A24 and Alex Garland's Elden Ring movie is supposedly the studio's most expensive production of all time with a reported budget of $200 million. FromSoftware's RPG adaptation ain't cheap.

The figure comes courtesy of a recent Wall Street Journal report that states A24 is spending "nearly $200 million" to adapt the landmark dark fantasy game, not including marketing costs, according to sources in the know. Earlier in the year, the reported figure was closer to $100 million - still A24's biggest movie at the time.

A $200 million budget would make Elden Ring far and away the studio's priciest feature yet. To put things into perspective, the arthouse company reportedly spent around $70 million on last year's Marty Supreme, starring Timothee Chalamet, which was previously its most expensive big screen flick. Before that, Alex Garland's Civil War carried a $50 million price tag.

A24 is essentially dropping blockbuster cash on one of its first major blockbuster bets - at $200 million, the cost of adapting Elden Ring is closer to the budget the Marvel Cinematic Universe normally plays around with.

But it's not necessarily a hugely risky bet. Elden Ring is one of the generation's most popular and defining games - analyst Rhys Elliott recently reported the game of the year winner had sold over 36 million copies, bringing in more than $2 billion in revenue. There's no guarantee that the Elden Ring movie can repeat the game's success - it still needs to be good first - but the name awareness could definitely help it become a box office hit.

The Elden Ring movie hits theatres on March 3, 2028. Kit Connor (Heartstopper) and Cailee Spaeny (Beef, Alien: Romulus) are starring in the fantasy picture, which wrapped filming earlier this summer. George R.R. Martin is on board as a producer after helping FromSoftware create the game's lore.

"The biggest L From Soft has taken in a long time": Emergency Elden Ring patch stops players from getting the new $5 DLC items for free

Masters of the Universe director Travis Knight still doesn't know if Amazon is ready for a sequel, despite the movie's massive streaming success.

"In the end, these sorts of decisions are out of our control," Knight told ScreenRant. "You always imagine where these people’s lives go after the end of the movie, and if the universe, in its wisdom, asks us to make more of these things, we would be delighted to give them more."

The new Masters of the Universe, which stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man/Adam and Jared Leto as Skeletor, only managed to gross $140 million against its $170-200 million budget. Despite this, the film spent five weeks as the number one movie on Prime Video, and remains one of the streamer's most popular films.

The movie sees Prince Adam living a normal life on Earth when he's called back to his home planet of Eternia to defeat the evil Skeletor, along with the help of Teela (Camila Mendes). Plus, there's also a fun cameo from original He-Man star Dolph Lundgren.

There is also absolutely a Masters of the Universe post-credits scene that sets up a sequel and introduces my favorite character in the franchise (hint: we haven't seen her in live-action yet unless you count that one time Ariana Grande played her in a Saturday Night Live sketch).

Masters of the Universe is streaming now on Prime Video. For more, check out our picks for the best movies on Amazon Prime, or, read our Masters of the Universe review.

Jamie Dornan is set to play a younger Aragorn n in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and he's well aware that he's got some big shoes to fill.

"There's pressure when you're trying to follow in those footsteps," Dornan said via ScreenRant. "I've been asked to play a super-iconic role, and I'll do my best. But for me, Aragorn will always be just Viggo. His performance is one of my all-time favorites, and I feel honored to try to recapture at least some of the energy he originally brought to the character. There's no part of me that's trying to outdo him."

The Hunt for Gollum, a story that can be found in the appendices of the original Lord of the Rings novel, takes place between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. A younger Aragorn pays a visit to Gandalf, who sends him off to find Gollum so they can stop him before he divulges information about the One Ring to Sauron.

The cast includes Andy Serkis, who directs and returns as Gollum, Sir Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Lee Pace, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Leo Woodall (who was originally rumored to take over as young Aragorn, but he's playing Halvard instead).

Mortensen is reportedly a fan of the casting choice, with Serkis previously stating: "We're absolutely thrilled. And, by the way, so is Viggo."

The Hunt for Gollum arrives on December 17, 2027. In the meantime, fill out your watchlist with our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies of the year.

The first trailer for Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew has arrived, and it's every bit as magical as you're expecting.

In the trailer, which you can watch above, we finally see Gerwig's interpretation of one of the most beloved fantasy series of all time, and it's a fever dream I won't soon forget. I'm already in love with Meryl Streep as Aslan, and the choice of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven to back the trailer will no doubt prove a controversial one, even if I loved it.

This is Gerwig's first movie since her smash hit Barbie, and she both writes and directs. The film is adapted from C.S. Lewis's novel The Magician's Nephew in his Chronicles of Narnia series, which, while the sixth published, comes first chronologically. It follows two children, Digory and Polly, who, after an encounter with Digory's Uncle Andrew, travel through different, magical worlds. In the process, they discover the fearsome White Witch, Jadis, as well as the lion Aslan.

The starry cast includes Streep as Aslan, Emma Mackey as the White Witch, and Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew Ketterley, with David McKenna as Digory Kirke and Beatrice Campbell as Polly Plummer. Denise Gough and Ciarán Hinds also have mystery roles in the film.

Gerwig's film is the first of three planned films with Netflix. The Magician's Nephew will become the streamer's first-ever film to get a wide theatrical release, including IMAX.

The Magician's Nephew arrives on February 10 in IMAX, February 11 in theaters, and April 2 on Netflix. In the meantime, fill out your watchlist with our guide to all the best Netflix movies to stream now.

Word is out about stop-motion extraordinaire studio Laika's latest project, Wildwood, and critics are already calling it their greatest achievement. Following the film's world premiere at the London Film Festival, @TheNextBestPicture called it "a masterpiece of stop-motion animation" with "battle sequences that rivals the work seen in Game of Thrones or The Lord Of The Rings.” @justmiaslife called the film directed by Travis Knight "A testament to the limitless possibilities of animation."

By the sound of it, it's not just another Laika gem, but a movie with a real chance to become an all-time classic. @MainstreamMatt wrote, "Wildwood is Laika's crowning achievement. One for the ages. The kind of film which if I had seen it as a kid I would have watched it hundreds of times since. Staggering 'how did they do that?' world-building animation, and an emotionally rich story. My favourite of 2026."

This kind of praise feels particularly fitting, given that the project has been 16 years in the making and is one of the biggest stop-motion productions ever made. The concern, however, is how the film's box-office will look following its release. With an estimated budget of $100 million, the expected domestic opening weekend might reach only around $10 million (via BoxOfficePro). Admittedly, it's nothing new for Laika to deliver movies that have become cult classics in their own right, but when their latest is being compared to one of the biggest shows and movie trilogies of all time, Wildwood deserves attention on a similar scale.

See for yourself when it arrives in theaters on October 23. Also check out our guide to the big movies arriving in what's left of 2026 and beyond.

Just as the box office cools off from a hot summer, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is returning to the big screen.

The fantasy epic is coming back to IMAX and IMAX 70MM cinemas from October 7, as announced by the official Odyssey Twitter page. The Odyssey hasn't actually finished its theatrical run yet, after releasing on July 17. The movie stayed on premium large format screens up to September 30, after being extended due to high demand.

This gives fans who missed out on seeing nolan's latest flick on the biggest screen possible another chance to do so. IMAX 70MM tickets for The Odyssey's opening weekend sold out a whole year in advance. This was largely due to The Odyssey being the first movie ever to be shot exclusively on IMAX cameras, meaning the only way to truly see the whole movie is on an IMAX 70MM screen. There are only up to 45 true IMAX 70mm theaters in the world.

Based on Homer's ancient Greek poem, The Odyssey follows Matt Damon's warrior Odysseus as he embarks on a decade-long journey home after the Trojan War, where he meets a string of strange and dangerous creatures along the way. The star-studded cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Himesh Patel, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and Samantha Morton.

The Odyssey broke box office records this summer, quickly becoming Nolan's biggest movie and the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, crossing $1.7 billion globally. Nolan's epic contributed to summer 2026 being the biggest ever summer season in the US since the pandemic. From May 1 to September 7, domestic ticket sales crossed $4.76 billion thanks to The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Toy Story 5.

Nolan's The Odyssey may be coming back to save the day as the box office seems to be going through a bit of a lull at the moment. Tom Cruise's Digger hit screens on October 2 but has so far earned just over $20 million against its reported $150 million production budget. The next few weeks on the big screen are stacked, though, with The Social Reckoning, Street Fighter, and Clayface all due to release this October.

For more, check out our The Odyssey review, and our deep dives into The Odyssey monsters, The Odyssey poem, and The Odyssey ending explained.

The Game of Thrones movie based on Aegon's Conquest is coming to theaters – and it finally has a release date.

The film will land on June 1, 2029, and it will be directed by Owen Harris, according to Deadline. Harris directed three episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Andor scribe Bea Willimon will pen the script, and the film is titled Game of Thrones: Aegon's Conquest.

While no further details have been revealed just yet, judging by the title, the movie will cover Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of Westeros, which brought the individual kingdoms together for the first time. He accomplished this with the help of his two sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, and, of course, with three dragons.

House of the Dragon revealed that the reason Aegon conquered Westeros was a prophetic vision of the Long Night and the revelation that only a Targaryen on the throne could prevent the apocalypse.

Next up for Game of Thrones is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2, which is arriving in the first half of 2027. Plus, while we're still waiting for The Winds of Winter, it seems that George R.R. Martin is working on more Dunk and Egg stories.

"I'd love to expand it from three seasons to maybe four or five. Book four, which George is working on, takes place in a very cool location. And five is the last story point of Egg as a boy," showrunner Ira Parker has shared. "So it's a very natural ending place for us to take a break and come back when Dexter is older. So then we can do Egg the Prince, do some politics, do some fun stuff in Summer Hall and King's Landing, and get a different vibe where they're not on the road all the time."

While you wait for Aegon's Conquest, check out our guide to all the other upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows.

The crowdfunding campaign for a Lord of the Rings RPG has proven to be so popular that it's needed to create all-new stretch goals to keep up.

Earlier this week, publisher Free League launched a Backerit page for a couple of new books along with a rules update to The One Ring, the popular Lord of the Rings RPG it's been running since 2022. However, the campaign was so popular that it smashed its crowdfunding goal by 32 times in less than a day, and has now reached $2 million in pledges. Because it only provided stretch goals up until the $1.4m mark, the team has had to create a host of new ones – and even those look as though they'll be surpassed before long.

"As the initial stretch goals were unlocked quicker than we could imagine, we have now added five more goals, trying to strike a good balance between what has been requested and what is doable without jeopardizing the timeline of the entire project," Free League writes in an email to anyone that's followed the campaign. These new stretch goals range from bonus maps to an all new location.

The latter is probably the most interesting; it will take us to The Tower of Triumph in Umbar. This is a place we've only ever heard about in passing, so being able to go there is tantalizing. That's because it's a stronghold of humans that serve Sauron where "seers and sorcerers of the city keep watch upon Gondor, and work many dark designs".

The most recent stretch goal to be unlocked is optional rules for setting up camp. These are made to complement instead of replace the existing travel mechanics, and "can be used to enliven shorter traveling sequences, or whenever the Company’s choice of campsite and preparations for the night are likely to matter."

Two more stretch goals remain: a digital art compilation unlocked at $2.2m, and a map of Bree in the new Core Rules book that becomes available at $2.4m. Considering how quickly we hit the previous marks (the pledge number has literally jumped several hundred dollars while I've been writing this story), I doubt it'll take long to reach them.

While we're on the subject of Middle-earth, these new Warhammer Mordor Orc models are reeling me back into the Lord of the Rings wargame again.

• See the current One Ring lineup at Amazon

Lord of the Rings prequel movie The Hunt for Gollum is currently filming in New Zealand, and to celebrate Hobbit Day (which was yesterday, but we'll give them a pass), Warner Bros has revealed a batch of first-look images, including a glimpse at the return of Elijah Wood's Frodo.

The pics, posted to TikTok, show off the Hunt for Gollum's bucolic Shire, which is of course home to Frodo and the Hobbits. Many fresh-faced Hobbits are pictured, as is Andy Serkis working behind the scenes. Most exciting of all, there's also a fresh look at Frodo, about to open Bag End's unmistakable front door. Though we can only see Frodo from behind, so we don't know for sure that it's Frodo actor Elijah Wood who is pictured just yet.

It all looks rather lovely, and coupled with the use of Howard Shore's score, it's tickling the nostalgia sensors in our brains. Recently, we also got a first look at Ian McKellen's return as Gandalf, though that wasn't a special reveal, but a message from the man himself to musician Troye Sivan, who asked McKellen to help narrate his new music video for the song "Party."

The Hunt for Gollum is set before the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and will see Jamie Dornan step in for Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in pursuit of Gollum. Alongside Wood, Serkis and McKellen, who return as Frodo, Gollum and Gandalf respectively, Lee Pace's elf King Thranduil is also set to return from the Hobbit trilogy. New additions to the cast include Anya Taylor-Joy as Seren, Leo Woodall as Halvard and Kate Winslet as Marigol.

Filming kicked off in July and was marked with a behind-the-scenes teaser that concealed a "precious" message. While we wait to return to Middle-Earth on the big screen, we've got The Rings of Power season 3 to tide us over, which hits Prime Video in November.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released on December 17, 2027. For more, check out our guides on how to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order and our breakdown of The Lord of the Rings timeline.

I think it's safe to say that the community is keen to play a D&D-style Lord of the Rings RPG, because a crowdfunding campaign for one is approaching $2.1million in pledges with the speed of an airborne Nazgûl.

Developed by Free League, The One Ring is a tabletop roleplaying game like D&D set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This crowdfunding campaign provides a beginner-friendly update to a system that's been earning industry acclaim since it launched in 2022, but the overhaul also provides a full bestiary for the first time alongside a campaign expansion that takes us to Gondor and Rohan. This Lord of the Rings RPG revamp was aiming for $50K in crowdfunding, but hit $500,000 in around an hour. As I write this, the Backerit page is now sitting pretty at $2,089,055. I suspect it'll have jumped up again by the time you read this.

Thanks to this level of support, the crowdfunding campaign has already blown past all of its stretch goals (including cardboard standees for use on battlemaps, extra monsters, and previously unseen locations) so had to make new ones. These will either be added into the relevant books or, in the case of separate items like special dice, provided as rewards with certain pledge levels.

It isn't just The One Ring that's being given a new lick of paint, however. The system has already been adapted for D&D under a different name (The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying), and this ruleset is also getting the same three books… albeit with tweaked names as well as unique covers. They'll include the stretch goals mentioned above.

Here's what's featured within the campaign:

• Core Rules: No matter whether it's for The One Ring or its D&D equivalent, the new Core Rules provide re-ordered, clarified, and refined mechanics to make learning or reference easier. That includes tweaked combat and character creation, alongside a solo game mode – Strider Mode. This had been released previously, but was digital-only.
• Bestiary: The One Ring is finally getting a bestiary. Called "Creatures Strange and Foul" (or "Of Orcs and Evil Things" for the D&D version), this tome brings together all sorts of foes the party can cross swords with. While orcs and trolls obviously feature, you're also getting rules for the Nine Ringwraiths, Oliphaunts, dark powers like the Balrog, and more. Not all of the entries are villainous, of course; beings like Ents also feature here.
• Gondor/Rohan campaign guide: The game has largely focused on northern realms until now, so this is the first time we're getting rules to explore the southern kingdoms of Men. Besides offering detailed breakdowns of Gondor and Rohan, it's full of adventure hooks to hang new quests on. It's called "The White Tower and the Hall of Gold" for The One Ring, or "Realms of the South" for D&D.

Considering how far over the goal this campaign is, I think we can assume fans are excited about it. Frankly, I don't blame them. The One Ring has been one of my favorite roleplaying games for a long time, and it's got pride of place on our list of the best tabletop RPGs. Part of that is down to its accessible yet cinematic rules, yes, but the thing that really appeals to me as a Lord of the Rings nerd is how true to Tolkien it feels.

The novels have a specific vibe that's hard to replicate without getting carried away and veering into swords 'n' sorcery, but The One Ring manages to thread that needle. It's not just about emulating how Middle-earth should look (judging by Tolkien's writing, Dark Ages chic) or sticking to the rules of its world; it's about capturing the story's theme and heart. As an example, it turns the feeling of fellowship and encroaching shadow into key mechanics.

There's no release date for these three books yet, but the hardcover versions are estimated to ship in October 2027. You'll also receive PDF versions of them with most Backerit tier levels, though there's no date for delivery on those. If it's anything like other tabletop RPG campaigns or releases, it could well be sooner.

You can check out the campaign for yourself at Backerit.

This isn't the only cool Middle-earth shaped reveal today; these new Warhammer Mordor Orc models are reeling me back into the Lord of the Rings wargame again.

• See the current One Ring lineup at Amazon

We haven’t even seen Ian McKellen don his shiny red Magneto helmet in Avengers: Doomsday yet, and already he’s being prepped to reprise his other iconic role as Gandalf the Grey in the Lord of the Rings prequel that doesn't have "The Hobbit" in the title: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

The actor who has appeared in all six live-action Middle-Earth movies so far is back again, this time in the chapter that will follow the desperate search for the former owner of The One Ring before it got into the hands of Frodo Baggins.

The new video wasn't a special reveal, but a message from the man himself to musician Troye Sivan, who asked McKellen to help narrate his new music video for the song "Party." It just so happens that during this video, McKellen is looking incredibly grey, but in the way Lord of the Rings fans would fully endorse.

The last time we saw McKellen pick up that huge hat and the pipe to match was in 2014 for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Now he's back on the hunt for the creature that will unknowingly save Middle-Earth thanks to his own obsession.

Joining McKellen on this treasure hunt will be Elijah Wood reprising his role as Frodo, as well as Andy Serkis, who will be both directing and getting back into the motion-capture suit as Gollum. Lee Pace will also be returning and looking ridiculously cool as the Elf king, Thranduil.

As for the newcomers in this world obsessed with a bit of jewelry, Anya Taylor-Joy will be playing an elf named Seren, while Kate Winslet will star as Marigol, who is rumored to be related to Smeagol before he got lost to the presciousss. All eyes, flaming or otherwise, however, will be on Jamie Dornan, who will be stepping into the shoes of a mysterious ranger named Strider, who we know is secretly Aragorn and was played in the original trilogy by Viggo Mortensen. Joining him on the ride will be Leo Woodall as another ranger named Halvard.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum arrives in theaters on December 17, 2027. To get yourself hyped up, check out our ranking of the 32 greatest Lord of the Rings moments and look ahead to all the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.

The Odyssey, famously, was a hands-on affair for all involved in the making of the epic Christopher Nolan movie, but no one was put through the wringer more than Odysseus star Matt Damon. Now, director Guillermo del Toro has revealed that Damon was willing to go above and beyond for his director to capture the perfect shot in-camera.

Answering a question about the use of AI in moviemaking from a fan during a Reddit AMA to promote the re-release of Pan's Labyrinth, del Toro pointed to a conversation he had with Christopher Nolan about The Odyssey to illustrate what's lost when films aren't 'handmade'.

"When [Nolan] showed me The Odyssey, there's a scene when Matt Damon is floating in the stormy ocean, and I asked him – because we were talking about practical effects, and how great it is and that we both always use a maquette or a model – and I asked him, 'How did you do it?' He said, 'We put him in a storm in the ocean.'"

On the one hand, it's not surprising that it's really Matt Damon bobbing about in the middle of a stormy ocean; Nolan isn't typically one to use elements like digital doubles in his filmmaking. Even the massive fall of Troy was shot without a single green screen. But on the other hand, putting your lead actor in the middle of a stormy ocean seems quite dangerous! And certainly not how it's usually done, so del Toro's question is understandable.

In the same breath, del Toro also identifies something key about the use of AI and even CGI in movies that is lost versus practical: "And you're gonna find that 30% of a great image occurs accidentally," del Toro notes. "You know, either a drop of water hits the lens, or the camera shakes. I remember when in 1993, '94, Jim Cameron and I… were looking at Terminator 2. And he was showing me the scene where Robert Patrick is in the back of the car, and he breaks the window with his arm. And he said, 'You see those flares?' I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'We put them there because the audience thinks an image is real if you put an accident in it.' That's true. And I agree. The accident is vital. And the best accidents are things you don't court. They just occur from the interaction with reality."

Nolan's handcrafted approach in making The Odyssey is a key factor in its extraordinary critical and box office success. The R-rated adaptation of Homer's epic poem has just sailed past $1.6 billion at the box office, and is on track to become Universal's highest-grossing movie ever, surpassing Jurassic World. Damon's co-star Himesh Patel hopes that Nolan's limited use of CGI will change how Hollywood movies are made going forward.

The Odyssey is (still) in theaters. For more, check out our 5* The Odyssey review, and our detailed guide to all The Odyssey changes from the book.

Christopher Nolan's Greek myth epic The Odyssey is on its way to becoming Universal's highest-grossing movie ever.

The film has crossed the $1.6 billion mark at the box office, which puts it within touching distance of Universal's current highest-grossing movie, Jurassic World. The dino flick stands at $1.67 billion at the box office, while The Odyssey is closing in with $1.63 billion.

It's no surprise that The Odyssey is doing so well, considering IMAX 70mm screenings were extended to accommodate the huge demand.

The film follows Matt Damon's Odysseus on his mammoth journey home from the Trojan War, which puts him up against a cyclops, a sea monster, a massive whirlpool, man-eating giants, and a witch who likes to turn men into pigs. Meanwhile, his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) must fend off the suitors who want to marry her, led by Robert Pattinson's Antinous – while Odysseus and Penelope's son Telemachus (Tom Holland) sets off to seek news of his father.

The Odyssey beat The Dark Knight Rises to have the biggest opening weekend of Nolan's career, and it also beat Deadpool and Wolverine to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

"What you're looking for is to bring something new to show something to the audience that maybe they haven't had the chance to experience before," Nolan previously told GamesRadar+ of the movie. "The Odyssey, ironically for a 3000-year-old foundational text, is a story really at the bottom of so many other stories that have followed it since. It underpins so much of movies, but it has never been done in modern cinema."

The Odyssey is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Odyssey review, or our The Odyssey beginner's guide for a background on Homer's epic.

A sequel to Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is still in the works... but it needs a new home.

"I think Hasbro is a big believer in it, and if they can figure out a studio partner to make it work, they’ll want to proceed," co-director John Francis Daley said on The Discourse Podcast.

The 2023 movie, written and directed by Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, follows a bard named Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) and barbarian Holga Kilgore (Rodriguez), who enlist a team of unlikely heroes – including a half-elf wild magic sorcerer (Justice Smith), a tiefling druid (Sophia Lillis), a rogue (Hugh Grant), and a paladin (Rege-Jean Page) – in order to steal an ancient and powerful relic.

It currently sits at a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, but only grossed $205 million against its $150 million budget. It's highly likely that Paramount didn't see this as a win, and therefore decided to drop the sequel they had initially ordered.

Daley continued: "Yes, there are practical realities with the finance contingent, and who knows if it ever gets made, but we were proud of the sequel script and hope that at some point it does find a path."

It's worth noting that Shawn Levy's Forgotten Realms series was ordered, and then cancelled at Netflix due to cost concerns. Dungeons and Dragons adaptations are expensive, y'all.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is streaming now on Paramount Plus. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming video game adaptations you need to know about.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is widely considered to be one of the best outings of the entire franchise, and a lot of that is down to the vision that Alfonso Cuarón brought to the franchise. The auteur, who is also behind films like Y tu mamá también, Gravity, and Children of Men, brought a unique take on one of the darkest Potter books, and it really paid off.

Fans of the franchise have long wondered why he didn't return to direct any more of the movies. Now, producer David Heyman has elaborated on this, explaining the answer is pretty simple.

"We asked Alfonso if he wanted to do the fourth, and he said, 'Cabrón,'" Heyman said on Harry Potter: The Official Film Podcast, referencing a Spanish slang term. "I think he was exhausted. I look at pictures of Alfonso from then – Alfonso is one of my best friends, and he's my son’s godfather, and I love him. But I look at him from then, and I just look [at him]… Because he was exhausted."

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire went on to be directed by Four Weddings and a Funeral helmer Mike Newell. He only signed on for one movie, also, before passing the baton to David Yates, who directed the final four films.

Heyman was speaking as part of the Harry Potter: Official Film Podcast, which is set to turn into the official series podcast when the HBO Max series begins airing this Christmas. The new show will adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in its first season, before tackling a new book with each subsequent season.

You can watch the Harry Potter movies on HBO Max. For more, check out our guides to the best shows on HBO Max to stream now.

It seems as though digital libraries will never really replace physical media, as one film fan is learning after Google removed the complete Lord of the Rings extended edition trilogy from their library.

Earlier this August, one Lord of the Rings fan went to his Google Play account to find the trilogy missing. But when they brought the matter up to Google, the site said that even though the user paid for the trilogy, the content had been removed because it is "no longer available in our catalogue," reads the original Reddit post, which has since been deleted. Then, when the user requested a refund, Google said that wasn't possible as the purchase was made outside its 120-day refund policy.

The fan, understandably angered by the situation, replied, "But I paid for the item, and it is no longer being provided." It is not clear how much the fan paid for the trilogy, but the collection is currently on sale for around $20 on Prime Video, down from $25. The exchange has since been posted on Twitter, which you can see below.

Lord of the Rings fans will understand the gravity of the situation. Even I had to check that my limited edition collection was still in its place. The trilogy includes extended editions of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, clocking in at over 11 hours in total.

However, it seems Google had a change of heart. On August 12, the user posted an update on Reddit, explaining that they chased the matter further until they reached a customer support specialist who apologised for the mistake and credited £20 ($27) to their account. The user states that Google also included links to the films. However, only two links work, and the movies remain behind paywalls.

Google states that, despite the trilogy disappearing from their library, the film fan still has ownership of them. But what does that really mean if they cannot actually watch the movies? It seems as though we need to invest in physical media now more than ever.

Next up in The Lord of the Rings universe, The Rings of Power season 3 is on the way later this year, followed by new movie The Hunt for Gollum. For more, check out our guide on how to watch The Lord of the Rings in order, and keep up with new movies on the way.

After months of radio silence, The Legend of Zelda movie has finally revealed the actor playing series villain Ganondorf. And fans now think we got our first glimpse of the King of the Gerudo last year in leaked set videos.

As noted by @farourage on Twitter, a widely shared set video from The Legend of Zelda's New Zealand shoot appears to feature the actor Uli Latukefu, who we now know is playing the treacherous Ganondorf. Intriguingly, Ganondorf appears to be casually walking around a forest with Bo Bragason's Zelda and Dichen Lachman's Impa. Have his true, Triforce-snatching intentions yet to be revealed at this stage in the movie? Check out the original video below.

If the video does in fact feature Latukefu's Ganondorf, it's certainly a more grounded take on the character, who's traditionally depicted with a long mane of red hair and, in recent games like Tears of the Kingdom, with bulging pectorals on display. Latukefu's Ganondorf, however, appears to have closely cropped hair, though in some videos it does appear to be red, at least.

Either way, fans seem (mostly) thrilled to have a morsel of new information on the movie, which releases in just over 8 months, and until yesterday had only two confirmed cast members in Benjamin Evan Ainsworth's Link and Bragason's Zelda. Alongside Latukefu and Lachman, Deadline's report also claimed that Mass Effect star Yvonne Strahovski will play a "Queen character" (almost certainly the Queen of Hyrule). Sam Neill, who died last month, was also revealed to be part of the cast, though precisely who he's playing is something of a mystery. Fingers crossed he's voicing the Deku Tree.

Despite this influx of casting news, The Legend of Zelda movie is still something of a mystery. We still don't know precisely which game the movie is adapting (the costumes in the first look suggest Breath of the Wild). Though we do know that Ainsworth is something of a newcomer to the series, as he told us he was too young to play Breath of the Wild when it released.

The Legend of Zelda movie releases on April 30, 2027. For more, check out our list of upcoming video game movies.

The Elden Ring movie has wrapped filming, though it won't be arriving until 2028.

That's according to a now-inaccessible Instagram post from crew maker Sean Schofield, who, per Polygon, shared a picture of what seems to be a thank you message signed by director Alex Garland and some of the film's producers, along with a wrap gift.

"Dream job to end all dream jobs," Schofield captioned the post. "6 solid months of blood, sweat and tears making the coolest stuff ever, working alongside the best of the best. Can't share anything else for a very long time, but I couldn't be more proud of what we did."

The Elden Ring movie is slated for release on March 3, 2028, so we have a while longer to wait yet.

Kit Connor, Ben Whishaw, and Cailee Spaeny will star, though plot details are non-existent at the moment. George R.R. Martin, who developed the game's lore, is on board as a producer.

"Here’s the latest about the ELDER RING [sic] movie that was announced a few days ago," Martin wrote on his Not a Blog page in June 2025. "A24 is a kickass studio, and Alex Garland is a first rate director."

Garland has also proved his gaming credentials, too. "Love Shadow Of The Erdtree," he previously shared in an AMA. "I'm on ng+6 currently. Don't even want to think about the hours I've clocked up. Can't seem to stop playing. Still discovering stuff."

While you wait for the Elden Ring movie, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming video game adaptations.

The most impressive detail in The Odyssey has to be how Christopher Nolan brings mythical creatures to life using practical effects and little to no use of CGI, including the giants.

Warning, the following contains spoilers for The Odyssey, so turn back now if you haven't seen it yet, but make sure to read our spoiler-free The Odyssey review first.

On their journey home from the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men dock at a number of islands to gather provisions. But during one quick stop, the men walk into a tall forest only to be met with an army of giants known as Laestrygonians. However, even though on screen the giants look about four times the height of Odysseus, star Matt Damon said the scene was created not with CGI, but using clever camera angles and actors of polar opposite heights.

"When we did the force perspective stuff with the Laestrygonians, there were these stuntmen who were all 7 feet (tall)," said Damon to Happy Sad Confused. "Then they got stuntmen who were under 5 feet, and so my double was a woman. So there are these shots in the movie where you see these giants looming over me."

Damon's female stunt double, Devyn Dalton, has since posted a behind-the-scenes look on Instagram at the performers who worked on the Laestrygonians, and the height difference is pretty astronomical. Check out the post below.

The Laestrygonian scene is just one example of how Nolan utilised practical effects. The director achieved the Cyclops scene using a giant puppet which was strung up in a very real cave in Greece, and the pig scene included animatronics. However, aside from the practical effects, the director also shot the majority of the movie on location. Filming took place in the summer of 2025 over 91 days in six countries, including Morocco and Greece.

Before The Odyssey hit screens, Damon told GQ of his experience shooting in deserted castles and barren beaches. "I showed up on these locations and was like, Who fucking thought you could shoot a movie here?" said Damon. The star said that while on set, he had the feeling that The Odyssey would be the last movie of its kind due to its sheer scale, adding, "I don’t think people are going to be given the resources to shoot movies that way for much longer."

The Odyssey is out in cinemas now. For more, check out our beginner's guide to The Odyssey, and find out where the new movie places in our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan movies.

Now that The Odyssey has hit the big screen, fans have figured out that the film's first poster was actually hiding a huge plot point.

Warning, the following contains spoilers for The Odyssey, so turn back now if you haven't seen it yet, but make sure to read our spoiler-free The Odyssey review first.

On December 18, 2025, the first poster for The Odyssey was released online, showing the back of a soldier, who we now know is the King of Mycenae, Agamemnon, wearing a helmet with gold hardware resembling a spinal cord. The figure is looking out at a smoky landscape at dusk as many dark figures stand in front of him. However, after seeing the movie, fans have realised which scene the poster is from.

"This poster looks an awful lot like Agamemnon entering hell," said one fan on Twitter, and Another watcher echoed, "The poster for #TheOdyssey is interesting because it could be interpreted a couple of ways - it’s King Agamemnon’s arrival in Hades or it’s Agamemnon at the back of the bunch as Odysseus calls on the dead - he sort of glides to the front of the pack to give his testimony."

We get a glimpse of the soldiers who had fallen during and after the Trojan War partway through the movie, when Matt Damon's Odysseus contacts the dead for advice on how to make it home alive. The dead crawl out of the ground, presumably from hell, covered in dirt, with their armour blackened and seemingly burned. After many of the dead complain to Odysseus about him not giving them a proper burial, Agamemnon comes to the front of the crowd.

The Greek king, played by Benny Safdie, warns Odysseus not to return home and expect to be welcomed with open arms, as when Agamemnon landed back in his home of Mycenae, he was murdered by his wife for killing their daughter before departing for the war. This leads Odysseus to approach his return home with care and disguise himself as a beggar, as if he were to walk back into his Ithaca palace as is, the suitors would have cut him down.

With this in mind, it is interesting that the movie's very first poster was taken from a scene that changes the course of Odysseus' fate.

The Odyssey is out in cinemas now. For more, check out our beginner's guide to The Odyssey, and find out where the new movie places in our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan movies.

The Odyssey has had a massive opening weekend at the box office. As well as opening bigger than any Christopher Nolan movie to date, topping The Dark Knight Rises, the movie scored the second-biggest IMAX opening weekend ever, coming in behind only Avengers: Endgame.

Debuting to an enormous $264m worldwide ($124.5m domestic), The Odyssey blew past initial projections, powered by extremely positive word-of-mouth (it achieved an A Cinemascore), sold out round-the-clock IMAX 70mm showings, and a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating. Our own The Odyssey review awards the film 5 stars, and calls it "mythical filmmaking of the highest order."

On paper, for a near-3-hour, R-rated historical fantasy, this is surprising. But the Christopher Nolan name has become a brand unto itself that rivals, and arguably eclipses, the likes of Marvel, Star Wars, and DC in the minds of contemporary moviegoers. What's more impressive is that, unlike most event cinema, Nolan's movies tend to have extraordinary legs, meaning we could still be seeing impressive results for weeks to come.

In just over a week, The Odyssey will have stiff competition in the form of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But one battlefield they won't be fighting on is IMAX screens, as Nolan's movie has a 3-week exclusive run on the premium large format. Spidey, on the other hand, will be swinging onto 4DX, Screen X, and Dolby Vision screens.

The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's epic adaptation of Homer's ancient poem, tells the story of Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Our The Odyssey beginner's guide will get you up to speed before heading to the theater.

Once you've seen the movie, dive into our The Odyssey ending explained, or our The Odyssey changes deep-dive for a full breakdown.

The Odyssey might have an absolutely stacked cast, but there's one actor in particular who's drawing praise as the film hits theaters.

Himesh Patel plays Eurylochus in the movie, a crew member on Odysseus's long voyage home. While Patel hasn't been at the center of the film's marketing, fans are heaping praise on him.

"Himesh Patel delivers an incredible performance in The Odyssey. He deserves far more recognition," says one fan.

"Himesh Patel gives one of the best performances in The Odyssey, and has a very prominent role, yet the marketing pretends he's barely in the film. Hope his flowers will come because he deserves better," says another person.

"Dude is in like two thirds of the movie and rightfully calls out Odysseus's more questionable actions. Great performance," says someone else.

"Nolan make him the lead of your original horror film and my life is yours," jokes another fan, while another says: "Always liked him. Here's to more deserved success."

"Himesh Patel what a man, in Tenet he just had a small role but this time he had a longer one and he nailed it," says another fan.

"My absolute goat. Every second of any film or show he is on screen I'm just simply and utterly delighted," is another person's thoughts.

The rest of the cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Zendaya as Athena, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Benny Safdie as Agamemnon, and Jon Bernthal as Menalaus.

The Odyssey is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Odyssey review, or our The Odyssey beginner's guide for everything you need to know about Homer's epic poem.

It's already been a huge year at the movies, with the surprise success of Obsession, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie topping $1bn, and The Odyssey now in theaters. And with huge releases like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday still to come, a new report suggests that the box office could top $10bn for the first time since the pre-pandemic high of 2019.

According to the number crunchers at Rentrak (h/t Variety), ticket sales aren't just up 10% on 2025 at this stage, they're on par with 2019 – a banner year for theatrical releases, which had nine billion-dollar releases, including Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Frozen 2 and Joker. 2026 is unlikely to have quite that many sky-high performers (only Mario Galaxy and Michael have passed the $1bn threshold so far), but half a dozen isn't out of the question with Toy Story 5, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday all in with a shot.

Most promising is the fact that it isn't just superhero cinema propping up the theatrical business any longer. This year's sole superhero movie so far, Supergirl, flopped hard late last month, making less than Morbius in its opening weekend, and is currently sitting on less than $120 million worldwide. The Mandalorian and Grogu also underperformed at the box office, pulling in just $340 million, making it the lowest-grossing live-action Star Wars movie to date.

In contrast, comedy lega-sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2 is at over $688 million, while Ryan Gosling sci-fi Project Hail Mary topped out at $683 million. The story of the summer, however, is Obsession. Curry Barker's word-of-mouth smash was made for less than a million bucks and has gone on to make $428 million, even outgrossing fellow horror sensation Backrooms ($374 million). The lesson seems to be that audiences want something fresh, whether it's new spins on franchise fare or wholly original properties.

The Odyssey is the latest box office hopeful to hit screens. And it's off to a good start – not only is it the highest-rated film of Christopher Nolan's career on Rotten Tomatoes, it also got a full 5* in our The Odyssey review (the only review that matters, of course). If you've already seen the film, we've got a whole host of analysis waiting for you, including The Odyssey ending explained and a full breakdown of The Odyssey changes from Homer's epic poem.

The latest box office hopeful, The Odyssey, is in theaters now. Before you head to the multiplex, check out our Odyssey beginner's guide, and then see if you agree with our updated list of the Best Christopher Nolan movies.

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is an adaptation of one of the most famous stories ever told, and, since that tale is steeped in Greek mythology, naturally the film has its fair share of unusual creatures.

Below, we've rounded up seven monsters from Greek mythology that appear in the film, so you can get up to speed at a glance. That means there are spoilers for The Odyssey below, so turn back now if you're not up to date.

For even more, check out our The Odyssey review or our beginner's guide to the Odyssey for everything you need to know about Homer's story.

The Odyssey monsters explained

The Cyclops

Odysseus and his crewmates meet the terrifying Cyclops in a cave. They get trapped inside with the creature, a one-eyed giant, and the Cyclops begins eating the men in a nightmarish sequence. Odysseus and his crew blind the Cyclops while he's sleeping and escape from him by strapping straw to their backs, so he can't feel the difference between them and his sheep. However, the Cyclops is a son of Poseidon, the sea god, meaning Odysseus and his crew face the ire of a powerful foe.

Calypso the Nymph

Now, Calypso is of course not a monster in the traditional sense, but, since she's a mythic figure, we're including her here. Calypso is a nymph, who, in Greek mythology, is the daughter of the Titan Atlas (he holds up the sky on his shoulders). She keeps Odysseus as a captive on her island by feeding him a lotus flower that makes him forget his mission to return home.

Laestrygonians

The Laestrygonians are towering, giant, armored warriors who are also cannibals. They chase Odysseus and his crew and kill plenty of them, destroying one of their boats, too.

Circe the Witch

Like Calypso, Circe isn't a monster or a creature – but, as a magical being, we're including her in our list. Circe is a powerful witch posing as a regular woman. In Greek mythology, she's the sister of Aeëtes, King of Colchis, and a prominent figure in the tale of Jason and the Argonauts, and the sister of Pasiphaë, the mother of the Minotaur (the beast slain by the hero Theseus in the labyrinth). In the film, Circe uses her powers to turn Odysseus's men into pigs. Odysseus, though, wises up to her power and gets her to change the men back by threatening her sister, who has been transformed into a crow.

Sirens

The Sirens look like women, live in the ocean, and have hypnotic voices that lure sailors to their deaths. Odysseus makes his crew plug their ears with wax to avoid their deadly voices, while he himself is tied to the ship's mast so he can hear the Sirens' song without leaping into the water and drowning himself.

Charybdis

Charybdis isn't strictly a creature in the film, but is instead a whirlpool in the ocean – sometimes in Greek mythology, however, Charybdis is depicted as a monster that creates its own whirlpool by swallowing and expelling water. Charybdis is located very close to the monster Scylla, which means travellers must choose between facing one or the other on either side of the strait, knowing it's certain doom either way. Odysseus lies to his crew to get them to choose the route that passes by Scylla, since that will minimize casualties.

Scylla

Scylla is a sea monster that resides close to Charybdis, on the other side of the strait. Scylla lives on a giant rock and eats sailors who pass too close. Since she eats just six soldiers, Odysseus decides to manipulate his crew into choosing this path, which angers the survivors. In some myths, Scylla was originally a nymph who was turned into a monster after her bathing waters were poisoned (and, in one version, Circe was the poisoner).

The Odyssey is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies, or our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan films.

What is the best way to watch The Odyssey in theaters? It's an important question, as Christopher Nolan's fantasy epic is releasing on a range of PLF (Premium Large Format) screens in theaters across the globe.

From IMAX 70mm and Dolby Vision to a bog-standard mall theater screen, the many options on offer can be a little confusing, which is where our foolproof guide comes in. The Odyssey is already the highest-rated movie of Christopher Nolan's career, and with Nolan shooting every frame of the movie on IMAX film, you'll want to see it in the best possible format.

The Odyssey is one of the year's most exciting new movies. Want to know what to expect? There's no better place to start than our Odyssey beginner's guide, or check out our spoiler-free 5* The Odyssey review. But first, head below for the best ways to watch The Odyssey in theaters.

IMAX 70MM (1.43:1)

There are no bones about it: this is the definitive way to watch The Odyssey. Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema shot every frame of The Odyssey on IMAX film cameras, meaning no distracing aspect ratio switches or resolution dips throughout, just towering immersion.

There's no pixel count with analogue film, so it's not a direct comparison, but IMAX 70mm is considered the equivalent of about 12K resolution, making your 4K TV look like a 540p DVD. In other words, the level of detail is unmatched. Plus, this is the only way you'll get to see the exclusive Dune 3 prologue. Good luck getting a ticket, though; there are only 41 theaters globally equipped with IMAX 70mm film projectors, and many screenings are currently sold out.

IMAX (1.90:1)

Unlike IMAX 70mm screenings, you shouldn't have too much trouble getting a seat at an IMAX digital theater, as they are far more common, and you're still benefiting from an expanded aspect ratio and all the bells and whistles of IMAX's proprietary Image Enhancer process.

1.90:1 is almost exactly the same aspect ratio as your TV at home (16:9), which should give a sense of the extra screen real estate in this version. The resolution won't be as sharp as any of the film options at about 2.9K, but it'll still look pretty dazzling.

70mm (2.20:1)

Nolan is famed for his embrace of IMAX technology, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're missing out if you don't see The Odyssey in an IMAX theater. The director is an equally big proponent of projecting on film, because 70mm presentations of The Odyssey come with a massive resolution bump to around 12K. So if you can't find a seat at an IMAX 70mm screening, there are benefits to a 70mm presentation over IMAX digital.

Nolan has also worked with variable aspect ratios since The Dark Knight in 2008, so he has almost 20 years of experience 'center punching' the action, meaning you'll never miss out on important visual information at the top and bottom of the frame with this narrower aspect ratio. And Lawrence of Arabia was shot in 2.20:1, so if it's good enough for David Lean…

35mm (2.39:1)

Like 70mm film, you get a resolution bump over digital with 35mm film presentations – it's the equivalent of about 5.6K resolution. 2.39:1 (aka anamorphic widescreen) has been cinema's standard aspect ratio for around 70 years, and for many, is the most visually 'cinematic' way to present movies, so there are reasons to consider 35mm.

Dolby Vision (1.85:1/2.39:1)

Dolby Vision laser is about as good as digital movie projection gets. The aspect ratio will depend on what your local Dolby Vision theater is capable of showing, but either way, you're getting a crazy high 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, dazzling brightness, and exact color rendering. Certainly not a bad option if you have a Dolby Vision theater nearby.

Standard cinema screens (2.39:1)

Much is made of premium large format film presentations (including by us in this article), but the truth is: you're seeing exactly the same film whether you're paying a premium for IMAX 70mm or matinee rates at your local AMC. So if your budget can't stretch to one of the myriad PLF presentations listed above, The Odyssey is still well worth checking out. After all, our own 5* The Odyssey review labels it a "monumental accomplishment, an undeniable film-of-the-year contender, and one of the finest movies of Nolan's already impressive career." In other words, it's a must-see in any form.

The Odyssey releases in theaters on July 17. In the meantime, check out our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan movies.

The Odyssey may have just won over critics, but that hasn't stopped the cast pulling out all of the stops to promote the new Christopher Nolan movie. As part of a video for The Tonight Show, the star-studded cast performed a rap to catch audiences up on the historical context of the story.

Featuring everyone from Matt Damon to Zendaya, Tom Holland and Charlize Theron, the musical number sees them recounting how it takes place after the Ilyad. Recounting some events to the beat, saying their character names, mentioning the Trojan War, and referencing some of the mythical creatures Odysseus encounters on his perilous journey home.

Given the seriousness of the movie, we're pretty surprised this is how it's being promoted but it seems like the cast are having fun. Even Robert Pattinson gets into the rap, which we didn't think we'd ever see. Watch it below and see what you think.

The Odyssey has also broken records for Nolan, becoming his highest-rated movie. Starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, the star-studded latest from Nolan has been impressing critics, standing at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The early reviews are almost all five stars as well, making this an even more impressive feat.

It also means that The Odyssey is now Nolan's top-rated movie on the platform. Currently, it is followed by Memento at 94%, The Dark Knight at 94%, and Oppenheimer at 93%. The latter also won Nolan a Best Picture Oscar.

Our The Odyssey review gave it five stars with our reviewer Jordan Farley calling it "a major film-of-the-year contender" and "one of the finest movies of Nolan's already impressive career".

The Odyssey arrives in theaters on July 17. For more, check out our Odyssey beginner's guide and our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan movies.

The Odyssey hits theaters this week on July 17, but the review embargo has lifted just a couple of days ahead of that, and whatever happens at the box office, it's clear director Christopher Nolan has another critical success on his hands. In fact, if The Odyssey's Rotten Tomatoes debut score of 98% holds steady in the coming days and weeks, it'll be Nolan's highest rated movie ever on the platform, a stunning achievement previously jointly held by his 2008 superhero opus, The Dark Knight, and the beloved 2000 thriller, Memento.

The Odyssey, based on Homer's epic poem, follows Odysseus' decades-long trek home to Ithaca in the aftermath of the Trojan War. It stars an ensemble cast led by Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, Tom Holland, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, and Mia Goth, with a reported budget of $250 million. Nolan and the cast and crew are likely celebrating a big moment as the director's most ambitious project is paying off in universally positive critical reviews.

GamesRadar+'s The Odyssey review awards the movie a perfect 5/5 stars and reads: "A grounded, spiritual, uncanny rendering of Greek myth, The Odyssey is a dazzling epic and a major film-of-the-year contender. Post-Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan continues to operate at the height of his filmmaking powers."

The Odyssey is also tracking for a massive box office debut, with reports indicating an opening of $85 million to $100 million domestically in the US and $110 million overseas. If those figures prove accurate, that'll be even bigger than Oppenheimer's 181.1 million opening from 2023 and Nolan's biggest non-Batman box office premiere.

Exclusive: Christopher Nolan chose to make The Odyssey next after Oppenheimer because it was a "thrilling opportunity" that had "never been done in modern cinema."

Good luck trying to predict what Christopher Nolan will do next.

In the past, the director has dovetailed from Batman into the world-warping Inception and moved from the more grounded war drama Dunkirk into the mind-bending Tenet.

This time, Nolan is worlds away from Oppenheimer, the near-billion dollar biopic that charted the trials, tribulations, and immense guilt of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer as he led the charge to build the atomic bomb.

The Odyssey, while touching on the recurring Nolan theme of returning home, is a sword-and-sandals epic in every sense of the word, from the towering Trojan Horse to intimate family drama that wraps around Homer's epic poem.

So, why take a risk and shift into unfamiliar territory? As Nolan explains to GamesRadar+, the success of Oppenheimer provided the platform to take a risk and give the audience something that felt truly special.

"Oppenheimer was a much bigger success than any of us had anticipated," Nolan says. "It was a really thrilling thing, but it also buys you the opportunity to do something – to get a film made that you might otherwise not be able to get made."

On the potential of The Odyssey, which follows Odysseus' decades-long journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, Nolan outlines, "What you're looking for is to bring something new to show something to the audience that maybe they haven't had the chance to experience before. The Odyssey, ironically for a 3000-year-old foundational text, is a story really at the bottom of so many other stories that have followed it since. It underpins so much of movies, but it has never been done in modern cinema."

Nolan continues, "So, for me it was kind of a thrilling opportunity, a sort of a gap in the culture that you get to be able to fill. I really wanted to take that chance and do this on a big scale that hadn't been done before."

The Odyssey opens in cinemas on July 17.

For more, check out more of 2026's big movie release dates and our beginner's guide to The Odyssey. Then relive some of Nolan's classics with our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan movies.

After the extraordinary success of Oppenheimer – almost $1 billion at the box office, a huge Oscars haul – Christopher Nolan's next epic has been the subject of fevered anticipation. An adaptation of Homer's 3,000-year-old poem, The Odyssey is a foundational text that has inspired countless stories since. But far from a dusty old tale, Nolan's take on the material is modern mythological filmmaking of the highest order.

Much like his specific lens on superhero cinema, the war movie, the space movie, the heist movie, and myriad other genres, Nolan proves electifyingly adept with fantasy. Closer in spirit to the tactile horrors of Guillermo del Toro's monstrous oeuvre than the comforting whimsy of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Odyssey's uncanny, earthy and frequently frightening renderings of the great monsters of myth (achieved via a seamless blend of practical and visual effects) are striking and unforgettable.

But at its heart, The Odyssey is about a journey home, and the cost of what it takes to get there. To this end, Nolan's thematically savvy script recontextualizes the famed Trojan Horse gambit and the siege of Troy through a thought-provoking modern lens; The Odyssey has more to say about our lives now than you might think.

Home(r) run

Following standout supporting turns in Interstellar and Oppenheimer, Matt Damon steps up to Nolan leading man here as Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. Told across chronologically disjointed timelines (naturally) over two decades, it chronicles Odysseus' crucial role at Troy, his catastrophic, decade-long journey home by sea, and the sorry state of affairs in Ithaca, where Odysseus' void has been filled by a snake pit of suitors out to wed his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and claim his throne.

Meanwhile, Odysseus' son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), sets out on his own odyssey to discover the fate of his absent father, as the threat of uncultured 'sea people' invading Ithaca's shores escalates. This takes him to a Sparta ruled by Menelaus (Holland's Spider-Man: Brand New Day co-star Jon Bernthal) as the suitors (led by Robert Pattinson's scheming Antinous) plot the young heir's demise.

A true-blue epic clocking in at almost three hours, The Odyssey is event cinema writ large. Relayed by unreliable narrators with half-forgotten memories, it's told across a series of elliptical short stories that give each stretch of the film its own distinct flavor, making The Odyssey something like eight movies in one. From the pure body horror of an encounter with vengeful witch Circe (Samantha Morton) to the breath-snatching suspense of a stint in the Cyclops' cave, it's a thrilling blend of full-blown battles, stirring adventure on the high seas, and keenly felt emotional longing, all unfolding during the dying days of a doomed civilization.

The first narrative feature shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film, Nolan's format of choice is the definitive way to see The Odyssey, if you're lucky enough to live close enough to one of the 40-or-so theaters globally equipped to project the film in the full-frame, ultra-high-resolution format. Collaborating once again with director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, the immersive, vertiginous cinematography captures an array of stunning real-world locations with mythical grandeur, all bolstered by Ludwig Göransson's propulsive score and some of the best sound design in a Nolan film to date. Worry not, no hard-to-hear dialogue here.

Sea no evil

Walking a satisfying line between the grounded and the fantastical throughout, The Odyssey also features a remarkable cast. The headliners are uniformly excellent (Holland nails a couple of key emotional beats and Damon is as good as he's been in recent years), but there's scene-stealing support from the likes of Morton, John Leguizamo (as blind swineherd Eumaeus), Himesh Patel (as Odysseus' increasingly conflicted second-in-command Eurylochus) and Bill Irwin, whose physical performance as the Cyclops is both chilling and pathos-filled. Even those with fleeting screentime, like Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy/Clytemnestra or Mia Goth as Penelope's treacherous slave Melantho, make an impression, a masterly balancing act given the size of the ensemble.

If there are chinks in the armor, they're negligible given the scale of The Odyssey's achievement. It gets off to a bit of a clunky start, taking a beat too long to move away from Ithaca and hit open waters. The decision to reconfigure Odysseus' seven years with Calypso (Charlize Theron) as a framing device for the amnesiac king to recount his story does occasionally cause the film's carefully modulated momentum to stumble when it cuts back to the Nymph's beach. And Nolan's tendency to over-explicate his film's messages crops up again during The Odyssey's wordy, idea-packed denouement.

But you can hardly blame Nolan for hammering the meaning of it all home when his ideas are so rich, his vision so fully realized. It isn't simply a film about a perilous journey; it's a film about the fabric of civilization itself, and how even the smallest tear can have catastrophic consequences. How war bends and corrupts even the most honorable men. Unlike Oppenheimer, however, which ends on a note of prophetic nihilism, The Odyssey still has some hope for humanity.

The Odyssey is a monumental accomplishment, an undeniable film-of-the-year contender, and one of the finest movies of Nolan's already impressive career. The question now is whether The Odyssey can replicate Oppenheimer's stratospheric box office and awards trajectory, even without the Barbenheimer bump, and sail all the way to Oscar glory.

The Odyssey releases in theaters on July 17. For more, dive into our The Odyssey beginner's guide, or check out our list of the best Christopher Nolan movies.

It looks like no one is safe from AI, as soon after Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey hits theaters, an AI-generated version of the ancient Greek epic is on the way.

The AI movie, titled Odysseus: The Fall, is from AI film studio Fountain 0, directed by Ash Koosha, who is best known for his AI-generated docu-drama Dreams of Violets. The film is 135-minutes long and is due to be released on Fountain 0’s website later this summer. The news comes just one month after the release of the AI-generated audiobook of The Odyssey using Michael Caine's voice.

However, even Fountain 0’s chairman and the executive producer behind the AI movie admit it won't be up to par with Nolan's take. "I don’t think anybody is going to think this film is better than Nolan’s film," said Tom Rogers to Variety. However, Rogers wants the movie to start a discussion around AI movies. "There will be a lot of people who either are not interested in the Odyssey or don’t like going to the movie theaters but have a real interest in AI and what’s going on."

In fact, Rogers thinks his AI movie will drive more viewers to Nolan's epic. "When our film is released, that it will be a catalyst for a lot of people who might not otherwise have seen The Odyssey to hopefully go see it, so they can compare the state of the highest state of human filmmaking achievement, which I truly expect the reviews to suggest Nolan's film is, with what the top state of the art is in AI filmmaking today."

The AI Odyssey movie was made using the AI video generator Kling, with Koosha feeding the AI bot a script in the form of notes. The cast is made up of 12 different people who opted in for their likeness to be used in AI projects, including Koosha himself as inspiration for Odysseus. The movie is still in post-production and can be changed at any point. We wonder if Koosha is waiting for Nolan's movie to drop before he makes any final changes?

The Odyssey hits theaters this Friday, July 17. For more, check out our The Odyssey beginner's guide and our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan movies.

The Odyssey is tracking for a huge box office opening, which is set to be one of the largest of Christopher Nolan's career. Per Deadline, the new movie is looking at an opening of about $85 million to $100 million domestically in the US with $110 million overseas.

If this holds true, The Odyssey could have a $200 million opening, which will be larger than the impressive box office Oppenheimer received back in 2023. The Cillian Murphy-led movie opened globally at $181.1 million, seemingly bolstered at the time by the Barbenheimer release, seeing many theater-goers enjoying double bills of Barbie and Oppenheimer.

This will also be the biggest non-Batman opening of Nolan's career. The Dark Knight Rises holds the top spot with a global opening of $248 million. Interestingly, The Odyssey might beat The Dark Knight if these predictions are correct as it opened to $199 million back in 2008. However, it's worth noting that this figure hasn't been adjusted for inflation.

Starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, The Odyssey is an epic reimagining of Homer's seminal poem. It follows the Greek king of Ithaca as he makes a perilous journey home after the Trojan War, encountering mythical beings along the way. Alongside Damon, Anne Hathaway plays his wife Penelope, Tom Holland is his son Telemachus, and Robert Pattinson is his rival Antinous. Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron all also star.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ recently, Nolan shared why his cast of characters use American accents and speak with modern dialect. "When you read the poem, it's very earthy and accessible," Nolan says. "So, what I wanted to do with this film was really take a modern audience and throw them into a very relatable world, an exotic world, a world that they've hopefully never seen before in film."

For more on the fantasy, check out our The Odyssey beginner's guide for everything you need to know about the epic poem. You can also check out our current ranking of the best Christopher Nolan movies, pre The Odyssey.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum has officially started production, marking the occasion with a unique teaser – and a hidden Middle-earth message.

As you can see above, the first day of filming sees director and Gollum actor Andy Serkis stride onto an interior stage in – what else? – a motion-capture suit.

From there, Serkis begins 'filming' the first scene of the latest Lord of the Rings movie, transforming into Gollum and spitting 'action' at the camera.

The teaser then transports us to a more familiar locale in New Zealand, which provided the backdrop for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Then, it ends with a message written in Cirth, a fictional runic language invented by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Don't worry, it's already been deciphered by StarlightAndLife on Reddit. It reads, 'Something precious awaits.' A perfect tagline if you ask us.

Set prior to The Fellowship of The Ring, The Hunt for Gollum charts Aragorn aiming to track down Gollum. Lord of the Rings veterans Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood reprise their roles of Gandalf and Frodo respectively. They are joined in the cast by Anya Taylor-Joy, Lee Pace, Leo Woodall, and Jamie Dornan, who takes over from Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn.

Andy Serkis also recently revealed The Hunt for Gollum would be utilizing AI with some de-aging effects but tempered any controversy by telling Variety that "every shot is created in a traditional way."

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set for release on December 17, 2027. For more, check out our guides on how to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order and The Lord of the Rings timeline.

Christopher Nolan is bringing an ancient Greek epic to the IMAX screen, but the Oppenheimer director is nowhere near the first filmmaker to take inspiration from one of the most recognised tales ever written. From wacky comedies to heart-wrenching dramas, so many Hollywood movies are based on The Odyssey, you just don't know it.

The Odyssey is a collection of poems attributed to the Greek poet Homer, following warrior Odysseus' decade-long journey home after the Trojan War. You can read more about the original story in our The Odyssey beginner's guide. Nolan's The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as the greek soldier, who faces rough seas, a one-eyed monster, and demi-gods, all while his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) struggles to hold down the fort at home, and wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) swats away suitors with ulterior motives.

Sure, there have been many direct adaptations of the legendary tale throughout the years, but below we dive into some of the more offbeat titles that take inspiration from Odysseus' journey of a lifetime. Here are the 5 films you didn't know were inspired by The Odyssey.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

O Brother, Where Art Thou is probably the most faithful Odyssey adaptation on this list, but due to the Coen brothers 00s comedy film swapping the ancient Greek setting for 1930s Depression-era Mississippi, it is easy to miss the connections. The movie stars George Clooney as a convict named Ulysses, who, alongside Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro, breaks out of prison and embarks on a journey to find hidden treasure.

Clooney's protagonist shares a lot of similarities with Odysseus (whose name translates to Ulysses in Latin), such as their blinding pride and their need to get back home before their wives remarry. But just like the Greek warrior, Ulysses encounters some questionable and rather familiar characters along the way, such as siren-like seductresses, a Cyclops-like one-eyed Bible salesman, and a blind railroad conductor who predicts his fate. However, unlike Clooney, we don't think Damon will be breaking out in song in Nolan's take.

Dude, Where's My Car?

Odysseus' story in The Odyssey picks up with the warrior waking up in a strange place with little memory of how he got there. Odysseus must pull himself together and find his way home before time runs out. But he encounters a string of strange creatures and dangerous situations along the way. Now, that sounds almost exactly like the plot of a certain 2000s movie starring Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott.

Although it is by no means a full adaptation of the Greek epic, Dude, Where's My Car? takes all of the ridiculous details from The Odyssey and recontextualizes them in a goofy buddy comedy about an impossible journey home. If you were to draw Odysseus' journey home on a map of Greece, you would see that the hero took as many wrong turns as Jesse and Chester do in search of their missing ride. At the core, both tales are about journeys so impactful that they have the power to change lives.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

The beloved Nickelodeon show loves to play around with ocean folklore, which includes ancient myths. So, it is not a huge surprise to learn that The SpongeBob SquarePants movie takes a lot of inspiration from The Odyssey and Greek mythology in general. The 2004 animated movie kicks off with our heroes, SpongeBob and Patrick, setting off from the Krusty Krab and embarking on a lengthy voyage to Shell City. There, they plan to retrieve King Neptune’s stolen crown and release their home, Bikini Bottom, from doom.

Now, the SpongeBob movie does differ from The Odyssey in terms of the direction of the journey. However, the kids' film bases some of its most interesting characters on those from Homer's works. King Neptune shares a lot of similarities with the arrogant and hotheaded Poseidon, who retaliates against Odysseus. But King Neptune's daughter, Princess Mindy, takes on the role of Athena and guides the sponge and star as they face fearsome monsters both above and below sea level.

The Warriors

Directed by Walter Hill, The Warriors follows a gang of young men who are framed for the death of a respected gang leader. With many troublesome characters hot on their tails, the Warriors set off on a dangerous journey home to Coney Island. Does that ring any bells? Despite The Warriors sharing many similarities with The Odyssey, the 1979 movie is actually based on the Anabasis, which is the historical account of the ten thousand Greek soldiers who had to fight their way out of Persia and get back to the ocean.

However, the Anabasis is often described as a real-life version of The Odyssey, with many believing Homer was influenced by this real event and many others like it. Nevertheless, the Warriors' sense of brotherhood and fight for survival link to Odysseus' relationship with his men. Soon after the Greek army left the Trojan War victorious, they faced terrifying ordeals at sea, much like The Warriors did across the streets and subway network of New York.

Big Fish

Like every other movie in this list, Big Fish follows one man's epic journey of a lifetime. However, the parallels between Tim Burton's 2003 movie and Homer's epic run much deeper than that. While Edward Bloom sits on his deathbed, we are taken back through his life, including unbelievable tales of one-eyed witches, great giants, and scary monsters, whom he met on his many adventures.

But what other films on this list fail to do is take Odysseus's son, Telemachus, into account. In The Odyssey, Telemachus doesn't really know his father, but learns of his true nature through others talking of his accolades and traits. In The Odyssey trailer, we see Robert Pattinson's suitor mock Tom Holland's Telemachus over him pining "for a daddy." Similarly, Big Fish sees Bloom's struggle with his paternal needs. But he finds the truth of who his father really was through colourful, immortalizing stories passed down from those who knew him.

The Odyssey is in theaters on July 17. For more, check out our list of the best Christopher Nolan movies, and keep up to date with all the movie release dates coming this year.

Andy Serkis has only completed a week of filming on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, but he's already being questioned on his filmmaking techniques. The director, who also plays Gollum in the movie, recently opened up about how they're using AI in the upcoming prequel.

Asked by Variety if he plans to use AI in the movie, Serkis replied: "Not at present, other than some of the de-aging. There's a little bit of de-aging for some of the characters and machine learning is part of the process. When you think about it, in the original Lord of the Rings films, Peter [Jackson] created MASSIVE, which was a program which allowed 1000s of orcs to all have their own individual mindset. So that is a brilliant example of an incredible use of AI."

However, Serkis did go on to clarify that they're not planning on using AI beyond this. "We’re not creating AI shots in our movie, every shot is created in a traditional way," he added. "One of the things actually that I really wanted to do with this film was to bring back all of the great filmmaking skills, from miniatures to prosthetics and marry them up, because that’s my taste. I like it when you mix up different filmmaking techniques."

Serkis has previously been quite open-minded about the use of AI in filmmaking, adding in the same interview that while it can't replicate performances, it can be used as a "creative tool". His comments are similar to those made recently by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, who is also acting as an executive producer on The Hunt for Gollum.

Per Variety, he said at Cannes earlier this year that although AI is "going to destroy the world," when it comes to filmmaking, "I don’t dislike it at all." He added: "I mean, to me, it’s just a special effect. It's no different from other special effects."

The Hunt for Gollum is set between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, telling the story of Aragorn's adventure to track down Gollum before Sauron can find him. Jamie Dornan plays the character made famous by Viggo Mortensen in the new film, starring alongside Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Anya Taylor-Joy, Lee Pace, and Leo Woodall.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released on December 17, 2027. For more, check out our guides on how to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order and our breakdown of The Lord of the Rings timeline.

Even though The Odyssey is the first movie to be shot exclusively on IMAX cameras, the epic still had to adhere to the company's runtime limitations, despite how much director Christopher Nolan tried to work around the constraints.

"It's still three hours on the film prints, said Nolan in an interview with Letterboxd. The Odyssey's runtime is 2 hours and 52 minutes, but after the director had previously pushed IMAX to its limits by making Oppehnimer exactly three hours long, he planned to make his ancient Greek epic run even longer. However, Nolan's IMAX mentor of 20 years, David Keighley, set him straight.

"He actually dragged me into the booth at some audience film to show me the final limitation of this 3-hour limit on the film prints because over the years I challenged him to enlarge the platters or come up with a clip system to hold the film end when it got a bit bigger than the platter, that kind of thing," explained Nolan. "But there's a particular arm that would require an entire rebuild of the projection system to get beyond that. So I finally said to him, 'Yeah, okay. I'll stay under 3 hours.'"

Keighley was IMAX's first chief quality officer and helped put over 500 movies on the biggest screens in the world, including some of the best Christopher Nolan movies, such as The Dark Knight, Dunkirk, and Oppenheimer. Keighley sadly passed away last year, right after finishing work on The Odyssey. The newest IMAX camera, known as the Keighley, is named after the late great cinematic pioneer.

The reason why IMAX movies have to be under three hours is that the platter that physically holds the IMAX film print can only fit so many reels, and so longer films would require a whole new system. To fit larger equipment in all IMAX cinemas all over the world would be extremely costly and time-consuming.

There is also the audience to consider. Longer movies mean fewer screenings per day and fewer moviegoers seeing the film. There are only around 1800 IMAX cinemas around the world, and just 30 of them have the true 70mm IMAX ratio. With how fast The Odyssey 70mm tickets sold out, IMAX will struggle to fit fans in as it is.

The Odyssey is in theaters on July 17. For more, check out our The Odyssey beginner's guide, and keep up to date with all the movie release dates coming this year.

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is the first film shot from start to finish in full-frame IMAX – a landmark moment for the premium large format of choice. And it turns out Nolan had been dreaming about making a movie this way since he was just 16 years old.

Speaking to Pay or Wait over on YouTube, Nolan explained how the process of shooting The Odyssey on IMAX film has evolved even since his experience making Oppenheimer just a few years ago. But he also revealed a fascinating tidbit about his first encounter with IMAX 40 years ago.

"It's something I've really wanted to do since I was 16 and I first saw an IMAX film at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago," Nolan recalls. "I was like, 'Well, why can't you make a dramatic feature, an action film, an adventure film this way, because the format is so incredible.'"

Now, you might be thinking: "Isn't IMAX a recent thing?" Not exactly. The company was founded in 1967, and first developed IMAX theatre projection standards in the late 60s and early 70s. So IMAX has been around for almost 60 years at this stage. For decades, however, it was the reserve of documentaries and experiential shorts; releasing Hollywood movies in the IMAX format is a more recent development. The first theatrical movie released in IMAX was Fantasia 2000 in, well, 2000, while the 2003 Matrix sequels were among the first live-action movies to go through the IMAX process.

Nolan saw the future at a very young age, then, and finally realized his dream with The Dark Knight in 2008 – the first of his movies to feature sequences shot for IMAX screens. Now, he's practically synonymous with IMAX, with Oppenheimer and The Odyssey selling out on IMAX screens across the UK and US, particularly in the very few theaters globally equipped to project the film in IMAX 70mm.

As for the decision to shoot one of his movies entirely on IMAX film for the first time, Nolan says The Odyssey was a story that justified the challenge. "It's like, we're going to make a film of The Odyssey. That's the movie… if ever you were going to film a story completely on IMAX, you know, this is the story to do it with."

With The Odyssey now a little over two weeks away, interviews have started to trickle out from Nolan and his cast. Speaking to the New York Times last month, Nolan made an interesting comparison between Matt Damon's Odysseus and a key Star Wars character. "Odysseus is a very complex character – a trickster, somebody who's smart and wily. In Star Wars terms, it's Han Solo – but Han Solo is not the hero of Star Wars, it's Luke Skywalker."

The Odyssey arrives in theaters on July 17, 2026. Check out our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan movies and keep up with all of the new movies heading your way.

Original He-Man actor Dolph Lundgren says he was disappointed that the new Masters of the Universe movie didn't fare better at the box office.

"Yeah, I was a bit disappointed. I mean, everybody told me it’s going to do great," Lundgren told ComicBook. "I’m not a huge believer in looking at the box office and that influencing how I feel that much emotionally about the picture. But I did think about it like, 'Oh, okay. Um 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. I don’t know where it’s at now; I mean, I think it did fairly well overseas as well. I’m not sure what that means really."

It's possible that live-action He-Man adaptations (despite both being very good, campy fun) are cursed given that the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie was also a box office flop. Lundgren played the Prince Adam to Frank Langella's Skeletor in the David Odell-penned film, which only grossed $17 million against a budget of $20 million.

The new Masters of the Universe, which stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man/Adam and Jared Leto as Skeletor, has only made $102 million against its $200 million budget so far. However, Amazon seems pretty pleased with the film overall, and the Masters of the Universe post-credits scene (which I stood up and clapped for) does set up a sequel... so there still might be hope yet. Lundgren also makes a super fun cameo in the new film, which may or may not have made me cry a little.

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now and you should absolutely go see it. For more, check out our picks for the best movies on Amazon Prime, or, read our Masters of the Universe review.

By the power of Amazon! Masters of the Universe may be a certified box office flop, but a sequel to the He-Man movie can't be ruled out.

As Forbes reported, a lackluster performance at the box office isn't a death blow to Masters of the Universe.

In fact, the streamer could be poised to give the fantasy movie, an adaptation of the hit 1980s property, a sequel – and make it a jewel in the Prime Video crown on streaming. From there, it would be able to take the financial hit and prop up its service as a destination for bigger movie releases, capturing a portion of the older demographic who may not have seen it in cinemas.

Masters of the Universe, which stars Nicholas Galitzine as Adam and Jared Leto as his nemesis Skeletor, has currently generated $102 million at the box office.

Despite that, Amazon has seemed pleased with the He-Man movie from the outset – with an obvious hint at the Masters of the Universe franchise living beyond its theatrical window.

"[Director] Travis Knight and the entire cast and filmmaking team have delivered something truly special, and this opening is exactly the kind of critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy – building awareness and engagement that will carry well beyond the theatrical window," said Amazon MGM's domestic distribution chief Kevin Wilson in a statement after opening weekend.

The Masters of the Universe post-credits also introduces She-Ra, providing plenty of fertile ground for a sequel should it come to pass.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, director Travis Knight revealed the after-credits reveal almost didn't happen thanks to a "complicated rights issue."

"We did that with like no money, too. That was at the end of the shoot. We were just scrambling around trying to build a set and put a costume together because we finally got the rights to do it and, I mean, she looks great," Knight said.

Masters of the Universe is now in theaters. For more, check out our picks for the best movies on Amazon Prime. Then read our verdict on He-Man's cinematic outing in the Masters of the Universe review.

Anya Taylor-Joy has joined the upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as an original character called Seren. She is a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm who is described as "a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil."

Lee Pace's Thranduil has already been confirmed to be returning, alongside Andy Serkis as Gollum, Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Taylor-Joy joins newcomers Kate Winslet, who'll be Marigol, Jamie Dornan, who is playing Aragorn/Strider, and Leo Woodall, who has joined as Halvard.

Lord of the Rings fans have been reacting to the casting news, but it's fair to say the community has had a mixed reaction. While most agree that Taylor-Joy is a fantastic actor and also has a Elven look about her, many are concerned about new non-canon characters being brought into the story.

"Who? What is happening. Why do they do this. Make up characters. It didn’t work in The Hobbit. It doesn’t work in ROP," one wrote on Reddit. A second agreed, writing: "I absolutely adore Anya as an actress so this isn't directed at her as a person but I really wish they would stop making up shit and adding it to the story."

Another is concerned about the naming of Seren, adding that the "names of new characters announced for this film are definitely red flags". They explained: "Seren means ‘Star’ in Welsh. Welsh, and Finnish, were linguistic sources of inspiration for Tolkien when he developed Quenya and Sindarin (the languages of the Elves). Call me pedantic, but that does not make Welsh canon, nor does the name make etymological sense in the fiction. Nearly all names in Tolkien’s works have meaning, and with so many Tolkien scholars today, why not derive a Quenya or Sindarin name?"

Others have been more positive on the casting. Replying to the news on Twitter, one fan wrote: "Anya as an elf is perfect casting." Another wrote: "An incredible casting choice. Anya Taylor-Joy already has the presence of a First Age Elf." A third agreed, adding: "Anyone who is upset about this casting choice needs to reevaluate their life choices."

Taylor-Joy is also a huge Lord of the Rings fan, previously telling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that it's her "goal in life" to look like an Elf.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released on December 17, 2027. In the meantime, return to Middle-earth with our guides on The Rings of Power season 3 and how to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order.

Unfortunately, Masters of the Universe isn't doing so great at the box office, but that doesn't mean that the latest He-Man adaptation isn't a good movie. In fact, the recent flop has spurred fans on to debate which box office bombs were actually decent films.

One fan took to Twitter and listed their top 3 best box office flops as Masters of the Universe, Thunderbolts, and Transformers One. Much like Masters of the Universe, Thunderbolts had a very slow start, and in the end, only managed to earn $382 million worldwide against a $280 million budget. But it ultimately lost money in the long run, as Forbes predicted the film would need to make $425 million to break even.

The same can be said for Transformers One, which made $128 million worldwide against its reported $75 million production budget. But the movie lost money when movie theatre cuts were factored in. However, critically, all three movies were well-received. Masters of the Universe sits at a respectable 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, Thunderbolts at 88%, and Transformers One at 89%.

"Any recommendations to add to this list?" asked the fan, to which another replied, "Furiosa... awesome flick," and one more fan added, "The Dungeons & Dragons movie was a lot of fun, but not many people went to see it." Despite being part of bigger franchises, both Furiosa and Dungeons & Dragons proved to be box office disappointments. However, in our Furiosa review and Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves review, we awarded both movies four out of five stars.

Further down in the Twitter thread, more movie buffs said The Fall Guy, The Suicide Squad, The Nice Guys, and The Iron Giant all deserved more love on the big screen.

We already know that a movie doesn't really need to be well-loved by critics to earn big at the box office. One of this year's biggest movies, Scream 7, brought in almost five times its budget, but sits at a less-than-impressive 30% RT score. Alas, it seems as though the tides are changing, as 2026 has conjured a few box office surprises, such as Curry Barker's indie horror movie Obsession. The film has earned almost $300 million worldwide, and cost under $1 million to make.

Masters of the Universe has some time to catch up, as the movie is still out in theatres. For more, read our Masters of the Universe review, and keep up with other upcoming movies on the way in 2026 and beyond.

Steven Spielberg is responsible for directing some of the best and biggest blockbusters of his time, but many movie fans may not know that he was supposed to helm the first Harry Potter movie. However, Spielberg has explained that he had given up leading the fantasy adaptation to fulfill the dying wishes of his friend and fellow movie legend Stanley Kubrick.

When Kubrick passed away in 1999, he was partway through bringing sci-fi drama AI: Artificial Intelligence to the screen. But after Kubrick's death, Spielberg felt he had to take the project on at that very moment. "After [Stanley Kubrick's] death, I was at the funeral at his home. Christiane [Kubrick] and Jan Harlan, her brother, approached me about taking over from Stanley, as Stanley had intended, and directing the movie," explains Spielberg in an interview with TCM.

At the time, Spielberg was getting ready to direct the first Harry Potter movie. "I actually walked away from Harry Potter, which I was scheduled to direct as my next movie," added Spielberg, explaining that he had even been a part of casting decisions at that point. "I gave it up. It was going to be a huge movie because the book already was a runaway cultural phenomenon. I gave that up to essentially do AI."

Set in the future, AI follows a childlike android who has been programmed to love and longs to become human. Kubrick originally acquired the rights to the story in the early '70s and hired multiple writers, including the short story's original scribe Brian Aldiss. However, the project was stuck in early development for years. It was said that Kubrick felt that technology was not advanced enough at that point to bring the story to life and that there wasn't a child actor out there who could bring the robot to life.

So in 1995, Kubrick handed the movie over to Spielberg. After Kubrick died, Spielberg moved forward with the movie, and it was released in 2001, starring Haley Joel Osment as the young robot. Spielberg dedicated the film to Kubrick. The first Harry Potter movie, on the other hand, was directed by Chris Columbus, who would go on to helm the sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Next up for Spielberg is Disclosure Day, which is out in cinemas in the UK now and hits US theatres on June 12. For more, check out our guide to the best Alien movies, and keep up with upcoming movies heading your way this year and beyond.

Your eyes weren't deceiving you: that was indeed She-Ra, Princess of Power, who appears during one Masters of the Universe post-credits scene. The beloved twin sister of Adam has headlined two animated shows over the years, but She-Ra's post-credits cameo in Masters of the Universe marks the first time the character has appeared on screen in live action.

A momentous moment, then. But as director Travis Knight tells GamesRadar+, it's a cameo that almost didn't happen, and only came together late in production. "I wanted to get her in the movie, [but] there was a very complicated rights thing," Knight says. "We did that with like no money, too. That was at the end of the shoot. We were just scrambling around trying to build a set and put a costume together because we finally got the rights to do it and, I mean, she looks great."

It was such a big secret, in fact, that the She-Ra mid-credits scene was omitted from some early screenings. "We didn't show it to anybody. Like the studio hadn't even seen the finished version of that," Knight says. "When we screened it at the premiere last week, I didn't know how people were going to react. And the crowd just erupted into cheers. I couldn't believe it. It was actually really sweet. It was really heartening because that character means something to people and they've never seen her on the big screen. So that would be an honor to be able to breathe life into her, if we're so lucky."

While a Masters of the Universe sequel is far from confirmed, and will likely depend on how the film performs at the box office this weekend, if a follow-up does happen, She-Ra would play a major part, according to Knight. "She is a character that is hugely important in the mythology of this world. If we told another story set in this universe, she would absolutely play a huge part of it. I know exactly where that would go. But even if we don't [get to make a sequel], I was glad to get her on screen."

As for who would play She-Ra in a Masters of the Universe sequel, Knight has an answer for that too. "I know exactly who I would reach out to to play She-Ra," he teases, with a smile. "I can't jinx it so I can't say it. But I know exactly who it should be."

Masters of the Universe, starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba and Jared Leto, is in theaters now. Check out our Masters of the Universe review before you head to the theater, or read what Knight has to say about bringing Leto's scene-stealing Skeletor to the screen.

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now. For more, check out our list of the best upcoming movies heading your way in 2026.

It has been 23 years since Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy concluded with Return of the King, but Elijah Wood says that returning to play Frodo Baggins in The Hunt for Gollum alongside other original cast members feels a lot like a family reunion, even if he doesn't have a central role this time around.

"I mean, it's sort of like getting the band back together a little bit with that film," says Wood to GamesRadar+. "A lot of the creative team who were part of Lord of the Rings are part of Hunt for Gollum. I'm just looking forward to seeing all those people again. It feels like a family reunion. My part to play is relatively small, but I'm just excited to go back and spend some time in New Zealand and see old friends."

Based on Tolkien's literary works, Wood brought Baggins to life in the first Lord of the Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, in 2001. Three massive films follow Frodo's perilous journey to destroy the One Ring before Sauron gets his hands on it. However, The Hunt for Gollum will go back to where it all began, taking place 17 years after Frodo's uncle Bilbo's birthday party, and before Frodo's departure from the Shire.

Although the franchise does go over these events, explaining to the audience how Bilbo found the ring after the monster took his eye off of it, The Hunt for Gollum will focus on what happened after Gollum lost the One Ring, which drew him out of his cave in search of it. This prompts Gandalf to send Aragorn after him, setting in motion the hunt for Gollum. With this, it is understandable how Wood might only be in a handful of scenes, like his cameo in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Alongside Wood, Ian McKellen is returning as Gandalf, as well as Andy Serkis as Smeagol/Gollum. The Hobbit star Lee Pace is reprising his role as Thranduil. However, Strider has been recast and will be played by The Tourist star Jamie Dornan. Newcomers include Kate Winslet and Leo Woodall as new characters Marigol and Halvard. Serkis is directing from a script written by long-time Lord of the Rings collaborators Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh. Peter Jackson is on board as a producer.

However, before Wood returns to Middle-earth, he will suit up as another character who likes to wear green. The star voices an astronaut known as 'Green' in new animated TV show Among Us, which shadow-dropped on Paramount Plus on June 5. Based on the highly popular online multiplayer game of the same name, Among Us follows crewmates travelling through space who must complete their allocated tasks to keep the ship running. But amongst them are shapeshifting alien impostors picking the team off one by one.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum arrives in theaters on December 17, 2027. For more, check out our guide on how to watch all the Lord of the Rings movies in order, and keep up with upcoming movies heading your way.

The funny thing about living in the 'Golden Age' of remakes in conjunction with an ever-changing and neverending nostalgia boom is that we either get a) grade A slop that lacks in a compelling story in favor of fan service or simply ignores the source material altogether, or b) something so good it heals your inner child and makes you genuinely happy that a brand new generation gets to discover it for the first time. Enter: Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe, which takes everyone's favorite loincloth-wearing warrior prince (and all of the memes that have surrounded him in the years following his debut) and turns it into a campy action-comedy about the pesky need to prove yourself.

Though you could easily compare it to Transformers or Voltron, He-Man is one of those toy-turned-cartoon phenomena that stands out especially for its overall weirdness. The titular character is a rather aloof prince and his nemesis is a dude with a skull for a face who's really into maniacal laughter. Rather than lean into the overall absurdity, the 1987 live-action movie starring action man Dolph Lundgren plays it pretty straight, and wants the viewer to think they're watching a true fantasy-adventure film a la The Dark Crystal (which I don't really think is speculation, seeing as both films share the same screenwriter).

Travis Knight's 2026 take on Masters of the Universe, however, is more of a Marvel-esque blockbuster that embraces the absolute goofiness of He-Man's lore and puts him on Earth as a confused 20-something who's desperate to find his way home – and doesn't mind telling everyone he comes into contact with about it. A first date goes badly because he tells her about his childhood on Eternia, he gets fired for his incessant sword searches on company time, and he gets arrested for finally finding said sword. Let me just say: it's not what I expected.

Looking camp right in the eye

It's the way Adam is so unapologetically himself and doesn't see the need to make up a backstory (at the suggestion of his roommate) and settle for a life on Earth that just... got me completely. There's one part where his roomie says, "Can't you just live for the weekend and wait until your next vacation?" Well, no, actually. Adam knows he's meant for something more. And I think Knight wanted us to take that and apply it to ourselves. In fact, I think the entire movie is meant to give us a kick in the pants by way of feeling happy and hopeful and never settling for less than what we truly deserve.

And if you're wondering what that has to do with He-Man, well, that's kind of what the whole thing's about (to me, anyway). When he yells, "I have the power," it's not because his super cool sword is giving it to him. It's actually because the power inside his heart (if you want to get cheesy about it), and there's a beautiful scene in the film where the Sorceress reminds Adam that she chose him for a reason… and that it doesn't matter who gets their hands on the sword, because only he has the true power to wield it.

So yes, the movie is a big ol' metaphor. And it really does beat us over the head with it. However, I didn't really mind it all that much. I love the idea of a kiddo sitting down to watch the movie and walking away feeling enlightened and inspired… and while all the meme references and other 'adult' themes are meant for the adult He-Man fans watching the film, I truly think the rest is meant to instill hope in a younger generation.

Yes, the movie spends far too much time on Earth. Yes, the joke-per-minute format was a rather, uh, interesting choice. But Nicholas Galitzine and Idris Elba made me cry. And even the post-credits scene made me cry! And Skeletor is so brilliantly acted that I'm almost ready to forgive Tron: Ares for all of whatever that was. I don't know if Masters of the Universe is the movie that the world needs right now, but it's definitely the one that I need right now.

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out the rest of your movie-going year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.

While we wait for the new Lord of the Rings film to arrive, what better way is there to pass the time than pore over every detail of the Peter Jackson trilogy? However, as one viewer found on the latest rewatch, it can cause you to spot some slightly frustrating inconsistencies.

Redditor Significant-Owl7994 shared their confusion over one particular plot hole in The Return of the King. It all revolves around the scene when Frodo and Samwise end up in Shelob's lair on their journey to Mount Doom. The monster stabs Frodo, almost killing him. We don't see exactly where her stinger gets him, but it seems from the angle of the attack that it goes through his chest.

However, as the user points out, Frodo is wearing a Mithril shirt at this point, which should have been impenetrable. "A spear that would have killed a wild boar didn't break the armour, yet Shelob's stinger did...?" they wondered, asking the Lord of the Rings community how the monster was able to break through the mythical metal.

Several pointed out that in J.R.R. Tolkien's book, this encounter went a little differently to get around this, as Shelob stabs him near the neck, above the shirt. As one replied, it seems like it was a mistake in the Peter Jackson adaptation. "I LOVE the movies, but I feel this is a total oversight and I think fans are incredibly generous to suggest he was stung somewhere 'around' the vest when the angle clearly shows her stabbing his stomach," they wrote.

"I'd say it's one of those filming errors that just snuck past them. If I remember correctly in the book Shelob stings Frodo in the neck," another agreed.

A third user does have a head-canon that could help explain this plot hole, but you'll just have to decide whether you believe it or not. "I always (to make the movie scene make more sense) went with the fact that Shelob is the daughter of Ungoliant and a direct descendant of the big dark evil from the outerverse," they commented. "Her stinger is a far more powerful weapon than a spear, since it's attached to what is a power beyond ancient evil."

There's also another theory that the Mithril may have been how Frodo survived the encounter. The size of Shelob's stinger should have likely done fatal damage so potentially if it was stopped slightly by the armored shirt, it may have been how he was able to wake up after. "Maybe the Mithril is HOW he survived? Like maybe it was just the tip, and only a small amount of venom got through without a real 'stab wound,'" a fourth user suggested.

The debate rages on among fans of the franchise, but it wouldn't be the only plot hole in the saga. Probably the most infamous of all is why Frodo couldn't just fly on a giant eagle to Mordor, which some even thought had a nod in the Prime Video prequel series The Rings of Power.

The Lord of the Rings returns to the big screen with the upcoming The Hunt for Gollum, which is due out on December 17, 2027. Meanwhile, The Rings of Power season 3 arrives on Prime Video on November 11, 2026.

Masters of the Universe may have been a huge undertaking but, somehow, it isn't the only film director Travis Knight is releasing this year. As well as a live-action filmmaker, Knight is also the CEO of Laika, where he has directed two of the stop-motion studio's animated movies, including this year's Wildwood.

So how exactly is Knight releasing two years-in-the-making projects within 5 months of each other? "I don't recommend it!" chuckles Knight when GamesRadar+ catches up with him in London. "I'm still working on Wildwood actually." Of course, stop-motion animation is a famously slow process – at best, an animator can hope to produce seconds of footage per day – so operating on different production tracks helped. As did the fact that Wildwood has been in the works for over a decade.

"I've been developing Wildwood for 16 years," Knight says. "The majority of my career, the majority of my adult life, I've been working on this project. And I'm nearly done with it. But, you know, there was definitely overlap there."

While pointing out that Masters of the Universe – an irreverent reboot of the '80s Filmation cartoon – and Wildwood – a magical fantasy about a young girl whose infant brother is kidnapped by crows – are "very different kinds of movies," Knight notes that the two "share kind of a philosophical DNA. If I analyze it, there is some influence that one has over the other. But I don't think [that can be helped] when you're working on something that you deeply care about so intensely for so long, and when those things happen to coincide."

"I'm just happy for how it all came together," Knight continues. "Because I think Masters is a special movie. Working on Masters, actually, it changed the way I was thinking about Wildwood as we're doing all the final visual effects and everything. And in fact, some people I met along the way working on Masters, I loved collaborating with them so much that I then brought them on to Wildwood after we finished on Masters. So they definitely are connected in some way."

Masters of the Universe is out now in some parts of the world, and is a reimagining of the famed '80s animated series. You can read our full Masters of the Universe review now. Wildwood, meanwhile, is Laika's next, long-in-the-making movie – an adaptation of Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis' 2011 novel. The wildly popular Wildwood teaser trailer (see above) has already racked up an astonishing 89 million views on YouTube alone. Before his banner 2026, Knight directed 2016's Kubo and the Two Strings at Laika, and helmed 2018's warmly received live-action Transformers spin-off, Bumblebee.

In conversation with GamesRadar+, Knight also explained how the new Masters of the Universe movie reckons with He-Man's "internally inconsistent" mythology, and told us all about Jared Leto's scene-stealing Skeletor.

Masters of the Universe is in UK cinemas now, and hits US theaters on June 5. Wildwood releases in theaters on October 23. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out the rest of your movie-going year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.

Despite the series' perennial popularity, Masters of the Universe has never held much power on the big screen. In fact, 1987's Dolph Lundgren-starring MotU, for all its low-budget charm, was a turkey of such magnitude that it scared Hollywood off He-Man for decades to come. Well, almost 40 years later, Amazon is having a second stab at the muscle-bound blonde, and while this latest adaptation isn't as strong as you'd hope, it's an enjoyable and self-consciously silly take on outdated source material.

More Marvel than MotU '87, director Travis Knight's simple take on He-Man is simply not to take any of it seriously. The tonal and aesthetic cousin of Thor: Ragnarok, it's a film where the relentless need to crack jokes engulfs any sense of stakes. Masters of the Universe is here to show you a good time, and is at its best when doing just that, with confused attempts to ride the hopecore wave and re-align He-Man around the idea of radical empathy falling flat. He-Man just isn't that deep.

He-Man may not be deep, but Masters of the Universe is definitely bloated; it's the best part of an hour before Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) raises the Power Sword aloft and transforms into the loincloth-sporting super-man – so be warned. Instead of hitting the ground running, MotU imagines a world where Skeletor wins, plunging the fantastical planet of Eternia into tyrannical rule. During Skeletor's siege of Eternos, a young Adam flees through a portal with the Power Sword, but loses it en route to Earth.

Cut to: 15 years later. Adam is a social outcast, obsessed with the idea that he comes from another world, still desperately searching for the sword that will be his ticket home. One day, rather anticlimactically, he finds it and is retrieved by his former childhood friend, Teela (Camila Mendes). Skeletor still rules Eternia with a, er, skeletal fist, but when Adam finally transforms into the hero of legend, he brings renewed hope to Eternos' colorful insurgents – most notably the capital's once-great war chief, Man-at-Arms (Idris Elba), who has fallen on hard times in the years since.

Man of the hour

To its credit, Masters of the Universe is self-aware enough to know that you're probably not going to take characters like Fisto, Ram-Man, Meckaneck, and Trap Jaw seriously, and smartly plays into the absurdity of the world. One fun, postmodern idea: all those ridiculous character names come from Adam's own, imagined nicknames for them dreamt up during his isolated childhood on Earth, as he tried to hold onto the memory of Eternia. Galitzine's performance is the anchor point; as Adam, he's more Rick Moranis than Dolph Lundgren – a bumbling klutz in way over his head. His take on He-Man is more traditional, and Galitzine certainly looks the part. But the idea to incorporate more modern ideas of talking things out doesn't really make sense when your arch-enemy is an evil skeleton man who likes to turn people into goop with his magic staff.

Speaking of which, we're as surprised as anyone to report that after delivering one of the more blandly self-serious performances in recent blockbuster history in Tron: Ares, Jared Leto's arch Skeletor is a riot. With a plummy British accent and an impressively expressive CG-animated face atop an equally impressive practical costume, Skeletor looks and sounds amazing. As in the original Filmnation cartoons, he's a petulant, power-hungry evildoer who treats his fearful underlings, like Evil Lyn (Alison Brie, somewhat miscast), with as much contempt as his enemies. Even the cackle is great.

Similarly aware of exactly what movie he's in is Idris Elba, who lends the film some gravitas amidst the zaniness as fallen war hero Duncan/Man-at-Arms, who turns to booze to numb the pain of his greatest failing. His strangely sweet relationship with homicidal robot Roboto (Kristen Wiig) is a treat, while his enervated demeanor highlights how much his daughter, Teela, has it together. As the movie's lone straight (wo)man, Camila Mendes isn't given the opportunities to pop off screen like those around her, but she holds her own during the film's dynamically staged action.

Power ballad

For all its irreverence, Masters of the Universe delivers on blockbuster spectacle where it matters. Hand-to-hand fight scenes have the kinetic energy of a child smashing two action figures together and imagining the fireworks. A more generic, forest-based chase with some rough compositing is a noteworthy misstep, but Knight's history in animation is apparent elsewhere, the camera pirouetting impossibly around swinging blades and flying fists. It even incorporates other diverse techniques, like anime-style impact frames, to striking effect.

Also terrific is Daniel Pemberton's thunderous glam rock score. Boasting Queen's Brian May as part of the musical ensemble, whose electric guitar wails over what feels like every scene, He-Man is given a suitably larger-than-life theme for an '80s icon.

Whether the film's tone – almost gratingly eager to make you smile – works will come down to personal taste. If the Taika Waititi-directed Thors turned you off, then be warned this dials up the comedy even further (it even lifts a few key plot points from Ragnarok). And as with many first entries in budding franchises, after a rote two-hour origin story, there's a frustrating sense that the movie you really want to see is the one teased in the last 20 seconds, with a major mid-credits cameo promising the appearance of a fan-favorite character in a sequel we may never get if the movie's underwhelming tracking proves correct.

Still, there's no denying this is a valiant effort to make Masters of the Universe relevant again on the big screen some four decades after its '80s heyday, made by filmmakers with sincere affection for the source material. Whether younger viewers will respond to an outmoded character like He-Man amidst the paradigm-shifting wave of horror movies drawing crowds right now remains to be seen, but we'll soon know where the real power lies.

Masters of the Universe releases in theaters on June 5. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out the rest of your movie-going year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.

The new Masters of the Universe movie is set to hit the big screen this Friday, but the box office projections don't look too promising.

According to Global Box Office, Masters of the Universe is on track to earn between $27-$35 million in the US across its opening weekend. That would be considered a bit of a flop, as Forbes reports that the Amazon MGM Studios movie cost at least $170 million to make.

Based on the beloved fantasy franchise and Mattel's He-Man toyline, Masters of the Universe follows Prince Adam, played by Mary and George star Nicholas Galitzine, who has been living in the real world. However, when he finds the Sword of Power, he is pulled back into Eternia, where he joins forces with Teela (Camilla Mendes), Man-at-Arms (Idris Elba), and more to embrace his destiny as He-Man and take on Skeletor (Jared Leto).

The franchise has spawned multiple successful animated TV shows, but the new movie is only the second live-action adaptation since the 1987 feature. However, the '80s Masters of the Universe movie didn't fare well at the box office either. Starring The Expandables star Dolph Lundgren as He-Man, the film failed to make back its budget, grossing just $17.3 million against an estimated production cost of $22 million.

Masters of the Universe has a lot riding on it, as the last Mattel Toys adaptation to hit the big screen, Barbie, grossed over $1.4 billion globally (Box Office Mojo). Alongside Masters of the Universe, Mattel has many adaptations in the works, including Matchbox: The Movie, a Barney adaptation, and a movie about Polly Pocket dolls.

It's not all doom and gloom for Masters of the Universe, though. Following early screening in May, the movie earned positive reactions, with critics calling it "one of the biggest surprises of 2026," comparing it to the likes of Marvel's Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy. It's also fair to say that the box office is a little unpredictable at this moment in time, with original horror movies Obsession and Backrooms smashing expectations and beating The Mandalorian and Grogu on the charts. Perhaps Masters of the Universe can do the same.

Masters of the Universe releases on June 5. While we wait, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.

In the pantheon of great hero and arch-villain pairings, He-Man and Skeletor are up there with the best. So it's no surprise that, for the first live-action Masters of the Universe movie in almost 40 years, Skeletor makes his glorious return – and he's badder than ever.

Played unrecognizably by Jared Leto, the latest rendition of Skeletor is a cartoon-faithful take on the character with a twist: at the outset of the movie, he wins, plunging Eternia into 15 years of tyranny. Not that it makes the famously petulant Skeletor any happier.

"We loved [Skeletor] and we wanted to make sure that those things that we loved about him came through on the screen," Knight tells GamesRadar+. "He was funny, he was strange, he was scary, he was menacing, he looked cool. He was deeply insecure. He was always insulting his underlings. He had a very distinctive voice and a distinctive laugh. And so making sure that we had all of those things in the character was really important."

Much like Knight, a He-Man fan dating back to childhood, Leto had his "own history" with He-Man, before signing up to play ol' skullface. "He loved He-Man when he was a kid, just like I did," Knight says. "And Skeletor was his favorite character. So he really wanted to create a distinctive villain that honored everything that came before, while at the same time putting our spin on it. And he gave an incredible performance. I just think he's so fun to watch."

Unlike the main star behind a certain masked Mandalorian, Leto gave a full physical performance as Skeletor, donning a prosthetic suit each day on set. Though the final result was achieved using an impressive mix of filmmaking techniques, including a full-CG skull face.

"Ultimately, it comes down to collaboration of disciplines, because he's wearing this incredible muscle suit that was put together by our prosthetics master Barry Gower. He has this incredible costume made by our costumers led by Richard Sale, so he's on set completely performing for his fellow actors, and the only thing that wasn't there on the day was the skull of the face.

"Jared's face was replaced by CG animation," Knight continues. "And the animators did an extraordinary job of capturing the nuance and the personality that Jared brought to the physical and the vocal performance, and so the face is really emotive. You wouldn't think that would be the case for a skull, but there's a lot of personality and a lot of emotion in that skull!"

For Knight, there was no question that Leto needed to be present on set. Leto's vocal performance, meanwhile, needs to be heard to be believed, and lands somewhere closer to Tom Hardy's Bane than Thanos.

"It was important to me, because it's not just the voice or the facial performance. So much of what we love about an actor is what they do with their body. How they physically move, it can communicate so much, so many different types of emotions just based on someone's bearing, how they walk across the room. Jared understood that the physical performance was a big part of it. There's so much that he brings to that aspect of it that has nothing to do with what you're hearing or what you're seeing in his face."

Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine, Jared Leto, Camila Mendes, and Idris Elba, and reboots the classic Filmnation cartoon. If you're wondering how the new movie reckons with He-Man's "wildly internally inconsistent" mythology, Knight told us all about that, too.

Masters of the Universe releases in theaters on June 5. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out your year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.

While there have been many animated shows, comics, and even a previous live-action movie over the last four decades, Masters of the Universe has never been a franchise where mythology is considered sacred. So when it came to adapting Masters of the Universe once again, director Travis Knight didn't feel beholden to previous takes on the character.

Speaking with GamesRadar+ at a press event in London, Knight – who fell in love with He-Man aged eight through the original Filmation cartoon and action figures – addressed the new movie's relationship to continuity in He-Man canon. "It's certainly something I thought about," he says. "But anytime you've got a property like this, a world and a series of characters that have been around for over four decades, the continuity is going to be all over the place. And it is in this property. It's wildly internally inconsistent. So, in the end, you have to decide what you embrace and what you leave behind."

For Knight, that meant embracing the original source. "It was always going back to the toys, the little mini-comics, and the Filmation cartoon from the '80s. That was really what we used as our foundation. We make choices based on where we want these characters to go, but that really was the baseline. We drew from other sources, some aspects of the '87 live-action movie. There were some obscure newspaper comic strips that we pulled from. But the foundational element was the original '82, '83 era."

That much is plain to see in the movie, which faithfully renders He-Man, Skeletor, Teela, Cringer, Man-at-Arms, and the more obscure/bizarre likes of Fisto, Ram-Man and Mekaneck as if they've just leapt out of the cartoons. In the new movie, Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) is stranded on Earth after Skeletor's forces destroy Eternos. Fifteen years later, Adam returns to embrace the mantle of He-Man, and liberate Eternia from Skeletor's tyrannical rule, but he's not exactly the hero of legend that everyone expects.

Despite heading up stop-motion studio Laika, and working in animation for much of his career, Knight didn't keep up with He-Man's mostly animated output over the years. "[He-Man] was a huge part of my childhood, but there were so many different iterations since then, and that was not something that I vibed on [at the time]," Knight admits. "But getting acquainted with some of that stuff now with fresh eyes as an adult, it was interesting to see what remained and what changed. For me it was always about: hold on to what made it pure and interesting to begin with, which was where it started."

Masters of the Universe might not be picking up directly from any previous adaptations, but Knight previously revealed how the new movie is acknowledging the original animated series by imagining "What would happen if [Skeletor] actually won?" In the same interview, Knight also claimed that fan-favorite character She-Ra will "play a huge part" in any sequel. Thankfully, those sequel prospects are looking promising – early verdicts have billed Masters of the Universe " as one of the biggest surprises of 2026."

Masters of the Universe releases in theaters on June 5. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out your year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.