As has been widely written about already, Masters of the Universe has so far disappointed at the global box office, despite glowing fan reviews and a positive critical reception overall. Quite why the He-Man reboot has underperformed has also been widely discussed and analysed, but there are still a lot of people scratching their heads. On paper, the IP has a fanbase who spend a lot on merch, and who have watched the more modern animated shows in the franchise, but because of the perceived lack of connection with a broader audience, Masters of the Universe is now on the pile of underperforming movies that deserved more, and one star who appears in it, and has deeper He-Man history has responded to how it’s performed.
To celebrate his role as an ambassador for USA Fencing ahead of their journey to Los Angeles 2028, we spoke to the action icon about his cameo in Masters of the Universe, and the film’s surprising and disappointing box office performance. Asked to share his reaction to the box office take by ComicBook’s Chris Killian, Lundgren responded: “Yeah, I was a bit disappointed. I I mean, everybody told me it’s going to do great. I’m not a huge believer in looking at the box office and that influencing how I feel that much emotionally about the picture. But I did think about it like, “Oh, okay. Um that was strange that didn’t do better.” And I don’t know why that is. They did a lot of marketing, they did a lot of press. I was part of it, some of it. I don’t know where it’s at now; I mean, I think it did fairly well overseas as well. I’m not sure what that means really.”
Dolph Lundgren on Masters of the Universe’s Future
Despite the box office haul, we’re told Amazon MGM Studios will forge ahead with their sequel plans, meaning we’re going to get the She-Ra payoff Masters of the Universe‘s midcredits scene sets up, and possibly the return of Skeletor. But Lundgren’s questions about what happens long-term are compelling. Travis Knight’s movie is excellent, and it deserves a strong second life when it eventually comes to Prime Video (and I’m confident that it actually will), but that’s up in the air for now. Will it be another Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves, where a comparatively small but enthusiastic fanbase keeps its legacy alive? Or will it pass further into cult appreciation, like Lundgren’s own 1987 He-Man movie?
Lundgren asked the question as we discussed the movie’s performance with him: “I suppose… I don’t know. “Will Nick be signing swords for 40 years, like I have been? I don’t know. I mean, it’s hard to gauge movies by the box office as well. Sometimes you have a huge box office hit that becomes a classic, or sometimes it makes a lot of money, but nobody cares 20 years later. And there’s also the other one, the other version where it didn’t do that well, but people care a lot, you know, 50 years later.” Justice would suggest the new movie will be remembered fondly, for its passion and Knight’s commitment to creating a true love letter to the original franchise, and as time passes, the enthusiasm to discuss the relatively huge budget, and the box office results will fade into irrelevance as anything other than a footnote.
Dolph Lundgren is teaming up with USA Fencing ahead of LA 2028 as an ambassador for the U.S. fencers as the sport looks ahead to the 2028 Olympics. We spoke about his cameo in Masters of the Universe, his future in the Rocky franchise, and his own relationship with sport. And you can read more from our exclusive interview with Lundgren in the next few days. What do you think of his comments on Masters of the Universe? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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