Blumhouse's R-Rated M3GAN Spin-Off Finds Streaming Redemption

Forget the DC Universe, perhaps the biggest overestimation of a franchise's popularity happened only a year or so ago, when Universal's M3GAN 2.0 drastically fell short of its predecessor's box-office benchmark. The sequel grossed around $40 million worldwide against a reported budget of approximately $20 million, only two years after the first M3GAN emerged as a box-office sensation with $181 million globally on a $12 million budget. The central creative team — director Gerard Johnstone, writer Akela Cooper, and producers Jason Blum and James Wan — was the same, but the movie made the curious decision to switch genres. This, among many other reasons, was why it failed at the box office. The trouble was that Universal had a third installment, a spin-off, ready to go. The film's release was canceled, and it was eventually released directly on the PVOD market a few weeks ago.

The movie didn't make much noise upon its release this August, but it finally seems to be gaining steam on Hulu. According to FlixPatrol, it's currently among the five most-watched movies on the streamer's domestic rankings, behind Jamie Foxx's new comedy special and the cult classic animated film Coraline. The film stars Lily Sullivan, who has emerged as a scream queen in recent years, thanks to roles in the box-office hit Evil Dead Rise and Lee Cronin's The Mummy. The M3GAN spin-off received mixed reviews from critics, and is now sitting at a 39% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

Here's Where You Can Watch the Abandoned Horror Spin-Off

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