A techy thriller originally billed as a spin-off of the M3GAN series that was supposed to hit movie theaters in early January has been pulled from the release schedule. SOULM8TE was originally supposed to premiere on January 9, 2026, but Universal has canceled the release and may in fact be trying to sell the film to another studio.
Deadline broke the news that the erotic sci-fi thriller, from horror studios Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, would not be hitting its original planned release date on December 16, just a few weeks ahead of what would’ve been the opening.
Directed by Kate Dolan, SOULM8TE was said to be connected to M3GAN, the killer robot doll movie that became a surprise sensation in 2022 and which was followed-up by an underwhelming sequel, M3GAN 2.0, this past summer. Starring The Boys‘ Claudia Doumit, the film followed a grieving widower who attempts to use an AI-powered android companion to recreate his deceased wife. His efforts turn a sexbot into a sentient killer.
In a sense, it’s not the biggest surprise that SOULM8TE got pulled from the theatrical calendar. There hasn’t been a trailer or really any marketing for the film, which suggests this move might’ve been in the works for a while. A different genre movie, Paramount’s killer ape flick Primate, had previously claimed the January 9 release date, and it would’ve been odd for two movies with a similar audience to compete on the same weekend.
Deadline reports that Universal is shopping the film to other studios, which is typically a sign that a studio doesn’t have a ton of faith in a film.
M3GAN 2.0‘s Shaky Box Office May Be the Culprit
M3GAN, which starred Allison Williams as a genius inventor who creates a doll that talks and does TikTok dances and kills people, made $180 million when it came out in January 2022. It was a surprise sensation, and it made sense that there would be a sequel, 2025’s M3GAN 2.0, and a spin-off. SOULM8TE was originally announced in the summer of 2024, and principle filming was complete by the end of that year. Since then, however, M3GAN 2.0 hit theaters this summer and made just $39 million despite costing twice as much to make as the original. It was one of the more notable flops of the summer box office, largely attributed to a sense that the film’s efforts to turn M3GAN from a fun villain to sassy antihero were misguided, as well as the pressure of being a summer tentpole rather than a lower-stakes January surprise.
Given that Universe just got egg on its face with a M3GAN movie, one could understand why SOULM8TE was no longer a priority for them.
However, despite the failure of M3GAN 2.0 and whatever this means for SOULM8TE, Universal, Blumhouse, and Atomic Monster finished out 2025 pretty well. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and The Conjuring: Last Rites were both sizable hits.
