M3GAN 2.0has significantly underperformed during its opening weekend compared to the original smash hit. 2023’sM3GANfollowed roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) accidentally programming an AI doll, M3GAN (Amie Donald and Jenna Davis) to violently defend her orphaned niece Cady (Violet McGraw). The viral smash hit grossed $180 million against its reported $12 million budget.
TheM3GAN 2.0releasekicked off two and a half years later. The new movie takes on more of a sci-fi-action bent, followingM3GAN defending Gemma and Cady from an even more powerful robotnamed AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno).
PerDeadline, as of Saturday morning,M3GAN 2.0is projected to earn a 3-day opening weekend of $10.4 millionat the domestic box office. This total falls considerably short of its original projections, which saw it earning $30 million or more.
It similarlyfalls short of the domestic opening weekend of the originalM3GAN, which earned $30.4 million when it debuted in January 2023. However, that movie was the only major wide release of the weekend, whereas the sequel opened opposite the big-budget Brad Pitt racing movieF1: The Movie.
What This Means For M3GAN 2.0
The Franchise’s Future Is In Doubt
In general,it is somewhat unusual for a sequel to earn less than the original movie in the franchise, either during its opening weekend or at the overall worldwide box office. This is because original movies are more of an unknown quantity, while sequels are part of a pre-established IP with brand recognition.
One reason for this could be the fact thatM3GAN 2.0reviewswere more mixed,earning the movie a Rotten score of 57% on Rotten Tomatoescompared to the original’s Certified Fresh 93% score.
Below,see a breakdown of howM3GANandM3GAN 2.0’s opening weekends compareto other franchise-startingBlumhouse movies(or franchise-restarting, in the case ofHalloween) and their immediate follow-ups:
$21.1 million (wk 5 wide expansion)
$40.7 million
$13.3 million
$40.3 million
$18 million
$10.5 million
$34 million
$29.8 million
$19.9 million
$14.1 million
$15.8 million
$3.6 million
$26 million
$9.5 million
$76.2 million
$49.4 million
$30.4 million
M3GAN 2.0(2025)
$10.4 million
The second installment of a Blumhouse franchise underperforming in its debut compared to the original is not unprecedented, as this was also the case withSinister,The Purge,Ouija,Unfriended,Happy Death Day, andHalloween. However, of that list,only thePurgeandHalloweenfranchises got third installments.
Additionally, even though their second installments debuted lower than their predecessors,The Purge: AnarchyandHalloween Kills' opening weekends were both roughly equal to or even higher than the originalM3GAN. This could indicate that, given its harsher fall,theM3GANfranchise might end as quickly as it began.
It May Not Spell Doom For M3GAN
Image via Universal Pictures
Even though theending ofM3GAN 2.0leaves the door open for a sequel, the movie may have to have good legs at the box office in order to get a third installment in the franchise greenlit. Whileit seems unlikely to be a runaway hit like the original movie, this is entirely possible.
Despite this inauspicious debut,M3GAN 2.0could benefit from the fact thatits reported budget is only about $25 million, which is roughly double the original movie’s $12 million. While its exact break-even point is unknown, this may only place the sequel’s estimated break-even point somewhere around $62.5 million, which is about one-third of what the original movie made.
Theaters keep half of ticket sales and publicity costs are not factored into production budgets, so movies often need to earn back two and a half times their budgets in order to break even in theaters.
IfM3GAN 2.0continues on its current trajectory, it could draw close to that total. While its reviews may ultimately prevent this from being the case, its relatively slim budget prevents this lukewarm debut from meaning that the movie isen routeto disaster.
