as had positive things to say about the director’s cut she’s seen.

The reboot was one of several upcoming Mattel film and TV adaptations Brenner addressed at MIPCOM (via THR). Starting off, she described the impressive sights she witnessed while on the Masters of the Universe set when it was filming:

This will be the second live-action film adaptation of the Masters of the Universe property, the first being the Dolph Lundgren-starring vehicle that came out in 1987. Efforts to get this reboot off the ground have been going since 2007, and production finally started this past January and wrapped in June. Going off Robbie Brenner’s description, it sounds like the new Masters of the Universe isn’t skimping on pouring the resources into making this take on the mythology surrounding He-Man look epic on the big screen. She added:

Whether Masters of the Universe comes anywhere close to the kind of success that Barbie experienced remains to be seen, but it’ll certainly be much different kind of cinematic offering from Mattel with its mix of sci-fi and fantasy-driven action. This take on the popular toy brand stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam, who crash-landed on Earth, his mother’s homeworld, at age 10 and was marooned here. Two decades later, he’s finally reunited with the Power Sword of Grayskull and returns to Eternia to take on the He-Man mantle and battle the evil forces led by Jared Leto’s Skeletor.

Masters of the Universe, which comes out on June 6, 20206, also stars Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn and Kristen Wiig as Roboto, among others. Travis Knight directed the feature and Chris Butler wrote the script. If you’re looking for other modern adaptations of this franchise to enjoy ahead of time, the animated TV shows Masters of the Universe: Revelation, the follow-up Revolution, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe can all be streamed with a Netflix subscription.

The Masters of the Universe reboot is one of the blockbusters slotted for the 2026 movies schedule, and it has quite the stacked cast. Besides Nicholas Galitzine bringing Prince Adam, a.k.a. He-Man, to life in what has been described as the “complete antithesis” of Barbie, we also have folks like Jared Leto as Skeletor, Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn and Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, to name a few. Now we can add Kristen Wiig to this list too, though there was no way I could have predicted the role she’ll be playing.

As shared by THR, Wiig has come aboard Masters of the Universe to play Roboto, the mechanical warrior with the transparent body that allows one to see the gears and other components within. Roboto was built by Man-at-Arms and fights alongside him as one of the franchise’s Heroic Warriors. The character can also change out the hand on one of his/her arms and put in its place things like a claw, axe or laster gun.

Roboto is traditionally voiced by a male actor, so having a female actor voice the character adds another way this new Masters of the Universe movie can stand out from previous adaptations. Roboto has previously been voiced by Alan Oppenheimer in the 1980s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated TV show, Michael Donovan in the 2002 series of the same name, and Justin Long in Masters of the Universe: Revelation, which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription.

Since Masters of the Universe finished filming in June and is deep into postproduction, we’ll only be hearing Wiig’s voicing Roboto, as opposed to her having been on set to perform the character in motion capture. I would never have guessed before today that Kristen Wiig taking part in this science fiction and fantasy-infused tentpole release was a possibility, let alone that she’d be the voice of a transparent robot. Still, Wiig is no stranger to just lending her voice to major motion pictures, with past examples including the original How to Train Your Dragon movies, the Despicable Me movies and Her.

This is also the first action-heavy movie Kristen Wiig is participating in since she played Barbara Minerva, a.k.a. Cheetah, in Wonder Woman 1984. So while we won’t see her fact on screen this time around, I’m looking forward to hearing how the actress does as Roboto’s voice. Directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, Masters of the Universe hits theaters on June 5, 2026.

Next year, after years of failed attempts, we will finally get the first live-action Masters of the Universe since 1987. Considering it’s a movie based on a line of action figures, one might not be expecting much. Of course, that was the case with Barbie, and that movie became a massive hit.

While the two IPs have a similar basis, Mattel Studios president and chief creative officer Robbie Brenner tells The Wrap that the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie is very much the opposite of Barbie. At least when it comes to its primary demographic. Brenner says…

While I would argue that, through Ryan Gosling’s Ken, Barbie had plenty to say about masculinity, femininity was certainly what the movie was focused on. It sounds like Masters of the Universe won’t simply be a movie designed to appeal more to a male demographic, but one that will deal directly with issues of masculinity. While this makes it the antithesis of Barbie, might also make it the perfect companion film.

Interestingly, Brenner calls the new Masters of the Universe movie both “fun” and “funny” which seems to echo the recent comments of Alison Brie, who will play Evil-Lyn in the new film. She responded to reports that the movie was taking a more serious approach to the material by suggesting those rumors were off the mark, and Mattel’s CCO would seem to confirm that.

Brenner praises director Travis Knight as the “visionary” behind the Masters of the Universe movie. After successfully launching the stop-motion animation house Laika, Knight would go on to direct Bumblebee, the best reviewed entry in the live-action Transformers franchise, which brought a previously unseen heart to the series. Mattel’s CCO seems to feel he has done the same with He-Man, saying…

Beyond a few teasing images that don’t show much, we haven’t seen anything about the Masters of the Universe movie, which will star Nicholas Galitzine as the iconic He-Man. Despite its apparent differences, Mattel is certainly hoping that Masters of the Universe will be like Barbie in at least one major way, its box office success.

One of the more highly anticipated releases on the upcoming movie calendar has to be the 2026 version of Masters of the Universe. The popular franchise has been trying to get a live-action movie off the ground for years, and now the movie is finally happening. Although there’s a lot about it we still don’t know.

One of the questions that has been up in the air for some time has been the film’s tone. Based on an ‘80s cartoon that was silly as it was action-packed, recent rumors have implied the new film might be approaching the material from a more serious angle. While speaking to Collider, Alison Brie, who will play Evil-Lyn in the new film, implies that won’t be the case. She said…

While not giving a definitive answer to the tone question, Brie certainly implies that the new Masters of the Universe movie is not “leaning a little more serious,” which would mean that there will be at least some humor to be found in the film. Whether or not one would classify the movie as a comedy remains to be seen.

Alongside Alison Brie's Evil-Lyn, the Masters of the Universe movie has a solid cast that includes Jared Leto as Skeletor, Camila Mendes as Teela, and Nicholas Galitzine as the lead hero, He-Man.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the cartoon that was created to sell the action figures of the same name, was mostly an adventure series, but it had comedic characters, like Orko the unreliable magician, and Cringer, the cowardly pet tiger of Prince Adam who transformed into Battle Cat when Adam became He-Man. Even the ostensibly heroic ones were capable of being silly now and then.

It wouldn’t have been that shocking if the plan had been to do some sort of serious take on Masters of the Universe. It often seems studios are afraid that an adaptation that isn’t played perfectly straight won’t be taken seriously by the audience. And the material certainly could work as a traditional sword and sorcery fantasy epic, something that closely resembled Netflix’s Witcher series or even Game of Thrones in tone.

It certainly sounds like things won’t be quite that serious. If Masters of the Universe isn’t looking to be more serious, we could get something that’s a similar balance of action and humor as the original animated series. It would still have plenty of serious action, but with some lighter moments as well. For those hoping Masters of the Universe is a “faithful” adaptation of the original material, it sounds like that could certainly happen.

In 1987, five years after the Masters of the Universe franchise from Mattel was launched, the same-named movie starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man was released. Nearly 40 years later, a new Masters of the Universe movie is set to come out in 2026, this time with Nicholas Galitzine playing the hero who wields the Power Sword of Grayskull. But is it possible we’ll see Lundgren appear in the reboot? Apparently so given the cryptic answer he gave in an interview.

While speaking with Men’s Journal about Hard-Cut Vodka, his new American-made spirit, Lundgren spent discussing Masters of the Universe. When the Rocky IV alum had this to way when asked if he could pop up in the upcoming movie:

I suspect that if Dolph Lundgren already knew he wouldn’t be needed for the Masters of the Universe reboot, he would have said right then and there that we shouldn’t expect to see him in it. This answer, on the other hand, suggests it’s a possibility at bare minimum. From a more optimistic perspective, since Masters of the Universe just finished filming, maybe Lundgren already shot a cameo or even a slightly larger role.

We have another year to go until that mystery is solved, but as far as his overall feelings about the reboot, Dolph Lundgren is glad that it finally got off the ground, even if it does make him feel his age. He stated:

Dolph Lundgren starred opposite Frank Langella, Courteney Cox, Barry Livingston, James Tolkan, Christina Pickles, Meg Foster, Chelsea Field and Jon Cypher, among others. Although the 1987 movie ended with a post-credits scene teasing that Langella’s Skeletor would return, its poor critical and commercial performance resulted in sequel plans being scrapped. Additionally, Masters of the Universe bombing at the box office contributed to Cannon Films shutting down.

As for the new adaptation, Nicholas Galitzine’s castmates include Jared Leto, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie and Idris Elba. The Travis Knight-directed and Chris Butler-written Masters of the Universe opens in theaters on June 5, 2026. Until then, if you have a Netflix subscription, you can get your fill of newer Masters of the Universe content by streaming the animated shows Masters of the Universe: Revelation and its follow-up Revolution, as well as the separate CGI series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

As somebody who grew up watching He-Man and the Masters of the Universe every day after school, I am as excited, or at the very least, curious, about the upcoming Masters of the Universe live-action movie. It’s a project that has been trying to get off the ground for years and has now finally reached a major milestone, as principal photography on the movie is now complete.

Several members of the cast of Masters of the Universe took to social media to celebrate having wrapped production. This included Camila Mendes, who plays Teela in the upcoming movie. While I’m sure everybody had their own way of celebrating, Mendes apparently did so by chowing down on a hamburger and french fries.

Mendes mentioned in her post that she has spent the last seven months “eating like an athlete,” and so it appears that she took the opportunity of being done filming to eat something that her trainer probably wouldn’t approve of. She’s far from the first who has had to remain in particular shape during a movie to celebrate by breaking the diet. Superman's David Corenswet did the same thing.

While Mendes shares several images from the set, one thing we don’t really see is how Teela will look in the new film. She specifically says there’s still very little that can be shown of the movie yet. The hamburger-eating picture is the best look we have at what appears to be her costume. The gallery also has a brief image of Mendes hugging somebody who is probably Masters of the Universe star Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man/Prince Adam, though his face is never shown.

It seems quite clear that Masters of the Universe isn’t quite ready to show us any of the cast in full costume yet. Galitzine himself posted his own Instagram image in celebration of the movie wrapping filming. It includes himself in full He-Man costume, but cloaked in enough shadow that we really can’t see anything clearly.

Masters of the Universe has a release date in June 2026, the movie has almost exactly one year before we’ll all get to see how the animated characters really look, making the jump to live-action. We haven’t had a live-action movie in the franchise since 1987, and the original He-Man movie starring Dolph Lundgren left a lot to be desired among fans.

With the movie just finishing filming, it will likely be several more months before any sort of trailer is done. Whether we’ll get an official reveal of He-Man or any other characters before that is anybody’s guess. Even if we ,must wait, there will surely be a lot of fans excited to see He-Man return to live-action for the first time in decades.

Animation is the one screen medium that allows an artist to unlock the most potential out of the story they want to tell, which begs the question of why anyone would want to bother trying to reinterpret a great animated movie or TV show for live-action?

Well, we cannot deny it is amusing to see classic animated TV shows and films recreated in a more realistic light, and many have pulled off the task to surprising esteem. The following are some of the most acclaimed and noteworthy examples and, as you might have guessed, there are a few live-action Disney animated movie remakes included.

The Jungle Book (2016)

OK, we realize that we are technically cheating by including director Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book because one of the few elements not created with CGI is Mowgli actor Neel Sethi. However, the film recreates Disney's 1967 adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's seminal stories with Academy Award-winning visual effects so astonishingly vivid that you would not be able to tell the difference.

Transformers (2007)

Released in tandem with Hasbro's popular toy line was the hit animated series Transformers, which was first spun off to the big screen in a 1986 feature starring Orson Welles. More than three decades later, director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg would help increase the shapeshifting robots' notoriety with a live-action blockbuster that spawned a long-running franchise.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird first introduced the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1984 with their Mirage Studios comic book series that was later adapted into a toy line and tie-in animated series just three years later. Only three years after that, fans got to see what Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo would look like in the real world in a film that depicts the pizza-chomping urban warriors more accurately than the 2014 reboot.

Paddington 2 (2017)

Author Michael Bond's beloved adventures of a marmalade-slurping, Peruvian bear named after a London train station inspired a popular English animated series in the 1970s. While the character was first adapted for live-action cinema in 2014 with Paul King's well-received film, it is the first sequel, Paddington 2, that especially welcomed the bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) into the hearts of movie lovers of all ages.

The Little Mermaid (2023)

The most famous adaptation of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale, The Little Mermaid, is Disney's acclaimed 1989 classic that many audiences thought should be left untouched. However, Halle Bailey's impassioned performance as Ariel and her unbelievable singing talent make director Rob Marshall's live-action take a must-see.

Attack On Titan (2015)

Hajime Isayama's manga depicting a war between humans and giant, man-eating humanoids was made into one of the most popular and acclaimed Japanese anime TV shows of its time, Attack on Titan. Toho would release a two-part feature adaptation that was criticized by fans for the way it deviated from the source material but impressed general film critics with its exciting B-movie-style action and bizarre creature designs.

101 Dalmatians (1996)

Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians was first adapted into an instant animated classic in 1961, featuring Betty Lou Gerson as the voice of Cruella de Vil – a villain who seemed too uproarious for a live-action setting. That was until Glenn Close stepped into the role, giving a pitch-perfect performance as the ruthless fashionista in director Steven Herek's fun reboot.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)

When Pokémon: Detective Pikachu was first announced, fans of the trading card game/video game/animated TV show questioned why the franchise's first live-action installment, of all the potential choices, would be based on a game that makes the lightning-spewing creature a talking mystery solver. However, with Ryan Reynolds voicing the adorable title hero, an impressive Justice Smith as his human companion, and a witty script, Rob Letterman's film was heralded as one of the best video game movies ever made.

George Of The Jungle (1997)

A movie you might not have known was based on a TV show is George of the Jungle, which was originally an animated series that ran for only 17 episodes in 1967. Future Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser's performance in the title role would make Disney's hilariously meta live-action feature nearly as iconic as the character it was poking fun at: Tarzan.

Cinderella (2015)

Most audiences would immediately become convinced that Disney really was on to something when it released the live-action version of its animated, 1950 adaptation of the seminal fairytale, Cinderella. Directed by Kenneth Branagh and led by an extraordinary Lily James, the reinterpretation would redefine the titular princess as a strong, independent role model and the story itself as a touching romance worth buying into.

One Piece (2023)

Netflix has released live-action iterations of a few popular anime series and one of the more successful is developers Matt Owens and Steven Maeda's TV show, One Piece. Originally based on a manga by writer and illustrator Eiichiro Oda, the animated series adaptation premiered in 1999 and followed the adventures of a pirate crew searching for mystical treasure.

Scooby-Doo (2002)

There is probably not a single person who disagrees that none of the live-action adaptations of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? have surpassed the beloved Hanna-Barbera cartoon. However, the generation that grew up with the James Gunn-penned reboot, simply titled Scooby-Doo, regards the film as a classic that boasts some spot-on casting for the Mystery Inc. crew, especially Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, even if Scooby's CGI animation is a little dated.

The Flintstones (1994)

Executive producer Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera favorite, The Flintstones, starring John Goodman as Fred and Rick Moranis as Barney Rubble, was not met with the most positive reviews, particularly for its tepid humor and adult-oriented storylines. However, the city of Bedrock reimagined for a live-action setting is truly a wonder to behold.

Office Space (1999)

There are two different types of fans of Mike Judge's filmography: those who love his animated efforts, such as Beavis and Butt-Head, and those who admire his live-action titles, such as Silicon Valley. Well, fans of Office Space might be surprised to learn that their love for the film, technically, makes them a fan of both since the cult-favorite corporate satire is based on a series of short films Judge created called Milton.

Mulan (2020)

Mulan is a modern Disney classic way ahead of its time that some might call a movie that did not need a reboot, especially with the exclusion of its famous musical numbers and the mystical lizard sidekick, Mushu (Eddie Murphy). However, Yifei Liu is wonderful in the title role of a Chinese woman posing as a male imperial soldier to save her father's life and the action is beautifully choreographed.

Speed Racer (2008)

Originally a Japanese manga that became an international pop culture phenomenon as an anime series, Speed Racer was later adapted by Lana and Lily Wachowski into a live-action film starring Emile Hirsch as the ambitious titular driver. The brightly colored, CGI-heavy film was divisive upon release, but has since been widely reevaluated as an underrated cult favorite.

Casper (1995)

Casper made his debut in a series of Paramount-produced animated shorts called The Friendly Ghost before the spirited spirit became an official property of Harvey Comics and went on to star in multiple hit animated series. He would return to cinema in a fun entry-level ghost story, starring Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman, that became the first live-action film to feature a central character who is created entirely with CGI.

Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)

Established Disney favorites Chip and Dale became the stars of their own adventure series, called Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers, in the late 1980s. The anthropomorphic chipmunks would later be voiced by Andy Samberg and John Mulaney in a feature film of the same name that premiered on Disney+ to wide acclaim from both critics and audiences.

Cruella (2021)

Disney had already released two live-action installments to the 101 Dalmatians franchise by the time the company announced director Craig Gillespie's spin-off, Cruella. However, it proved to be a worthy entry thanks to a lead performance by Academy Award winner Emma Stone that would forever change the way audiences saw the typically ruthless villain.

Dora And The Lost City Of Gold (2019)

Nick Jr. introduced a hero who would bring young viewers along with her on her many adventures in the animated series, Dora the Explorer, which originally premiered in 2000. Isabela Merced played a teenage version of the character in the theatrically released live-action feature, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, which also stars Danny Trejo as the voice of her monkey sidekick, Boots.

Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2005)

In 1996, Space Jam brought the real-life basketball champion Michael Jordan into the world of Bugs Bunny and his furry friends. Roughly a decade later, Joe Dante's spiritual sequel Looney Tunes: Back in Action – a globe-trotting espionage adventure with Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, and Steve Martin – would, instead, bring the iconic cartoon characters into our live-action world.

Popeye (1980)

Director Robert Altman could not have picked a better choice than Robin Williams to bring the beloved comic strip character, Popeye, to life in his live-action film, also starring Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl. Williams heavily altered his voice to authentically match the voice of the spinach-chomping sailor, which was originated by voice actor Billy Costello for the character's original animated adaptations.

Christopher Robin (2018)

Author A. A. Milne's world-famous bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, actually made his television debut as a puppet in a live-action 1960 episode of Shirley Temple's Storybook before getting his own beloved animated series later that decade. He and the rest of the animals from the Hundred Acre Wood would return to the medium for Christopher Robin, in which Pooh's human friend (played by Ewan McGregor) grows up to become someone similar to Robin Williams' Peter Banning in Hook.

Ben 10: Race Against Time (2007)

The Cartoon Network original series Ben 10 is about a boy who discovers a device that, when placed on his wrist, can turn him into several different extra-terrestrial species. Two years after it premiered, the channel aired a live-action feature spin-off from director Alex Winter called Ben 10: Race Against Time, starring Graham Phillips in the title role. It was followed by 2009's Ben 10: Alien Swarm, which stars Ryan Kelley as an older Ben.

Aladdin (2019)

One of the most beloved animated movies from Disney's "Renaissance Era" in the '90s is Aladdin, which follows a poor, young Arab man (voiced by Scott Weinger) whose luck begins to change when he befriends a genie (voiced by Robin Williams). Guy Ritchie helmed a live-action retelling starring Mena Massoud in the title role and Naomi Scott as Jasmine, which proved to be a career milestone at the box office for Will Smith, who played Genie.

Madeline (1998)

The first adaptation of Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline books, which center on a witty, mischievous young girl at a Catholic boarding school in 1950s France, was in a 1960 episode of The Shirley Temple Show. After the books were adapted into a popular animated series in the late '80s and early '90s, a live-action feature was released to theaters, starring Hatty Jones in her debut role as the title character and Oscar winner Frances McDormand as Miss Clavel.

Beauty And The Beast (2017)

Author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's "tale as old as time" has been adapted and reinterpreted into countless variations, with few as famous and esteemed as 1991's Beauty and the Beast from Disney. The company would revive the Oscar winner with a live-action feature starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast.

Masters Of The Universe (1987)

Some audiences consider the live-action Masters of the Universe film, starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor, to be one of the worst movies based on a toy. However, it is a fun cult favorite in the eyes of those who grew up with the tie-in animated series about a prince using his mystical abilities to defend his kingdom.

Mr. Magoo (1997)

Mr. Magoo, an elderly millionaire who often finds himself in uproarious situations due to his extreme near-sightedness, entertained audiences with his animated short films and various iterations of his TV show for decades before Disney adapted the character for live-action. Admittedly, the best reason to check out the film is to watch the great Leslie Nielsen work his comedy magic.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

The original Sorcerer's Apprentice was a short film that appeared in Disney's 1940 animated anthology movie, Fantasia, in which Mickey Mouse's character uses his boss' mystical hat to create an army of sentient brooms. Director Jon Turtletaub expands upon the concept and redefines it as a Harry Potter-esque adventure starring Nicolas Cage as a wizard living in modern-day New York City who takes Jay Baruchel's character under his wing.

Dudley Do-Right (1999)

Dudley Do-Right first appeared as a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show in the late 1950s before becoming the star of his own animated series the following decade. Brendan Fraser does his best to do for the heroic Canadian Mountie what he did for George of the Jungle in director Hugh Wilson's live-action feature.

Æon Flux (2005)

Director Karyn Kusama's Charlize Theron-led thriller, Æon Flux, is not a very beloved film by itself. However, seeing the eye-popping, dystopian visuals from the original MTV animated series brought to life for a live-action setting is quite remarkable.

Amazon MGM Studios has the power… to deliver the long-awaited Masters of the Universe reboot. After more than a decade and a half spent in development hell, the new He-Man movie finally began filming last month, with Nicholas Galitzine playing the lead hero, a.k.a. Prince Adam. We have more than a year to go until we can see Masters of the Universe play on the big screen, but today the first look at Galitzine’s He-Man dropped, and it’s the character’s Sword of Power that steals the show.

I should clarify, while this does indeed qualify as a first look, it’s lacking in Galitzine’s face. Instead, while we do get to see the actor’s impressive physique in character, it’s the Sword of Power that’s placed front and center.

So… where can I get one of these for myself? I don’t need it to channel the power of Grayskull and turn me into a bulked-up hero who protects the people of Eternia, I just want to be able to hold into the air whenever I want. Ok, but seriously, this is an impressive Sword of Power for Masters of the Universe, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it looks in action next year, particularly when Nicholas Galitzine’s Prince Adam uses it to turn into He-Man and when the blade is locked in battle with Skeletor, who’s being played by Jared Leto in this movie.

Much like 1987’s Masters of the Universe movie, this reboot is incorporating Earth as a major set piece its story, albeit in a significantly different way. In this version of the lore, a 10-year-old Prince Adam crash-lands on our planet, the home of his mother, Queen Marlena Glenn-Grayskull, played here by Charlotte Riley. He’s separated from the Sword of Power when this happens, and two decades later, Galitzine’s Adam takes back the Sword and travels back to Eternia and fights back against Skeleton and his forces.

Masters of the Universe’s other major players include Camilia Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, and James Purefoy as King Randor Grayskull, among other cool castings. Travis Knight is directing the feature and Chris Butler wrote the script. My fingers are crossed that before principal photography concludes, we’ll get a full look at Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, as I’d like to see how his version of the character compares to past iterations.

You can see Galitzine swinging the Sword of Power around when Masters of the Universe hits theaters on June 5, 2026. But if you’re looking for newer He-Man content to stream now, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, the follow-up Revolution, and 2021’s animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series can all be accessed with a Netflix subscription.

After over a decade and a half languishing in development hell, the Masters of the Universe reboot is finally rolling cameras. Principal photography began last month, with Nicholas Galitzine leading the charge playing Prince Adam/He-Man. Another round of casting information has come in for Amazon MGM Studios’ “quite different” Masters of the Universe, and while it’s good so see that all these people will be taking part in the 2026 release, I can’t help but remain curious about how one particular character from the He-Man mythology will be handled.

Who’s Been Added To The Masters Of The Universe Cast?

The first casting update comes to us from Deadline, which shared that Morena Baccarin and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson have been tapped to play The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull and Fisto, respectively. As her title suggests, The Sorceress protects the power contained with Castle Grayskull, which is what allows Prince Adam to turn into He-Man. The tradeoff is she can’t use her special abilities outside of the castle’s walls, and when she is outside the castle, she becomes a telepathic falcon named Zoar. As for Fisto, he’s a super-strong guy with a metal hand who originally works for Skeletor, but later becomes one of He-Man’s allies.

Then, THR passed along that we can also expect to see James Purefoy and Charlotte Riley as Prince Adam’s parents, King Randor and Queen Marlena. Neither of them are aware of their son’s secret life as He-Man, but while Randor is completely clueless about this, Marlena frequently suspects there’s more going on with Adam than it seems. These four new actors join a cast that also consists of Jared Leto as Skeletor, Camila Mendes as Teela (who, in some versions of the canon, is The Sorceress’ daughter), Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Goat Man and Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops.

How Will Orko Be Handled In Masters Of The Universe?

This is a solid lineup of talent, but you’ll notice that all the Masters of the Universe characters that have been cast so far are humanoid in one form or another. There are a handful that don’t fall within this scope, like Orko, a magician from the world of Trolla whose spells frequently backfire or don’t work as intended when he’s trying to help out He-Man. Needless to say Orko is frequently depicted as comic relief, although Masters of the Universe: Revelation, which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription, did effectively add more dimension to the character.

Now to be fair, we don’t know for certain that Orko will appear in the Masters of the Universe reboot. However, we’ve also come a long way from 1987’s Masters of the Universe, which did not include him due to his designs being too complex to effectively realize off the movie’s limited budget, and Gwildor was created to replace him. Now we live in a time where Orko can be brought to “life” with CGI and performance capture technology, but exactly how would a “live-action” version of him look?

My gut says to maintain Orko’s animated appearance as closely as possible, but I also don’t want him appearing too cartoonish in a movie that I suspect will be handling its source material in a more serious manner. At the same time, if Orko is made to look too realistic, I worry we could end up with something similar to Sonic the Hedgehog’s original cinematic design. If done improperly, those glowing yellow eyes and obscured face could end up creeping out kids.

Masters of the Universe doesn’t come out until June 5, 2026, but I’m eager to see what the team led by director Travis Knight come up with for Orko. Hopefully a good happy-medium can be achieved, like what’s being done for Toothless in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon. Meanwhile, CinemaBlend will keep passing along casting updates and other big news about the reboot.

Hollywood has spent nearly 20 years trying to get a new Masters of the Universe movie off the ground, and thankfully for fans of the long-running sci-fi/fantasy franchise, the project made its biggest strides yet in 2024. A few months after the news came in of Travis Knight helming the reboot, The Idea of You’s Nicholas Galitzine was tapped to play the new live-action Prince Adam/He-Man, and we’ve been peppered with more casting announcements since then. Specific plot details, on the other hand, are being kept secret, though Galitzine has shared that the Masters of the Universe reboot will be “quite different” than the original He-Man TV show, and a new rumor may point to how this will be handled.

What Nicholas Galitzine Said About Masters Of The Universe

In an interview with THR, Galitzine was asked if he’s binge-watched any of the old He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon, which ran from 1983 to 1985, as well as how the new movie will compare to the series that started airing just a year after the Mattel toy launched. The actor answered:

As Nicholas Galitzine, Masters of the Universe: Revelation and its follow-up Revolution, which can both be streamed with a Netflix subscription, are among the more recent adaptations of this mythology, with others including the new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series that’s also on Netflix and more geared towards younger audiences, as well as the comics. Judging from Galitzine’s statement, it sounds like while the new Masters of the Universe movie will follow the basic framework of this property, it will also put some new spins on the material to make it stand out from previous versions. But exactly how much will the reboot color outside the lines, so to speak?

What The New Masters Of The Universe Rumor Is Claiming

According to scooper Daniel Richtman (via ComicBookMovie), Masters of the Universe will introduce Galitzine’s Adam as a regular guy who’s working a “boring office job” in the “real world,” i.e. Earth, and “the whole He-Man and Masters of the Universe story are tales he heard as a little kid.” While this information should be taken with a massive grain of salt for now, it does line up with the synopsis that’s been making the rounds:

Assuming all this is true, it won’t be the first time that a Masters of the Universe movie has incorporated Earth into the story. The 1987 film saw our planet being targeted by Skeletor, He-Man’s arch-nemesis, and two teenagers and a detective being drawn into the conflict. In this case though, the reboot would establish a direct tie between Adam and Earth, a major departure from the source material. However, it does seem like there’s a contradiction between the new rumor and the synopsis. Does Adam actually remember that he hails from Eternia, or did he somehow lose his memories of that other world or even get sent to Earth at such an earlier age that he’d have no clear memories to retain, hence the stories?

Hopefully the coming months will bring official clarification on what we can expect narratively from the Masters of the Universe reboot, which opens in theaters on June 5, 2026. Nicholas Galitzine’s He-Man will be joined by Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, Jared Leto as Skeletor, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops and Hafthor Bjornsson as Goat Man.