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Scary Movie Tops Weekend, He‑Man Reboot Falters

Scary Movie’s franchise‑best opening signals shifting audience tastes that put pressure on Masters of the Universe’s ability to recoup its very large budget.

Overview

  • Scary Movie opened at roughly $55–56 million domestically and about $105 million worldwide, giving the Wayans‑led reboot the biggest launch in the franchise on a production budget reported near $30 million.
  • Masters of the Universe debuted around $29–30 million in North America against reported production costs of roughly $170–200 million, leaving the film well short of the revenue needed to reach estimated break‑even thresholds.
  • Audience and critic measures diverged: Scary Movie scored poorly with critics but drew strong turnout from young viewers and earned mixed audience grades, while Masters received stronger critic scores and a B CinemaScore but skewed older in its audience makeup.
  • Amazon MGM publicly defended Masters’ release and emphasized a longer‑term distribution strategy, but analysts say the film will need international growth, steady holds, and ancillary revenue to justify sequel plans.
  • The weekend highlights a trend toward profitable, lower‑budget nostalgia and horror films and raises broader studio questions about when to back very expensive tentpoles versus mid‑budget, fan‑driven revivals.