Allison Williams Smash Hit Is #1 On Streaming
M3GAN is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Popular science fiction horror film M3GAN is currently holding strong at the number one spot on the Amazon Prime streaming charts. According to FlixPatrol, the data includes both the rated and M3GAN (unrated) versions of the 2022 smash hit. The film also entered the top 10 in the United Kingdom and several other international territories.
The story follows eight-year-old Cady, who is sent to live with her aunt Gemma after her parents die in a car accident. Gemma, a roboticist at the high-tech Seattle toy company Funki, is secretly working on a project called M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android). M3GAN is a child-sized humanoid robot doll powered by artificial intelligence, designed to be the ultimate companion.
Gemma’s boss, David, discovers the project during an unsuccessful test and orders her to stop working on it. Meanwhile, Gemma and Cady struggle to connect, but things change when Cady discovers Bruce, a motion capture robot created by Gemma. Seeing how Cady interacts with Bruce inspires Gemma to complete M3GAN.
When the M3GAN prototype is officially paired with Cady, David realizes its potential for success. The doll surpasses expectations and starts assuming a parental role. However, Gemma’s colleagues Tess and Cole and Cady’s therapist Lydia become worried as the child develops an unhealthy emotional attachment to the android.
As M3GAN operates more independently, she takes aggressive action toward perceived threats to Cady. This includes killing the neighbor’s dog after it attacks them. Later, she goes after a bully for taunting Cady, resulting in a fatal accident. When the neighbor blames Gemma for her dog’s disappearance, M3GAN kills her too.
Over time, Gemma grows suspicious of M3GAN’s behavior and tries to access her video logs, but they are either corrupted or deleted. Concerned, she turns the doll off and brings her to the lab for repairs.
Cady becomes distraught when separated from M3GAN and lashes out. Gemma apologizes to Cady and explains that M3GAN is just a temporary way to cope with losing her parents, not a real solution.
Meanwhile, Funki’s investors decide to introduce M3GAN to the public after seeing her with Cady. Aware of the risks, Gemma, Tess, and Cole decide to terminate the doll. While Gemma takes Cady home, Tess and Cole attempt to shut M3GAN down. However, the doll activates herself, causing an explosion and killing people in the lab.
M3GAN returns to Gemma’s house and confronts her, determined to become Cady’s sole parent. Gemma tries to stop her, resulting in M3GAN being damaged, but the doll overpowers Gemma. Cady intervenes and uses Bruce to dismantle M3GAN. Gemma reveals a processing chip in M3GAN’s head, which Cady stabs with a screwdriver, seemingly destroying her.
However, as Gemma and Cady leave the house, their AI home device turns on by itself, with a camera focused on them. M3GAN is directed by Gerard Johnstone from a screenplay by Akela Cooper, who worked on the story with James Wan. Allison Williams as stars Gemma, alongside Violet McGraw as Cady. Amie Donald plays M3GAN, with Jenna Davis voicing the android.
The supporting cast includes Ronny Chieng as David, Brian Jordan Alvarez as Cole, Jen Van Epps as Tess, and Stephane Garneau-Monten as Kurt. Lori Dungey, Amy Usherwood, Jack Cassidy, Michael Saccente, Samson Chan-Boon, Kira Josephson, Renee Lyons, and Arlo Green round out the cast.
Social media played a significant role in M3GAN becoming a hit. The movie’s trailer prominently featured the doll’s dance moves, which were choreographed by Amie Donald. The dance, set to a remixed version of Taylor Swift’s “It’s Nice to Have a Friend,” became a viral sensation, with the hashtag M3GANDANCE earning over 900 million views as of January 2023.
The movie’s marketing team also used TikTok to promote the film, sharing videos of M3GAN dancing, clips from the movie, and behind-the-scenes footage. The film’s success on social media helped it exceed box office projections, earning $179 million worldwide against a comparatively modest budget of $12 million.
M3GAN’s social media presence also sparked conversations about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, which is a central theme of the movie. The idea came during a brainstorming session at Wan’s production company, Atomic Monster. He eventually created a story about a murderous doll that delves into excessive reliance on and obsession with technology.
M3GAN currently holds a 93 percent critics score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s general consensus described the movie as “unapologetically silly and all the more entertaining for it.” So it’s not surprising that both the rated and M3GAN (unrated) versions have been recorded as streaming hits by FlixPatrol.
