20 Recent Box Office Flops Everyone Saw Coming

16. Masters of the Universe

Masters of the Universe seemed like a sure-fire flop for one reason - why would anyone think that He-Man had enough cultural cachet in the year of our lord 2026 that $170 million should be spent rebooting it?

Even with the talented Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Bumblebee) in the director's chair, it didn't seem likely he'd convince enough people to leave their house for, again, a He-Man movie of all things.

Perhaps it might've stood a chance had Sony made the film about a decade ago during the post-Guardians of the Galaxy boom period for plucky CGI-heavy action-adventure tentpoles, but in the post-pandemic landscape this is a far riskier proposition.

Couple that with reviews that were just fine and hefty competition from the sixth entry into the Scary Movie franchise, and Masters of the Universe was a gargantuan flop, grossing just $114 million and instantly killing any lingering hope of an ongoing franchise.