Masters of the Universe Opens June 5 Facing 2 Gen Z Rivals

3 articles · Updated · Esquire · Jun 2

June 5 marks the debut of Amazon MGM’s big-budget Masters of the Universe, but box-office tracking is weak despite a relatively open early-Pride weekend.
Two younger-skewing competitors — Obsession and Backrooms — are expected to challenge it, underscoring broader fatigue with 1980s nostalgia, toy-based IP and old-style action-adventure franchises.
Nicholas Galitzine stars as Prince Adam opposite Jared Leto’s Skeletor in a Travis Knight-directed film that the review says delivers colorful, coherent action and stronger-than-expected emotional themes.
Those themes center on identity, masculinity and reconciling the self the world assigns with the self one knows, prompting comparisons — though limited ones — to more personal nostalgia-driven films.
The release tests whether Mattel can repeat anything like Barbie’s $1.4 billion success in a market where original, youth-driven genre films are increasingly outdrawing legacy franchises.

Sources

Can 'Masters of the Universe' overcome grim box office forecasts to become Mattel's next 'Barbie'?

Is playing He-Man a career-defining move or a risky gamble for Nicholas Galitzine?

How does a 1980s He-Man toy become a modern exploration of masculinity?