Jared Leto’s turn as Skeletor is drawing new scrutiny after Masters of the Universe opened on June 5 and went on to earn over $109 million. The film has been labeled a flop because that total sits far below Variety’s reported budget of around $200 million, even as Amazon MGM Studios kept backing the franchise.
June 5 and the $109 million mark
Box Office Mojo put the film’s box office haul at over $109 million, which leaves a wide gap against the reported $200 million production cost. For a big-budget release, that spread is the business story: the movie has to work much harder in ancillary markets just to approach the level Amazon MGM Studios expected from the theatrical run.
Jared Leto played Skeletor, and that casting has become part of the criticism now following the film. Some commenters on Reddit movie forums and other online film communities have labeled him “box office poison,” a reaction sharpened by the way Masters of the Universe has already been grouped with Morbius and Tron: Ares in the backlash around his recent big-budget projects.
Kevin Wilson backs the opening
Kevin Wilson, head of domestic distribution for Amazon MGM, said the film is “something truly special, and this opening is exactly the kind of critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy.” That line sits next to the flop label, not above it, and the contrast is the point: the studio is treating the launch as strategic validation while the box office math points in the opposite direction.
The movie was also eclipsed by the most recent offering in the Scary Movie franchise at the opening weekend box office, which makes the performance look even thinner for a title built as a major franchise play. Amazon MGM has continued to support the property, but the theatrical result has shifted the conversation from launch strategy to whether the casting and rollout produced enough audience lift.
Orko, She-Ra and the sequel
The marketing kept Orko and She-Ra largely under wraps, with Orko only briefly teased and She-Ra notably absent from the campaign. That kind of partial reveal can preserve surprises, but it also leaves less room for the studio to sell the scale of the world before opening weekend.
A sequel has not been officially canceled, and that leaves the franchise in a holding pattern after the disappointing run. For now, the practical read is simple: the film’s box office has not broken the property, but it has put Jared Leto’s Skeletor casting and Amazon MGM Studios’ franchise plan under a much harsher spotlight.
