Will the "Masters of the Universe" reboot fail? Unflattering box office predictions have emerged

The "Masters of the Universe" reboot might have a weak start at the box office. Early predictions suggest the Amazon MGM film will gross around $25 million in its opening weekend in the US. Deadline expects slightly more – about $35 million – but for a blockbuster with a budget of $170-200 million, even such a start looks modest.

As Jordan Ruimy from World of Reel notes, the main factor is the project's specific audience. The film is aimed at children and family viewing, but modern children hardly know much about He-Man.

The primary interest in the film comes from adult men who grew up with Mattel toys and the 1980s animated series, and this category of viewers rarely becomes the main driver of summer box office hits.

The situation is complicated by competition. "Scary Movie 6" is scheduled for release on the same weekend, June 5, and analysts predict it will open with around $35-45 million.

Moreover, the horror film "The Backrooms" with a budget of only $10 million, which will be released worldwide on May 29, could also gross around $25 million in its opening weekend – almost as much as the expensive "Masters of the Universe" is currently predicted to make.

However, the film still has a chance to improve its position through good reviews and word-of-mouth. According to industry sources, the new version of "Masters of the Universe" is performing well in test screenings.

The main thing is that the "Jared Leto factor" doesn't come into play. The actor plays Skeletor, and online he is jokingly called the curse of box office receipts: in recent years, films with his participation have regularly shown weak box office results – from "Morbius" and "House of Gucci" to "Tron: Ares."