Blumhousehas become one of the leading brands when it comes to the horror genre. Since its inception in 2000, the studio has been behind plenty of horror hits, includingHappy Death Day, theParanormal Activityfranchise, andThe Purgeseries. As a result of many of their successes, the studio has grossed over $6 billion, with theFive Nights at Freddy’sadaptation being their highest-grossing movie.
Unfortunately, the studio has been enduring a slump, withthe majority of the new releases having lukewarm box-office performances. Just this year,Blumouse has releasedfour movies so far, none of which have hit profitable margins. Additionally, except forDrop, most of their films are not well-received by critics. As that unfortunate streak continues, their latest movie has finally passed a major milestone.
M3GAN 2.0 Finally Passes $20 Million At The Global Box Office
The Original 2022 Movie Made $30M During Its Opening Weekend Alone
M3GAN 2.0has crossed a crucial box office milestone. The original 2022 movie became an instant viral sensation due to the titular android’s iconic dance and display of campy horror. Following its critical and commercial success, a sequel was immediately greenlit alongsidean erotic thriller spinoffSOULM8TE.
However, rather than sticking to its horror roots, the follow-up shifted into a sci-fi actioner, which led to comparisons withTerminator 2: Judgement Day.Unlike the original movie, the sequel had a lukewarm reception,holding a 57% Rotten Tomatoes score, and debuting with a poor $10 million opening weekend at the domestic box office.
Despite so much promise for the sequel, the genre shift may be the key reason for the box office disappointment.
Now, according toThe Numbers,M3GAN 2.0has finally crossed $20 million at the global box office. This box office total consists of $13.7 million domestically and $6.9 million internationally. Unfortunately, the sequel was already deemed a box office disappointment, especially compared to the original, which had a $30 million opening weekend alone.
Why M3GAN 2.0 Is Considered A Major Box Office Disappointment For Blumhouse
It Puts Some Concerns About The Franchise & Studio As A Whole
M3GANeasily made a total of $181 million at the box office, making it a major hit for the studio. In contrast,the sequel is performing just a third of the capacity of the originaland is unlikely to hit profitable margins at this rate. It will be tough to hit the break-even point as the summer schedule gets more competitive with new releases likeJurassic World Rebirth,Superman, andFantastic Four: First Steps.
M3GAN (2022)
M3GAN 2.0 (2025)
$13.7M
$20M
Despite so much promise, the genre shift may be the key reason for the box-office disappointment. While the original has a campy horror,the follow-up is more action-focused, which likely turned off audiences who enjoyed the original movie. Recently, Jason Blum, the studio founder, admitted to overestimating the sequel’s potential while speaking onThe Townpodcast:
We all thought Megan was like Superman. We could do anything to her. We could change genres. We could put her in the summer. We could make her look different. We could turn her from a bad guy into a good guy. And we classically over-thought how powerful people’s engagement was with her…
The box office performance ofM3GAN 2.0has been a big blow for the studio, considering there was so much potential for a franchise.This only leaves the franchise’s potential in doubt, especially since the spinoff is supposed to release in January 2026. However, the bigger narrative is the studio as a whole, as it suffers a streak of misses.
Despite the critics' rating,M3GAN2.0received an 82% audience score onRotten Tomatoes.
With more than halfway through the year, there is a damper for Blumhouse. The studio does have two more movies scheduled for the fall, and both happen to be sequels:Black Phone 2andFive Nights at Freddy’s 2. Both of their original movies did well, and there is even a lot of hype for the latter. Thus, there is still time for the studio to get some redemption, especially as their future starts to look questionable.
