'80s fantasy reboot dethrones Star Wars to claim No. 1 on the charts

If 2026 is remembered for anything in the world of blockbuster cinema, it might just be the year of bold studio gambles that didn’t pay off until everyone got home, stuck a disc in, and felt a bit nostalgic. Two of the highest-profile throwbacks—The Mandalorian and Grogu from Lucasfilm and Mattel’s live-action Masters of the Universe reboot—both raised old brands from the dead, only for ticket sales to remind them that streaming and physical media is where the real audience is hiding these days.

Masters of the Universe’s 4K Blu-ray shot to number one on the Blu-ray.com bestsellers list—dethroning The Mandalorian and Grogu despite never landing the top spot at the box office.

Star Warriors and Sword-Swingers at the Cinema

The Mandalorian and Grogu was meant to be Star Wars’ first big screen effort since 2019, banking on the beloved pairing of shiny-helmeted Din Djarin and adorable elf-baby Grogu. In theory, sticking these two in a film was a can’t-miss move. In reality, after all the sound and fury, the film dragged in $345 million worldwide on a reported budget of $165 million. Now, those might sound like monstrous numbers to most of us, but for Disney Star Wars, this set a new low—literally the lowest-grossing live-action chapter in the franchise’s run.

On the other side was Masters of the Universe. Travis Knight’s sword-and-sorcery reboot finally gave He-Man a chance to flex onscreen again after nearly four decades in the wilderness. Studios clearly had blockbuster dreams: the film was loaded with effects, costumes, and all the power of Grayskull you can jam into $170 million. But when the receipts came in, things looked grim. The film didn’t even cross the $120 million mark, ending at a worldwide gross of just $113 million. To put it gently, that’s a loss Skeletor himself would find a bit cruel.

Streaming Redemption and Blu-ray Glory

If you blinked, you missed both of these in their local multiplex. But as soon as they hit streaming and physical formats, suddenly everyone was queueing up. The Mandalorian and Grogu immediately went stratospheric in home video sales. The Blu-ray versions—yes, even the spendy collector editions like the $200+ Beskar Collector's Edition—nabbed the top four Blu-ray chart slots, at least for a moment. That is, until Prince Adam and his cosmic abs reemerged.

Just days after Mando-mania, the new Masters of the Universe physical release leapt past them all. The 4K Blu-ray, locked behind an Amazon exclusive steelbook (because every big movie is a collectible now), has already rocketed straight to number one on Blu-ray.com’s sales chart. Never mind the awkward bit that it doesn’t even have a proper street date yet—the pre-orders alone beat out heavyweights like Obsession, Project Hail Mary, and Michael.

Backing this home video surge was streaming dominance as well. When it arrived on Prime Video, Masters of the Universe opened at number one within a day, fuelled by a mix of social media nostalgia and, presumably, lots of folks who’d forgotten what Skeletor actually sounds like. This all serves as proof: the real audience for castle-storming cosmic heroes and stray Star Wars dads is at home, comfort-watching in their pyjamas.

The Return of He-Man: What’s Actually in This Film?

The new Masters of the Universe isn’t just a straight lift from the old cartoon. The plot: Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) crash-lands on Earth as a child and promptly loses his all-important magical Sword of Power. Fast-forward nearly twenty years, Adam’s managed to track it down again… only to get hauled back across the cosmos just in time for a showdown with Skeletor (played by Jared Leto, who presumably glowers a lot).

• Adam is separated from his sword—and home—after a spaceship crash on Earth at age 10.
• He hunts for the sword for almost two decades before finally returning to Eternia.
• Skeletor is plotting the usual world domination (or is it universe domination?) nonsense.
• Adam has to gather a team, make peace with his mysterious backstory, and go full He-Man to save the day.

Critically, the film’s had a warmer welcome at home than at the box office—critics scored it at 67%, while audiences were more generous with 86%. It’s not quite a cultural phenomenon, but it’s solid proof that the power of nostalgia (and probably a bit of irony) shouldn’t ever be underestimated.