M3GAN spin-off Soulm8te is shelved

The M3GAN cinematic universe just received a devastating blow to its future

It's undeniable that M3GAN 2.0, the sequel to the divalicious sci-fi horror film from Blumhouse featuring a sentient killer robot, bombed at the box office. Unlike its predecessor, which raked in $180 million at the box office, M3GAN 2.0 skimmed just underneath the $40 million mark. A considerable difference, which suggests that the first film truly was a one-hit wonder for this campy horror franchise.

Unfortunately for those like myself, who were eagerly down to clown for a M3GAN cinematic universe, it looks as though M3GAN 2.0's bombing has also affected its spin-off: Soulm8te, which was recently dropped from Universal Pictures' release calendar.

Directed by Kate Dolan, this psychological thriller follows a man who, after the loss of his wife, creates a sentient AI android to replace her. Only, in typical sci-fi-horror fashion, his creation turns deadly, and he and those around him are forced to deal with the lethal consequences.

Soulm8te was to be set in the same universe as M3GAN, which, if you ask us, after seeing a kid's toy used as a weapon for mass destruction, raises the question of why on earth anyone in that same universe would want to create a sentient lovebot. But who are we to judge?

With zero marketing materials outside the teaser trailer, and the film originally set to debut in theaters on Jan. 8 in 2026, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse's decision to pull Soulm8te from its release calendar isn't all that surprising. According to Deadline, the film is expected to be shopped to other studios, which means that it may see the light of day eventually — but not anytime soon.

Speaking to podcast The Town, Blumhouse founder Jason Blum opened up about why he felt the M3GAN sequel had flopped so hard.

"We all thought Megan was like Superman. We could do anything to her. We could change genres. We could put her in the summer. We could make her look different. We could turn her from a bad guy into a good guy. And we classically overthought how powerful people’s engagement was with her."

We can't help but agree. As fun as it was to see M3GAN go through a superhero transformation in the sequel — while still keeping her razor-sharp wit intact — it was a far cry from the sci-fi horror established in the original. We enjoy a good action-sci-fi-comedy mash-up, but M3GAN had won the hearts of horror fans, and what they received in 2025 was a far cry from that original premise.

Still, Soulm8te's concept was fascinating, and unlike M3GAN 2.0, it was marketed as a psychological horror-thriller. Could this have been the film Blumhouse needed to put the M3GAN cinematic universe back on track? We may never know.