M3GAN 2.0 Flop Was Due to Genre Swap, Jason Blum Admits Mistakes

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Jason Blum is opening up about why M3GAN 2.0 flopped at the box office.

This weekend, M3GAN 2.0 hit the screens of U.S. cinemas, distributed by Blumhouse and Universal Pictures. However, the film’s box office performance was less than anticipated, with an estimated global earnings of around $18 million so far. In contrast, the original M3GAN movie garnered a staggering $181.8 million.

What did Jason Blum say about M3GAN 2.0?

In an interview for The Town with Matt Belloni podcast, Jason Blum from Blumhouse shared his insights into the issues faced during the development of M3GAN 2.0.

Blum expressed that we collectively viewed M3GAN as having powers akin to Superman. We believed we had limitless freedom to alter her, shifting genres, placing her in summer settings, modifying her appearance, even flipping her from antagonist to protagonist. However, in retrospect, we may have excessively pondered the depth of audience connection with her.

In the original M3GAN film, it was primarily promoted as a horror flick. On the other hand, M3GAN 2.0 deviates from its predecessor by focusing on the action-thriller genre instead.

In discussing M3GAN 2.0’s genre-shift, Blum pointed out the challenge of striking a balance: “When creating a sequel, you must navigate a narrow path. If it resembles the original too closely, people accuse you of plagiarism: ‘Why make this movie? It’s a waste of time.’ But if it strays too far from the original, viewers question why it’s even a sequel and express frustration.”

Reflecting on the decision to debut M3GAN in the summer, Blum admitted, “Director Gerard Johnstone is a problem-solver extraordinaire, but he thrives with ample time. On the original M3GAN, he had plenty of it. In hindsight, I believe we didn’t have a release date until after the movie was completed…We were carried away by our enthusiasm for M3GAN. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quite ready yet.

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2025-07-02 19:40