Disney Faces IMAX Setback as ‘Masters of the Universe’ Gains Screens

(SeaPRwire) –   Over the past several decades, Disney films have been synonymous with box office dominance. Whether it’s the latest Pixar release, a Marvel blockbuster, or a new Star Wars adventure, Disney is known for event-style movies: they’re meant to be seen on the largest screens possible, driven more by an automatic urge or FOMO than word-of-mouth. People watch Disney’s films because it’s become a habit — and until recently, most of these movies rewarded that loyalty with quality storytelling, justifying their massive box office returns. But things haven’t been right at the House of Mouse for some time. While occasional missteps like 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story were expected, Disney’s recent output feels largely underwhelming.

2023 was a rough year for Disney, as most of its big-budget releases failed to make their usual impact or recoup their exorbitant production costs. Though the studio has put out some solid films since — including Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot and Pixar’s Hoppers — the Disney brand no longer carries the same weight. Even the first Star Wars film in seven years isn’t getting the same reception as its billion-dollar predecessors, leading to a surprising shift in theatrical plans.

The Mandalorian and Grogu launched to lukewarm critical reception, leading to a similarly lackluster opening weekend. It earned around $163 million worldwide in its first week — a record low for Disney’s Star Wars era. Its second week didn’t improve: the film came in third at the box office behind two unexpected horror hits, Backrooms and Obsession. With $246 million in global earnings so far, its time in theaters (especially IMAX) is already winding down.

IMAX recently announced that Masters of the Universe — Amazon’s reboot of the He-Man franchise — will get limited IMAX screenings for its opening weekend. Tickets went on sale just a week before its June 5 premiere, surprising fans. Initially, Masters of the Universe wasn’t set to have IMAX showings: Mando had secured IMAX slots for the first few weeks of its run, leaving Masters with standard, Dolby, 4DX, and ScreenX formats. But this arrangement has suddenly changed, and while IMAX hasn’t explained why, Mando’s weak second week can’t be ruled out as a factor.

To be clear, The Mandalorian and Grogu hasn’t been fully pulled from IMAX. It will still have multiple IMAX screenings in the coming weeks, but it will now share those screens (in select theaters) with Masters of the Universe. This isn’t a good sign for Star Wars, as this was meant to be the franchise’s big comeback after nearly a decade away from the big screen.

This last-minute switch also doesn’t bode well for Disney overall, as it’s the second IMAX-related issue the company has faced recently. We can’t forget the studio’s decision to push Avengers: Doomsday from its May premiere (which would have clashed with Mando) to December. Now, Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for the same weekend as Dune: Part Three, which has an exclusive three-week IMAX engagement. This means the biggest Marvel film in years will premiere without any IMAX screens in the US.

Marvel is introducing a “new” certification called Infinity Vision to fill the gap and “help audiences identify the best theatrical experience” — but this tactic is really just a way to rebrand premium formats and likely charge higher ticket prices. Whether this will offset the loss of IMAX screens, or if audiences will see through Disney’s strategy, remains to be seen. The fact that the studio has to resort to such tactics confirms an unspoken truth: Disney’s uncontested reign is over, and it will need to work much harder to stay at the top.

Masters of the Universe hits theaters on June 5.