M3gan also killed at the box office, to the tune of $180 million against a modest $12 million budget. There’s a pointed cleverness to the way returning director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper evolve their murderous doll’s story with M3gan 2.0. Like many horror sequels, though, M3gan 2.0 has a tough time living up to its predecessor as it brings back the original cast to take on a few new AI threats. While M3gan 2.0 has its moments, the original’s novelty feels lacking here because of how preoccupied it is with aping elements of bigger, blockbuster-type sci-fi features. And despite the increased scale and ambition — and the 2.0 in the title — the sequel doesn’t end up feeling like much of an upgrade.