While the original killer doll slashed her way to box office glory, M3GAN 2.0 has stumbled dramatically in her sophomore outing, collecting a mere $20 million globally against expectations that were sky-high following her predecessor’s runaway success.
The sequel, which debuted fourth domestically behind heavyweight contenders like F1 and 28 Years Later, managed just $13.7 million stateside and $6.9 million internationally—figures that pale in comparison to the original’s $30 million domestic opening weekend.
Producer Jason Blum’s pivot from the first film’s straightforward horror approach to a more hybridized sci-fi action comedy has proven to be a significant miscalculation, diluting the franchise’s identity and confusing audience expectations.
Blum’s genre-blending gambit backfired spectacularly, watering down M3GAN’s murderous appeal into forgettable action fare.
The tonal shift, which invited unflattering comparisons to genre classics like Terminator 2, sacrificed the razor-sharp focus that made the original M3GAN a surprise hit. Much like how indie film success often relies on maintaining authenticity, Blum himself has since acknowledged this creative detour as problematic, fundamentally confirming what the box office numbers already screamed: fans wanted more of the same murderous doll antics, not a watered-down action romp.
The sequel’s tepid 57% Rotten Tomatoes score further underscores the creative missteps, reflecting a critical consensus that the franchise had lost its way. Despite critical disappointment, audiences gave the film a more favorable B+ CinemaScore rating, suggesting viewers who actually saw the film found something to enjoy.
Timing proved equally problematic, with the film’s summer release pitting it against blockbuster juggernauts like Jurassic World Reborn, Superman, and Fantastic Four—a far cry from the January dumping ground where the original thrived with minimal competition.
With a reported $25 million production budget, M3GAN 2.0’s financial trajectory doesn’t spell immediate disaster for Universal and Blumhouse, but it certainly terminates hopes for the kind of profit margins that made the original such a standout success story.
The sequel’s underwhelming performance serves as a cautionary tale about franchise management: sometimes the scariest thing for studio executives isn’t a murderous AI doll, but the consequences of fixing what wasn’t broken in the first place. This disappointment continues Blumhouse’s concerning trend as all of their four movies released in 2023 failed to achieve profitable margins.