M3GAN 2.0 is a wildly fun sequel. Not only does everyone's favorite killer robot return, but this time she's turned into a hero – very much mirroring T2: Judgment Day. Also similarly to Terminator, the vibe of the movie has totally changed. Instead of being horror, it's now more of an action comedy (that still has some great thriller moments).
With wild costumes, great jokes, and even a musical number, M3GAN 2.0 is absolutely bombastic and pure camp. So it makes sense that its premiere would be filled with just as much energy and excitement. I was able to attend one of the film's Austin, Texas premiere screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse cinema. Here's what it was like inside Alamo's joyous costumed M3GAN screening.
They had funM3GANgoodies
When we arrived at the theater, everyone got a free pin set exclusively from Alamo. The set includes M3gan's iconic paper cutter, a portrait of M3gan with Cady, and more. I'm already planning the perfect spots for my pins (and im pretty sure one will be secretly going on my roommate's backpack just for fun).
Fans were also able to purchase M3gan popcorn buckets. Within the last few years, popcorn bucket collecting has become a HUGE trend. From Nosferatu's coffin to the Dune sandworm bucket that set the internet ablaze, popcorn buckets are the cinephile's answer to the Labubu craze – and personally, I love it. Bring on the popcorn!
Costumes weren't just allowed, they were encouraged
The audience was encouraged to dress up in their best M3gan outfits, and it was fun to see the different costumes. Some came dressed up just like M3gan from the movie, from her iconic white dress in the first film, to her new pink bob in the sequel.
Others put their own spin on it, dressing up like goth dolls or in a girlcore style. The best-dressed of the group were even invited in front of the audience to take part in a costume contest and a M3gan dance competition.
The M3gans put on a show
Before the film started, the three best-dressed M3gans went before the audience to have a costume contest and to try and do their best M3gan dance. As all horror fans remember, the iconic dance from the first movie didn't just become a meme, it became a cultural moment and dominated everything from social media to Universal Studios Horror Nights and more.
It was really fun to watch the M3gans try their best – especially since nobody was given any time to practice beforehand. They had to go completely from memory, which made it a lot of fun and created one very chaotic dance competition.
The main event was the film
Obviously, the main reason we were all there was to see the highly anticipated new M3gan movie, and I seriously loved it. In fact, this might be a hot take...but thanks to its fantastic humor (that was literally laugh-out-loud), I think I enjoyed it more than the first film. At one point, M3gan even breaks out into song, which had the entire theater laughing. It's great to see that Blumhouse is fully embracing camp in its newest movie.