Universal Pictures
- “M3GAN” is getting a sequel, set for release in 2025.
- It’s earned $95 million worldwide in just over two weeks of release, and was made for $12 million.
- It shows the power of a potential merger between its production companies, Blumhouse and Atomic Monster.
“M3GAN” is coming back.
Production studios Blumhouse and Atomic Monster announced on Wednesday that they’ve greenlit a sequel to their hit horror movie, about an AI-powered doll that torments any humans she thinks will harm her owner.
The sequel, titled “M3GAN 2.0,” is set for release on January 17, 2025. Stars Allison Williams and Violet McGraw are expected to return.
“M3GAN” has been a box-office smash since debuting on January 6, earning $95 million at the global box office so far, $60 million of which is from the US.
It was made for just $12 million, according to IMDb Pro.
Blumhouse and Atomic Monster — two leading horror-movie studios led by Jason Blum and James Wan, respectively — are in talks to merge, The New York Times first reported in November.
“James is probably 70 to 80 percent artist and 30 to 20 percent business person, and I am the reverse,” Blum told the Times. “We really do complement each other, yin and yang, which is part of what makes this so exciting.”
“M3GAN,” which the two studios combined forces on, presents a look at the power of the potential merger.
Wan has directed and/or produced the “Conjuring” franchise, and Blumhouse specializes in low-cost horror hits that make big profits, such as “Get Out” and the 2018 “Halloween” reboot.
Blumhouse has a first-look deal with Universal, which distributed “M3GAN” to theaters. NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell was giddy at the prospect of the Blumhouse-Atomic Monster merger during a conference last month.
“If that should happen, we are going to be in an absolutely impregnable position,” Shell said.
