Thought M3GAN was done? Spin-off is happening after 2.0 bombed at the box office

Well, here we go again — M3GAN is getting new life, even if her last outing on the big screen didn’t exactly set the world alight. Instead of a cinema return (for now), the killer doll is turning up in a completely new form: comic books. Blumhouse has struck a deal with IDW Publishing, meaning we’re about to get even more murderous android shenanigans, only now on paper.

Blumhouse isn’t just tossing M3GAN onto the shelves alone. They’ve partnered up with IDW Dark, IDW’s newly minted horror comics label, to create comics based on some of their biggest scary franchises. That means, along with M3GAN stalking her way through some illustrated panels, there’ll also be comics for The Purge and Happy Death Day.

M3GAN Heads to School?

Here’s where things get a bit strange (and, frankly, rather fun): the new M3GAN comic looks set to pick up with Katie — you remember, the traumatised kid from the first film — and follow her as she grows up. Editor Heather Antos hinted at this direction, saying M3GAN will have to adapt to different parts of Katie’s life, maybe even as she becomes a teenager and ends up in high school. Get ready for your next batch of prom night trauma, I suppose.

Antos didn’t exactly confirm much — talk of M3GAN going to prom is wishful thinking from her at this stage, not an officially planned plot, but it’s floating about in the creative ether. Still, nobody knows who’s actually going to be behind the comic, and there’s no release date yet, so as usual with these things, don’t start queueing outside your local comic shop just yet.

Antos told Entertainment Weekly her team is excited to 'explore more stories within these established worlds.'

Box Office Woes — and Opportunity

All this comes suspiciously soon after M3GAN 2.0 faceplanted at the box office. The sequel, which lumbered into cinemas last year, brought in just about $39.1 million globally. That’s a sharp nosedive compared to the original’s whopping $181.8 million haul back in 2022.

M3GAN 2.0 pulled in just $39.1 million — miles off from the original’s take.

With those numbers, it’s no shock that Blumhouse is eyeing new playgrounds for their IP. The comics might just help keep M3GAN in the spotlight, even if ticket sales are going the other way.

Who’s Doing What

In case you’re wondering where else this partnership is heading, here’s the brief line-up:

• The Purge: First out the gate, written by Dan Watters, art by Juan José Ryp.
• Happy Death Day: Tim Seeley is pencilled in as writer.
• M3GAN: Details on the creative team are still under wraps.

There’s a bit of a quid pro quo, too — Blumhouse will adapt one of IDW Dark’s own horror comics, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, for a film. So, both sides are trading in each other’s nightmares. IDW already knows their way round a film spin-off as well, having done comics for A Quiet Place and Smile in the past.