Picture: Universal Pictures
The much-maligned, box-office-bomb Blumhouse sci-fi horror sequel M3GAN 2.0 is set to debut on Netflix in the US in the New Year.
The film, which saw a theatrical release in June 2025 and has been streaming on Peacock since late September, will jump to Netflix for part of its first window deal.
We can confirm that M3GAN 2.0 will be available on Netflix US starting Monday, January 26th, 2026.
Why isn’t it going to Prime Video?
For industry watchers, this arrival is a complete surprise. Since 2022, Universal Pictures has operated under a strict “Pay-1” window structure for its live-action films. Typically, a movie streams on Peacock for the first four months, moves to Prime Video for the next ten months, and then returns to Peacock. For Universal’s animated slate, it’s the exact same, but with Netflix sharing the first window deal.
Netflix is due to get all live-action Universal movies under the same deal as Prime Video, but that’s not due to happen until the beginning of 2027.
M3GAN 2.0 is breaking the chain, then. Instead of landing on Amazon’s service as expected in late January, it is heading to Netflix.
Why the change? While deals are opaque, the decision likely could indicate or imply several things. While the original M3GAN was a viral sensation, grossing $181 million, the 2025 sequel struggled significantly, pulling in roughly $39 million globally.
It could be the case that Prime Video, which pays a premium for exclusive rights to Universal’s hits (like Oppenheimer or Fast X), may have opted to pass on the window for this underperforming title. Consequently, Universal has likely licensed it to Netflix non-exclusively or as a direct replacement to recoup value and put the franchise in front of the largest possible audience.
If you want to make a bigger leap, you may know that a spin-off movie titled SOULM8TE was initially scheduled to release in January 2026, but was removed from the schedule earlier this month and is now being shopped around. Has Netflix licensed this movie to gauge audience interest and maybe acquire the spin-off, or was the deal with Netflix in place ahead of time to drum up interest in the planned initial theatrical release?
What is M3GAN 2.0 about?
The sequel picks up a few years after the original. Gemma (Allison Williams) is now an AI safety advocate. Still, trouble brews when a defense contractor uses stolen code to create a new, military-grade android named AMELIA (played by Ivanna Sakhno). When AMELIA goes rogue, Gemma is forced to do the unthinkable: resurrect and upgrade the original M3GAN (Amie Donald / voiced by Jenna Davis) to fight the new threat.
The movie notably shifts from a horror tone to a very much action one, which was in part to blame for the disastrous box-office performance, something Jason Blum firmly took responsibility for in one of the best podcast episodes of the year in Hollywood. We’re referring to when he dissected the performance on The Town with Matthew Belloni.
Will you be giving the sequel a chance when it hits Netflix on January 26th? Let us know in the comments!
