After Universal pulled the M3GAN spinoff Soulm8te from its release calendar, Blumhouse Atomic Monster is sending the AI sci-fi thriller straight to home video.
The title, from director and co-writer Kate Dolan (You Are Not My Mother), will launch exclusively on digital platforms starting Aug. 1.
The deal with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment follows Blumhouse’s M3GAN 2.0 bombing at the box office last summer.
Producer and Blumhouse Atomic Monster CEO Jason Blum in a statement said “Kate Dolan has expertly blended tech paranoia with erotic thriller in Soulm8te, which is just as fun as that sounds, but also has more on its mind than you might think.” M3GAN 2.0 grossed $39.1 million globally, compared to $180 million for the first installment, Gerard Johnstone’s 2023 hit M3GAN.
Soulm8te stars Lily Sullivan as an AI-powered companion hired by a grieving man (David Rysdahl). Dolan directed the movie and penned the script from a story credited to James Wan, Ingrid Bisu and Rafael Jordan. The ensemble cast includes Claudia Doumit and Arty Froushan.
Dolan in her own statement played up the virtues of a home entertainment release. “Soulm8te is a movie about that vicious cycle. It is a satirical, unhinged movie that explores desire, obsession, autonomy and control. It’s a movie that knows how ridiculous it is, and I’d argue it’s best watched the way you’d watch Basic Instinct or Showgirls now, with friends, a drink in hand, and zero shame about shouting at the screen.”
