Following the disappointing performance of M3GAN 2, the sequel will head straight to streaming instead of theaters.

M3GAN 2.0 may not have made waves like its predecessor, but that hasn’t stopped Blumhouse and Universal from rolling out another sequel. Soulm8te is an erotic thriller headed straight to streaming, set to hit digital platforms on August 1.

This spin-off centers on a grieving software engineer (David Rysdahl) who, after losing his wife, is tasked by his tech company with an unusual job: testing an android designed to be a romantic partner, resembling a conventionally attractive blonde woman. As you might guess, things don’t go smoothly.

Following the success of Obsession, also produced by Blumhouse, comparisons between Soulm8te and its predecessor are inevitable. Both feature sad male leads entangled with dangerously obsessed women. However, Soulm8te appears to take a more outrageous approach, with its trailer showcasing a series of grisly deaths at the hands of its Terminator-like antagonist (Lily Sullivan). One scene hints at a stiletto through the mouth, while another shows a romantic rival meeting a watery end in a bathtub.

Directed by Kate Dolan (You Are Not My Mother), with a screenplay co-written by Dolan and Rafael Jordan (Salvage Marines, Taken: The Search for Sophie Parker), Soulm8te is produced by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, and distributed by Universal.

“When Blumhouse Atomic Monster first approached me about an erotic thriller set in the M3GAN-verse, I thought, are you insane?” Dolan remarked in a press release. “But something drew me in. We exist in a bizarre time where companies sell us ‘connection’ through apps, algorithms, and AI. Yet those are the same forces pulling us apart. The lonelier we get, the more dependent we become on the tools doing the pulling.” She added, “It’s a movie that knows how ridiculous it is, and I’d argue it’s best watched the way you’d enjoy Basic Instinct or Showgirls—with friends, a drink in hand, and no shame in shouting at the screen.”

Initially slated for a theatrical release when it was greenlit in June 2024, plans shifted, likely due to M3GAN 2.0’s box office performance of $39.1 million compared to its predecessor’s $181.8 million, leading to Soulm8te being shelved. Fortunately, it will still be released digitally before making its way to subscription streaming services in a few months, likely landing on Peacock given Universal’s distribution.

We’ll see if Soulm8te can outshine other films with similar themes (like Ex Machina or that Black Mirror episode featuring Domhnall Gleeson) when it debuts in August.