You might be impressed at how little that really helps the situation.Technically, it’s Amazon/MGM
He-Man, and also the Masters of the Universe
- Thread starter Maruten
- Start date
A few updates About the film and toys:
First off, Target is running a $10 off $40 toys promotion. In addition, they appear to marking down to clear out their current Origins exclusives (probably for the next wave, expected to hit in a few weeks). Origins Film He-Man and Spikor, alongside Sketchbook Man-E-Faces are all about 40% off.
Toy Habits is going down a rabbit hole about a variation in Chronicles He-Man. Reportedly, Walmart is sporting a listing for a second He-Man Chronicles figure, which Toy Habits have, seemingly, grossly misinterpreted. The current truth is that Mattel seems to have put running changes in for Chronicles He-Man and Skeletor. He-Man is sporting tweaked facial deco and a “gem” cross, while Skeletor features a refined head sculpt and color changes.
There are listings from Walmart for a second He-Man in ”premium deco” and a second Chronicles Skeletor, featuring his goblet (and hopefully his crown!). Whether these are mainstream releases or part of Walmart’s, surprisingly broad, exclusive range is unknown.
tl;dr- Both He-Man figures ship in the same assortment with the same UPC. Walmart would not “double list” an item like that. So there IS a He-Man variant, but it’s part of a production change, not a “unique release” that Toy Habits is playing this up to be.
Also appearing in Walmart’s system is a Core Trap Jaw figures for $9.99. The listing actually calls it “MOTU Core GID TRP JW”. Toy Habits is already jumping to it being a “de-featured” Trap Jaw figure based on the one we already got. I think it’s a Walmart Exclusive, like the “Alcala” Skeletor Core figure they got a few months back. “GID” might mean “Glow In Dark”, which fits something typicaly relegated to retailer exclusives. Trap Jaw is not a character I would expect Mattel to “double dip” on unless the Core/Movie line continues into the spring (it might, but my optimism is waning on that front)
Toy Habits “secret insides sources” (and a retailer listing from Walmart) have confirmed a Core Evil-Lyn figure on deck. And another He-Man variant of some sort, as well. Likely part of Wave 5 (probably slated for late fall), she might be part of the last gasp of mass retail Core for the US market. I suspect the wave will probably be rounded out with Fisto and either Karg or Spikor. Probably Spikor. If there’s any more Core product, I’m leaning towards them being online/international exclusive unless sales REALLY pick up for the toys.
In terms of the film, it ain’t great, but it’s not completely terrible either. Or at least it’s got a lot of company. Weekend to Weekend drop was 70%, to just $8.7 million. But Scary Movie saw an equally steep 73% drop off itself. Reminder that Mandalorian and Grogu saw a 70% drop off as well, albeit with a MUCH larger opening. Disclosure Day opened to a modest $44 million, but it also cost half to maybe 2/3rds the cost of Masters of the Universe. Horror sensations Obsession and Backrooms continue to be disruptive elements in the box office. MOTU isn’t doing well…but that’s a prevailing ”thing” among a LOT of significant theatrical releases, particularly action fare and animated films that weren’t Super Mario Galaxy.
I almost wonder if it wouldn’t have benefitted the film to open earlier. Maybe as counter programming to Devil Wears Prada 2 or Michael? I’m not seeing a “number one” opening regardless, but it feels like it might have been able to garner some momentum in the late April/early May slot that has typically benefited the likes of Marvel and Fast and Furious.
First off, Target is running a $10 off $40 toys promotion. In addition, they appear to marking down to clear out their current Origins exclusives (probably for the next wave, expected to hit in a few weeks). Origins Film He-Man and Spikor, alongside Sketchbook Man-E-Faces are all about 40% off.
Toy Habits is going down a rabbit hole about a variation in Chronicles He-Man. Reportedly, Walmart is sporting a listing for a second He-Man Chronicles figure, which Toy Habits have, seemingly, grossly misinterpreted. The current truth is that Mattel seems to have put running changes in for Chronicles He-Man and Skeletor. He-Man is sporting tweaked facial deco and a “gem” cross, while Skeletor features a refined head sculpt and color changes.
There are listings from Walmart for a second He-Man in ”premium deco” and a second Chronicles Skeletor, featuring his goblet (and hopefully his crown!). Whether these are mainstream releases or part of Walmart’s, surprisingly broad, exclusive range is unknown.
tl;dr- Both He-Man figures ship in the same assortment with the same UPC. Walmart would not “double list” an item like that. So there IS a He-Man variant, but it’s part of a production change, not a “unique release” that Toy Habits is playing this up to be.
Also appearing in Walmart’s system is a Core Trap Jaw figures for $9.99. The listing actually calls it “MOTU Core GID TRP JW”. Toy Habits is already jumping to it being a “de-featured” Trap Jaw figure based on the one we already got. I think it’s a Walmart Exclusive, like the “Alcala” Skeletor Core figure they got a few months back. “GID” might mean “Glow In Dark”, which fits something typicaly relegated to retailer exclusives. Trap Jaw is not a character I would expect Mattel to “double dip” on unless the Core/Movie line continues into the spring (it might, but my optimism is waning on that front)
Toy Habits “secret insides sources” (and a retailer listing from Walmart) have confirmed a Core Evil-Lyn figure on deck. And another He-Man variant of some sort, as well. Likely part of Wave 5 (probably slated for late fall), she might be part of the last gasp of mass retail Core for the US market. I suspect the wave will probably be rounded out with Fisto and either Karg or Spikor. Probably Spikor. If there’s any more Core product, I’m leaning towards them being online/international exclusive unless sales REALLY pick up for the toys.
In terms of the film, it ain’t great, but it’s not completely terrible either. Or at least it’s got a lot of company. Weekend to Weekend drop was 70%, to just $8.7 million. But Scary Movie saw an equally steep 73% drop off itself. Reminder that Mandalorian and Grogu saw a 70% drop off as well, albeit with a MUCH larger opening. Disclosure Day opened to a modest $44 million, but it also cost half to maybe 2/3rds the cost of Masters of the Universe. Horror sensations Obsession and Backrooms continue to be disruptive elements in the box office. MOTU isn’t doing well…but that’s a prevailing ”thing” among a LOT of significant theatrical releases, particularly action fare and animated films that weren’t Super Mario Galaxy.
I almost wonder if it wouldn’t have benefitted the film to open earlier. Maybe as counter programming to Devil Wears Prada 2 or Michael? I’m not seeing a “number one” opening regardless, but it feels like it might have been able to garner some momentum in the late April/early May slot that has typically benefited the likes of Marvel and Fast and Furious.
This has cult classic written all over it. This is one of those box office bombs that will get a second life once people can see it without the hassle of going to a theater.
I think streaming is the issue here. We were all forced to learn how much more convenient it is when theaters temporarily weren't an option at all. Hollywood using covid as an excuse is almost a cliche at this point, but it's actually true. We can't unlearn what we've learned. It's just more convenient. YMMV on the downsides, but for plenty of people there's no downside at all. TVs are pretty big these days.
I think this summer's indie horror films are the exceptions that prove the rule, because it's not obvious where they're going to end up after their theatrical runs. Probably Netflix, but who knows. Meanwhile, you know the Disney+ movie is going to end up on Disney+. You know the Amazon movie is going to end up on Amazon. If you're already paying for one of these services, why pay a premium on top of a premium to see something in theaters when in a few weeks you can see it at home through the service you're already paying for?
I think streaming is the issue here. We were all forced to learn how much more convenient it is when theaters temporarily weren't an option at all. Hollywood using covid as an excuse is almost a cliche at this point, but it's actually true. We can't unlearn what we've learned. It's just more convenient. YMMV on the downsides, but for plenty of people there's no downside at all. TVs are pretty big these days.
I think this summer's indie horror films are the exceptions that prove the rule, because it's not obvious where they're going to end up after their theatrical runs. Probably Netflix, but who knows. Meanwhile, you know the Disney+ movie is going to end up on Disney+. You know the Amazon movie is going to end up on Amazon. If you're already paying for one of these services, why pay a premium on top of a premium to see something in theaters when in a few weeks you can see it at home through the service you're already paying for?
I don’t disagree. As I’ve said, the industry, as a whole, is still some $3 billion worth of revenue down from where it was pre-pandemic. And despite the best efforts of all involved…neither Amazon/MGM, Mattel, the production crew, or the fans could seemingly muster enough attention for this film as a theatrical event. But, again, I’m not sure the American box office is going to be the entire story here. We still don’t have international numbers, and MOTU, as a franchise, has a lot of “back end” to monetize. I’m certain even with a lackluster theatrical run, it will probably do well on streaming. Plus home video sales and rentals (physical AND digital), a slice of the toys and merch directly based on the film (the big reason Paramount still seems to be trying to keep Transformers as a thing), the marketing partner money…all of which should make the film “break even”, if not be the major hit everyone is hoping for.
Going by prior releases, the theatrical run will probably end up between 35-50 days. There are exceptions (like Project Hail Mary’s impressive 84 day run), but it looks likely MOTU will streaming by the end of summer. So maybe time to expand exposure and spruce toy sales for Christmas?
Going by prior releases, the theatrical run will probably end up between 35-50 days. There are exceptions (like Project Hail Mary’s impressive 84 day run), but it looks likely MOTU will streaming by the end of summer. So maybe time to expand exposure and spruce toy sales for Christmas?
I’m also more than a little miffed that they pulled the greatest sin of the late 2010s: they spend SEVERAL post-credits sequences teasing sequel or spin offs that will probably not happen. It seems whenever a film makes overtures to “promise more”, it jinxes the film itself. Skeletor’s “I’ll be back” moment at the end of the credits was fine, but a certain other cameo? They’ve basically backed themselves into a corner as if they DO get a sequel, they have to address said character with a likely smaller budget (And rumor is that a LOT of material related to She-Ra was actually cut from the final release. Further rumors are than a 3 hour “extended cut” also exists)
I mean, I COULD see a scenario where this film could have gotten a sequel, but with a smaller budget. They could have done something Earth based and play with the “fish out of water“ angle (ie, Adam becomes the expert while his cohorts are completely lost on modern Earth). It’s not what everyone might WANT, but with Travis Knight I’d be confident it’d at least be entertaining and more faithful to the franchise than the 87 film. But with all those teases they jammed in? Now you’re looking at an escalation that this film can’t financially justify.
I mean, I COULD see a scenario where this film could have gotten a sequel, but with a smaller budget. They could have done something Earth based and play with the “fish out of water“ angle (ie, Adam becomes the expert while his cohorts are completely lost on modern Earth). It’s not what everyone might WANT, but with Travis Knight I’d be confident it’d at least be entertaining and more faithful to the franchise than the 87 film. But with all those teases they jammed in? Now you’re looking at an escalation that this film can’t financially justify.
The very MCU-like humour reads to me like it was a holdover from 10-15 years ago when that would have gone over much better. And I think that would be the time to do a He-Man movie. You'd have the 80s kids with young kids of their own they could take to see it. But now the people who were kids in the 80s have kids in their 20s so they're too old for something like this... so the audience just isn't what it would have been at the height of the 80s nostalgia boom.