Studios have long used January as a place to burn off films that they know are misfires, often unfunny comedies or schlocky action films that probably won’t work. In return, many film fans use the month to catch up on the buzzy, possibly awards-bound films that got released all at once in December.
But that was before the advent of streaming and internet-based marketing. While giant franchise blockbusters used to be saved for the summer, we’ll be getting a new Marvel film, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in February.
Thanks to cable, Netflix (NFLX), Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) HBO Max and other streaming services, there’s no longer much a lean month or a fallow period. Audiences are used to new films and TV shows appearing at any given moment, even if they might like having a bit more time to catch up on all the supposedly amazing content.
Nowadays, if there's a weekend that doesn’t look overly crowded (which is to say, there’s not a superhero film or franchise installment), then studios can consider it fair game. And if January still has a bit of lingering reputation for being déclassé, it’s not much of a concern to folks in the horror film industry, as that genre has long been dismissed by critics.
Even so, the beginning of the year is rarely considered the natural launching pad for a new franchise. But that seems to be just what happened with Universal’s surprise smash new hit “M3GAN.”
'M3GAN' Has Held the Internet In Its Doll Grip for Months
Comcast's (CMCSA) Universal’s new horror film “M3GAN” earned $30 million in its opening weekend, the highest total for the first week of the year in more than a decade.
While the success has been called surprising in some corners, it’s not that big of a shock if you have a Twitter account.
Produced by the esteemed spooky studio Blumhouse and created by modern horror master James Wan and fast-rising screenwriter Akela Cooper (who wrote the screenplay for the horror hit “Malignant,”) the film tells the story of a robot doll M3GAN (which stands for for Model 3 Generative ANdroid), built by a scientist (played by Allison Williams), to look after her orphaned niece.
And, of course, murderous hijinks follow. (Honestly, what was Allison Williams even thinking?)
The film captured the hearts and minds of social media as soon as the first trailer dropped last fall. Teens paid tribute to M3GAN’s signature sway dance on TikTok, Twitter memed the high heavens out of it, and even our first Megan, Megan Thee Stallion got in on the fun.
Viral marketing isn’t enough to guarantee a hit, but between the absurd, campy pitch for the film and the doll’s unnerving lifelike eyes, something about “M3GAN” captured the attention of teenagers and film fans looking for something to do. It helps that the reviews were largely strong enough to convince audiences it wasn’t just a one-joke premise, and critics applauded the film’s self-aware humor that never quite curdles into one giant, knowing wink.
While horror films might not be critical catnip, they nonetheless often bring in a reliable audience of teenagers and twentysomethings that want to see them on the big screen in a packed audience, often while screaming at the protagonist to run away before they get murdered.
Universal Pictures
More 'M3GAN' Is On The Way
Directed by Gerard Johnstone, “M3GAN” has already earned $45 million worldwide against its $12 million budget. You don’t need to be a robot powered by artificial intelligence to appreciate those numbers, so it should come as no surprise that a sequel is already in development, according to IGN. (No word as to whether it will be called “M4GAN.”)
Additionally, there are already plans afoot to release an unrated cut of the film, as the theatrical version was toned down a bit so that the teenagers who fell in love with the trailer could see it in the theater. While there’s no further details about when that will happen, expect the body count to be even higher.
“No shade to Universal, love them, and I understand that once the trailer went viral, teenagers got involved and you want them to be able to see it,” said Cooper in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “There should be an unrated version at some point. I heard it is on the books. But yes, it was way gorier. Her body count in the script was higher than in the movie.”
The success of the film is very good news in a world where franchises lead the way and Universal's chief rival, Walt Disney (DIS) has a sort of endless amount of sequels and spin-offs it can produce. And while one horror franchise alone isn't exactly the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it does give Universal a property it can use at its theme parks (Halloween Horror Nights is almost a lock) and perhaps as a TV franchise as well.
