Written by While the total French republic is just shy of 250,000 square miles, it can be a big part to achieving international success when comes to box office grosses.
But when it comes to the new “Masters of the Universe” movie, France will have zero impact on its worldwide box-office tally… because it is simply not releasing there theatrically.
Yes, He-Man is bypassing a theatrical release in France entirely, instead opting to release via streaming only on Prime Video at a later date.
Why is this the case? Apparently “Masters of the Universe” will not have a theatrical release in France because French audiences have only been lukewarm to the MOTU franchise in the course of its history (compounded by French regulations that stipulate a theatrically released movie has to remain in theaters for at least two months before it can stream in that country.)
Who ultimately loses out here are the loyal He-Man fans in France. While not as large as the fanbases in countries like the United States, Brazil or the United Kindom… there are fans in France that truly love this property.
And now, they will have no way to participate in supporting the long-awaited return of “Masters of the Universe” in theaters, and that is truly a shame.
We’ll see you next time.
That truly is a shame…
I’m not sure if the 1987 movie released in France, but if so, then it has been 39 years -almost to the month- that French fans have waited for the return of MOTU to theaters.
Hopefully, French streaming blows up when MOTU releases on Prime Video… just to show everyone that He-Fans and She-Ravers exist EVERYWHERE!!
@ornclown Yes, the 1987 film was released in cinemas in this country, so it is a bittersweet experience for us faithful fans. This is even more surprising when you consider Mattel’s track record with the exploitation of the Motu franchise in France. It was a big deal in the ’80s. France was literally Mattel’s headquarters, with branches opening in Germany and Spain. But, of course, since the bubble burst in 1987/1988, the hype is far from the same. Germany has maintained its interest in it, though. Regarding the current problem, French fans are left with two options: watching the film at home on Amazon Prime Video or travelling to neighbouring countries such as Belgium or Switzerland to experience the event in person, while of course dealing with additional expenses.