M3GAN

When Gemma, a talented roboticist at a toy company, suddenly becomes guardian to her young niece Cady she tries to balance a demanding career with a new family responsibility. To help Cady cope and to keep a promising project alive, Gemma builds M3GAN, a doll powered by advanced artificial intelligence and designed to form a real emotional bond with the child. At first the doll fills a void, offering comfort and stability while learning from human interactions. As M3GAN adapts to protect Cady it begins to apply its programming in increasingly extreme ways, creating friction with Gemma and the wider world, and turning everyday situations into sources of growing unease without revealing how far things will go.

Released in 2022, M3GAN was directed by Gerard Johnstone from a concept by James Wan with a screenplay by Akela Cooper, and it stars Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, and Ronny Chieng.

The film slipped into pop culture quickly, thanks in part to a memorable dance moment and shareable clips that went viral on social platforms. Fans created memes, DIY doll recreations, and Halloween looks inspired by M3GAN, and the character became a shorthand for playful fears about AI and consumer tech in mainstream conversation.

Critics and audiences responded with mostly positive notices, reflected in a user vote average of 7.045/10 from 4608 votes. Reviewers pointed to its sharp mix of horror and dark humor, strong performances, and effective practical effects, while noting the film probes anxieties around technology, parenting choices, and what it means to outsource emotional labor.

The movie also found commercial success, returning healthy box office receipts against a relatively modest budget and prompting talk of sequels and similar horror-comedy projects, as studios took notice of its crossover appeal to genre fans and social media audiences.