M3GAN was an unexpected viral hit when its trailer first dropped. Fans were immediately taken by its campy, horror-filled tone and many users began making memes and reaction images of the killer doll. It seems that's emboldened Universal Pictures to begin talks on a sequel.
When audiences met the latest killer doll in the M3GAN trailer, they were immediately entranced by her. Her design is less creepy than most killer dolls, and though she hits the uncanny valley at some points, she's actually pretty cute as far as murderous automatons go. That, and her dance moves, endeared her to the internet and made the film a highly anticipated affair.
In a New York Times article about a possible merger between the two companies that produced M3GAN, Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster Productions, the possibility of a sequel was discussed. Tucked away in the article about the merger is news about a potential rising M3GAN franchise. "Universal is so pleased with how M3GAN turned out that it is already talking about a M3GAN sequel." The report also notes that M3GAN has been doing exceptionally well on social media, with the TikTok hashtag #M3GAN having been viewed 300 million times.
In the age of social media engagement and its use as a barometer for a film's potential success, this bodes very well for M3GAN. The studios already demonstrated they have faith in the project when the M3GAN release date was moved up a week from its original date. It comes as no surprise, then, that those early talks are already underway for a potential sequel.
What this sequel could be about is anyone's guess, but there is speculation that the Child's Play franchise could come to the fore. The official M3GAN and Chucky accounts on Twitter are currently beefing and acting in character as the dolls, showing that the minds behind both franchises are aware of the comparisons between the two. In light of M3GAN's success on social media, MGM even reuploaded the trailer for the 2019 remake of Child's Play, which starred Aubrey Plaza.
In the 2019 remake of Child's Play, Chucky is not a possessed doll but a more sci-fi-based rogue AI, much like M3GAN. It would not be a stretch for the two to co-exist in a shared universe, and a film featuring the two could do very well at the box office. The M3GAN sequel is still in early talks, though, so this is all just idle speculation.
M3GAN hits theaters on January 6, 2023.
Source: New York Times