Blumhousehas become one of the strongest and most prolific studios in Hollywood, buttheir latest horror sequel, hoped to be a huge hit, disappointed at the box officewith a meager $17 million global opening. The sequel followed up on one of thebest Blumhouse movies, but made a number of striking changes, causing some confusion among horror fans.
Blumhouse has done a great job with making films, but in some cases has struggled with franchises. Movies likeHappy Death Daywere successes, but follow-ups likeHappy Death Day 2Uhad weaker box office returns. While not among theworst Blumhouse movies, the studio has struggled with extending some series.
Fortunately,Blumhouse keeps their budgets relatively low, which allows for the occasional failure within their oeuvre.However, this latest film seemed among the most likely projects in their slate to break through. With that considered, it is worth looking back at several reasons why this horror sequel may have failed to connect with audiences.
M3GANwas released in January 2023 and became a huge hit,grossing $180 million against a budget of only $12 million.The film broke through on a surprising scale, carrying only a PG-13 rating and using social media to lead it on to incrediblebox office success. This came from a number of different places.
Much of the film’s promotion was through social media content, which was used adeptly by the studio, but was given true life by audiences.Clips of M3GAN dancing went viral, with many co-opting the clip for their own humorous use,transforming it into natural word-of-mouth promotion. Audiences claimed M3GAN as a queer icon, and attention on the film grew enormously.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the film was also well received, earning a shocking 93% positive rating with critics onRotten Tomatoes. With theending ofM3GANallowing for sequels,it seemed that a new franchise was born. However, it is now clear that the first film’s success is not so easy to replicate.
M3GAN 2.0’s Reviews Hurt The Movie’s Box Office - Why They Weren’t Good
The Sequel’s Reception Was Not Nearly As Strong
M3GAN 2.0was released this past week, and the film’s reception has been much poorer. While the film still carries a good 83% score with audiences onRotten Tomatoes,the critic score is a much lower 57%.Even the positive reviews themselves are much weaker, with far less enthusiasm being directed at the new film.
This is significant becauseenthusiasm for M3GAN as a character was an important part of the first film’s success.M3GAN 2.0attempted to double down on the same elements that caught on previously, turning her into a less frightening and more powerful hero. This intentionally sillier style was, however, too self-aware, ignoring the first film’s delicate and successful balance.
Most importantly,M3GAN 2.0changed the tone and genreof the franchise.While the first had many humorous moments, these were punctuated by terror and fear.The tongue-in-cheek feel of the first movie helped these moments to be appreciated both for the fear that they caused, and the campiness that undercut it.
M3GAN 2.0was made for more than double the cost of its predecessor, budgeted at $25 million. This larger scale added to the shift in style and perception of the film.
M3GAN 2.0, meanwhile,attempts to replicate the success ofTerminator 2: Judgment Day, by transforming the villain into a hero, and changing the genre to action. The comedy is still there, but it feels far more generic inside this sequel.M3GAN 2.0loses much of the original’s appeal, and doesn’t replace it with enough that is new or interesting.
It’s Been A Mixed Year For Blumhouse
Blumhouse Was Hoping For Another Big Hit With M3GAN 2.0
Blumhouse’s 2025 slate of movieshasn’t found the greatest success, andM3GAN 2.0, given an excellent summer release date, was clearly hoped to be a big hit.WhileWolf Man’s box office was not disastrous, the film made only $34 million against a $14 million budget. With middling reviews, the monster movie has not accomplished much for the studio.
The next controversialBlumhouse movie,The Woman in the Yard, followed a similar pattern,grossing $23 million against a budget of $12 million. While both of these films may not wind up being losses for the studio, especially after streaming boosts, these are certainly not what Blumhouse had hoped for.
Fortunately, Blumhouse’s third offering this year was finally able to secure a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Christopher Landon’sDrop, however, still struggled to make a big splash at the box office, bringing in $28.5 million against an $11 million budget. This pattern looks likely to continue withM3GAN 2.0.
So far,Dropis Blumhouse’s most critically acclaimed movie of the year with an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score.
None of these are disasters, but they are also not the big hits Blumhouse hoped for. With movies likeFive Nights at Freddy’sbreaking box office recordswith a total gross of $297 million worldwide, the studio has hoped for greater numbers from their 2025 films. Unfortunately,M3GAN 2.0looks to be another disappointment.
What This Means For M3GAN’s Future & Blumhouse
The Next M3GAN Film Is Already Filmed
M3GAN 2.0could still wind up breaking even, but going beyond that will be tough. The film will face stiff competition in the coming weeks from films likeJurassic World RebirthandSuperman. Overall,a final total for the film under $50 million is the most likely scenario.
With that said, it is clear that Blumhouse still hopes to build a franchise out of their M3GAN character and world. The upcomingSOULM8TEhas been described as a more maturetake on the universe. WithM3GAN 2.0failing at the box office, the franchise could still succeed with something very different.
Blumhouse’s future may still have moreM3GANfilms afterM3GAN 2.0, but these projects will have to be approached very carefully. For now,the studio is hoping to expand their own franchises withThe Black Phone 2andFive Nights at Freddy’s 2.If those also fail to connect, things could look bad for Blumhouse’s future.
