Dolph Lundgren, the original He-Man, says the reboot's flop puzzles him

Dolph Lundgren, who played He-Man in the 1987 Cannon Films “Masters of the Universe” and appears in a cameo in the 2026 Travis Knight reboot, has spoken about the new film’s box office performance in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com published June 23.

Asked by ComicBook’s Chris Killian for his reaction to the numbers, Lundgren said he was “a bit disappointed,” adding that “everybody told me it’s going to do great.” He went on, “that was strange that didn’t do better, and I don’t know why that is. They did a lot of marketing, they did a lot of press. I was part of it, some of it.” He noted he believed the film “did fairly well overseas as well,” while saying he was “not sure what that means really.”

Lundgren also reflected on how the movie might be remembered over time. “Will Nick be signing swords for 40 years, like I have been? I don’t know,” he said, referencing 2026 star Nicholas Galitzine. “It’s hard to gauge movies by the box office. Sometimes you have a huge box office hit that becomes a classic, or sometimes it makes a lot of money, but nobody cares 20 years later. And there’s also the other one, where it didn’t do that well, but people care a lot 50 years later.” His own 1987 He-Man film was a commercial failure on release before finding a cult following.

The 2026 “Masters of the Universe” has grossed roughly $104 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $170 million to $200 million, despite strong audience scores. ComicBook reports it was told that Amazon MGM Studios intends to forge ahead with sequel plans, which would pay off the She-Ra setup teased in the film’s mid-credits scene. The interview was tied to Lundgren’s role as a USA Fencing ambassador ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Dolph Lundgren, the original He-Man, says the reboot's flop puzzles him

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