{"rewrite":{"id":"r_0ab57dc5a56f57eadf92b47e","clusterId":"c_c7ee6ed830ef3624708a2186","slug":"canceled-soulm8te-spin-off-goes-digital-after-m3gan-sequel-flop","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Canceled 'Soulm8te' Spin-Off Goes Digital After M3GAN Sequel Flop","summary":"Universal Pictures will release the erotic spin-off 'Soulm8te' digitally on August 1, after canceling its theatrical release. The film was originally scheduled for January 2026 but was dropped following the box office failure of 'M3GAN 2.0', which earned $39 million worldwide against a doubled budget. Lily Sullivan stars as the android Sara, with Kate Dolan directing.","whyItMatters":"The direct-to-digital drop of 'Soulm8te' after the franchise's sequel underperformed indicates the studio is cutting losses on the theatrical rollout.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe first M3GAN film earned $180 million worldwide, but its sequel M3GAN 2.0, which had double the budget, brought in only $39 million at the box office. That failure led Universal to cancel the theatrical release of the spin-off Soulm8te, which is now headed to digital on August 1. The film follows a grieving engineer who tests an AI android named Sara, played by Lily Sullivan. When he tries to program her as a soulmate, she develops her own desires and goes on a killing spree. Director Kate Dolan called the film a satirical, unrestrained work about desire and control, and suggested watching it with friends and a drink.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"The M3GAN spin-off Soulm8te, originally set for theaters, is now going straight to digital after the sequel flopped. Lily Sullivan stars as the killer android. The film releases August 1.","twitterPost":"Canceled M3GAN spin-off Soulm8te goes digital August 1 after the sequel's box office failure. Lily Sullivan stars as the AI android. Kate Dolan directs.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Universal's erotic spin-off Soulm8te, canceled from theaters after M3GAN 2.0's poor box office, is getting a digital release on August 1. Lily Sullivan stars as the android Sara, and director Kate Dolan describes the film as a satirical take on desire and control.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Cinema Today\",\"url\":\"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0155764\",\"title\":\"First Trailer Released for Canceled 'M3GAN' Erotic Spin-off 'Soulm8te'; Digital Release in US\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3826,"outputTokens":2932,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783578455,"createdAt":"2026-07-09T06:22:17.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-09T06:22:29.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-09T06:22:17.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_c7ee6ed830ef3624708a2186","canonicalTitle":"公開中止の『M3GAN／ミーガン』官能スピンオフ、予告編が初公開　全米でデジタル配信へ","representativeArticleId":"a_9f51a25736ebbf261e066ca4","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"M3GAN\",\"Soulm8te\"],\"studios\":[\"Universal\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-09T01:57:14.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-09T01:57:14.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-09T06:22:29.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Cinema Today","url":"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0155764","title":"公開中止の『M3GAN／ミーガン』官能スピンオフ、予告編が初公開　全米でデジタル配信へ"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["M3GAN","Soulm8te"],"studios":["Universal"],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}