M3GAN 2.0: Box-Office Bomb Becomes HBO Max Streaming Hit

The 2025 sequel M3GAN 2.0, which underperformed in theaters, has found a second life on streaming. It currently sits at number three on HBO Max's global streaming charts and has climbed past titles such as Superman and 28 Years Later, despite grossing just $39 million at the box office.

Critically, the follow-up did not match the reception of the 2022 original: the first film holds a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes while the sequel is at 57% with an 81% audience score. The story picks up after M3GAN’s apparent demise; the doll has been dormant as a sentient AI and resurfaces when Gemma discovers that M3GAN’s technology helped create a military asset called AMELIA, which has also gone rogue.

Much of the creative team returned for a sequel that shifts tone toward action and dark comedy. Gerard Johnstone directed, with James Wan and Jason Blum among the producers, and the film leans on violent set pieces and snarky one-liners rather than the straighter horror of the original.

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