RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Amazon’s Masters of the Universe movie might have flopped at the box office, but it enjoyed an enormous launch on Prime Video, sparking fan hope for a sequel.
The He-Man adventure made just $113 million in theaters earlier this summer. Given the reported budget of $170 million, it came as no surprise to see Masters of the Universe make the jump to streaming less than two months after it debuted in theaters .
However, figures reported by The Hollywood Reporter show Masters of the Universe has enjoyed a second wind on Prime video, with a whopping 1.17 billion minutes of watch time for the week ending July 26. It did well enough to secure top spot in Nielsen’s streaming ratings for that week, and was one of only two titles to cross the billion-minute milestone (The Big Bang Theory was the other).
While there are points worth noting about this Nielsen data (it’s U.S. only and covers viewing on TV sets only), these are really big numbers for Masters of the Universe, and fans are already hoping it will help make the case for continuing the story following the tease at the end.
Warning! Spoilers for Masters of the Universe follow…
Amazon clearly hoped the Travis Knight-directed movie would kick off a franchise, as it has four post-credits scenes setting up what’s next. Among them is a tease for the introduction of She-Ra, who fans hope will appear in a sequel.
But will that sequel happen? So far, Amazon has yet to confirm Masters of the Universe 2, and there are no casting or production rumors to chew on.
“I was saying a few months ago that it was impossible that they will make a sequel but now since it’s a hit on streaming it may be possible,” one person said. “I thought that it was a fun popcorn flick so I wouldn’t mind a sequel.”
“My kids saw it on Prime. Loved it and I’ve now spent $100 on toys,” another said. “Directly from Amazon. I think there is a very good chance for a sequel.”
It’s hard to make too much out of these viewing figures. Who knows how the powers that be at Amazon will judge its success, or whether it will get a sequel? Perhaps a movie or TV series direct to Prime Video would be more likely than a theatrical release. Maybe Amazon will decide against doing anything further. We’ll have to wait and see,
While you wait to find out, check out IGN’s Masters of the Universe Ending and Post-Credits Scenes Explained .
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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