The box office isn’t always kind to horror movies. In fact, many horror movies flop at the box office, only to find success later on streaming or home video. Interestingly, one of this year’s most divisive horror flops was a follow-up to a global success – confusing both audiences and the studios behind the franchise.
The first installment of this developing sci-fi horror franchise managed to make $181.8 million worldwide with a $12 million budget – surprising given that it happened in early 2023, just after the pandemic put pressure on so many theatrical releases. A sequel seemed like a surefire success – though it debuted this year to only $39.1 million at the box office with a budget between $15 and $25 million.
Now, following that disappointing theatrical run, the horror flop finally has a chance at winning an audience with streaming via Peacock. It could prove that this franchise’s titular character still has appeal – just not at the box office as previously expected.
This character, of course, is none other than M3GAN from the film of the same name. The modern-day horror icon is an android that becomes self-aware with her advanced artificial intelligence. Naturally, this turns her into a homicidal killer, and the first film is fairly by-the-numbers in that way outside of a light layer of camp. The sequel released this year, M3GAN 2.0, took things further into the camp direction while also making M3GAN more of an unreliable protagonist that must stop another dangerous android.
It seems to be that this plot change is what turned viewers off. Die-hard fans were still supportive of the movie, but others felt as though it was too self-aware or tonally wrong compared to the original, and thus explains the underperformance at the box office. So for fans that haven’t had the opportunity to see the movie, or want to give it another shot, they can do so on Peacock.
While it’s unclear if the M3GAN film series is over or not, there is one project still on the way, a spin-off film titled SOULM8TE. It’s possible that the performance of this film will determine whether or not the M3GAN franchise continues. Of course, if M3GAN 2.0 performs well on Peacock, that could also play a factor. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding this franchise and other trending titles on streaming services like Peacock as we have them.