Streaming Ratings: ‘Masters of the Universe’ Powers to No. 1 Debut
By Rick Porter
August 20, 2026
After an underwhelming box-office take in movie theaters, Masters of the Universe found a softer landing in its streaming debut.
The movie based on the 1980s cartoon series and toys scored the No. 1 overall ranking in Nielsen’s streaming ratings for July 20-26, its first week of streaming. It debuted July 22 on Prime Video, less than weeks after its theatrical premiere; it has made a little under $114 million worldwide at the box office against a $170 million budget. Masters of the Universe scored 1.17 billion minutes of watch time for the week and was one of just two titles to cross the billion-minute threshold.
The other was The Big Bang Theory, which had 1.12 billion minutes of viewing time on HBO Max. The comedy scored an all-time high in viewing time for the second straight week, beating the previous frame’s 1.08 billion minutes.
The top two original titles for the week were Will Ferrell’s Netflix comedy The Hawk (944 million minutes) and Prime Video’s action comedy Ride or Die (922 million), starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham. The Hawk declined slightly week to week, while Ride or Die ticked up by about 6 percent.
The debut of King of the Hill‘s 15th season pushed the animated series back onto the charts with 658 million minutes of watch time, 70 percent of which (about 461 million minutes) came from the new batch of episodes. Netflix’s Ransom Canyon (751 million minutes) also returned to the rankings with the premiere of its second season.
Netflix’s Kevin Hart comedy 72 Hours placed second behind Masters of the Universe on the movies top 10 with a solid 791 million minutes for its premiere week.
Nielsen’s streaming ratings cover viewing on TV sets only and don’t include minutes watched on computers or mobile devices. The ratings only measure U.S. audiences. The top streaming titles for July 20-26, 2026, are below.
Includes movies and TV series.
Top 10 Streaming – Overall
| Rank | Program Name | Minutes (Millions) | Streaming Service(s) | # of Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masters of the Universe (2026) | 1,1731,1731,173 | Prime Video | 1 |
| 2 | The Big Bang Theory | 1,1221,1221,122 | HBO Max | 281 |
| 3 | The Hawk (2026) | 944944944 | Netflix | 10 |
| 4 | Ride or Die (2026) | 922922922 | Prime Video | 8 |
| 5 | House of the Dragon | 912912912 | HBO Max | 24 |
| 6 | Bluey | 897897897 | Disney+ | 154 |
| 7 | 72 Hours (2026) | 791791791 | Netflix | 1 |
| 8 | Spongebob Squarepants | 773773773 | Paramount+ | 336 |
| 9 | Ransom Canyon (2025) | 751751751 | Netflix | 18 |
| 10 | Grey’s Anatomy | 698698698 | Hulu / Netflix | 467 |
Top 10 Streaming – Movies
| Rank | Program Name | Minutes (Millions) | Streaming Service(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masters of the Universe (2026) | 1,1731,1731,173 | Prime Video |
| 2 | 72 Hours (2026) | 791791791 | Netflix |
| 3 | A Toxic Love Story (2026) | 674674674 | Netflix |
| 4 | Project Hail Mary (2026) | 476476476 | Prime Video |
| 5 | Ordinary Angels | 446446446 | Netflix / Peacock |
| 6 | Obsession (2026) | 428428428 | Peacock |
| 7 | Wicked: For Good (2025) | 300300300 | Netflix |
| 8 | Descendants: Wicked Wonderland | 289289289 | Disney+ |
| 9 | Sniper: No Nation (2026) | 269269269 | Netflix |
| 10 | Mortal Kombat II (2026) | 246246246 | HBO Max |