Why A $39 Million Horror Sequel Flop Is Dominating Netflix's Charts

4 days ago 2

Published Jan 30, 2026, 4:20 PM EST

Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.

He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.

Blumhouse expected to have a huge hit on its hands when M3GAN 2.0 hit theaters last year. The sequel came as quickly as possible after the 2022 original became a surprise phenomenon. Made for only $12 million, M3GAN made $181.8 million at the worldwide box office. Blumhouse's swift movement to bring the dancing and killing AI robot back was a no-brainer.

Then M3GAN 2's release last June happened. Carrying a higher budget ($15M-$25M), the weight of a prime summer release, and Blumhouse's ambitious franchise plans (a spinoff, Soulm8te, was already filmed and finished), the sequel crumbled. M3GAN 2 received worse reviews and bombed at the box office, making only $39 million worldwide.

The response was disastrous for Blumhouse. Jason Blum had to address the failure, saying, "We classically over-thought how powerful people's engagement was with her." The studio then removed Soulm8te from its slate entirely. Six months later, M3GAN 2.0 has found new life at long last.

M3GAN 2.0 Has Been Netflix's #1 Movie For Days

After making its streaming debut on Peacock last September, the Universal and Blumhouse production moved over to Netflix on January 26. Lo and behold, this proved to be the moment audiences started to embrace the film. M3GAN 2.0 hit the top of Netflix's streaming charts by the very next morning in the United States.

The movie has held this spot now for several days. Currently, we're on day four of M3GAN 2 being Netflix's most-streamed movie. It's managed to stay ahead of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's crime-thriller The Rip, Netflix's all-time most-watched movie KPop Demon Hunters, and every entry in the James Bond franchise, among other titles.

There's no streaming viewership data currently available for M3GAN 2 to show exactly how many people are tuning into the film. But its chart-topping popularity on Netflix is one way that the sequel has finally gained the attention that Blumhouse expected from the get-go.

Why Audiences Are Finally Giving M3GAN 2.0 A Chance

Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno) focused in M3GAN 2.0

The current interest in M3GAN 2 is both surprising and expected after its poor theatrical release. The first movie's reception proved that audiences liked its combination of sci-fi and horror. And even if you haven't rewatched M3GAN since then, the AI's dancing and killing likely stuck with you.

The sequel's popularity can largely be attributed to the ease of accessibility that Netflix provides. Rather than needing to drive to a theater at a specific time and pay for tickets, M3GAN 2 can be streamed whenever someone wants. They can pause it for any reason and finish it later, too. And with it sitting atop Netflix's charts, that level of visibility helps, too.

This is also a sign of viewers being more willing to check out a less-well-received film on streaming instead of going to theaters. Since M3GAN 2 only has a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics, it lost some of its demand to see it right away. Electing to wait until the movie is on a streaming service you're already paying for makes checking out a movie like this less risky.

Ultimately, M3GAN 2.0 has proven to be quite the hit with Netflix subscribers. Perhaps that will lead the streamer to resurrect the canceled spinoff next.