Text with M3GAN and clock in at the Severance office — immersive experiences are changing how we watch

The internet's favourite killer AI doll is back in theatres and this time, viewers can slide into M3GAN's DMs during screenings to text with a chatbot version of the character. Will it set a new low for theatre etiquette, or is it just another innovative way audiences are being invited to actively participate?  

The sci-fi horror movie went viral in 2022 thanks to the doll's killer dance moves, and now it's being re-released in the U.S. for one night only as part of Blumhouse Productions' Halfway to Halloween festival on April 30, and to hype the sequel, M3GAN 2.0, coming out June 27. 

Viewers of the re-release will be able to use their phones to interact with a chatbot version of the title character powered by Meta's new Movie Mate technology.

And the M3GAN chatbot isn't the only innovation on offer as we move from an era where we passively sit and watch and into one where we're encouraged to interact with our entertainment. Immersive experiences for shows like the Apple TV+ hit Severance are transporting fans into fictional worlds. Experts say these marketing strategies can help build engagement, but also note authenticity is key.

The first M3GAN film garnered a lot of attention online, going viral on social media and contributing to its box-office success. Three years later, the sequel seems to be striving to recreate that same momentum.

By sending a direct message to the internet's favourite killer doll on Instagram, viewers attending the M3GAN re-releases will be able to access exclusive content, trivia and behind-the-scenes info.

Kristen Duke, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Toronto, says the fact that the screenings are a one-night-only event introduces an element of scarcity, and enhances the value and excitement people could feel. 

"Part of the goal will be to kind of stimulate conversation afterward, like, 'I had this crazy interaction with the M3GAN bot,' " she said.

Duke also noted that this may be specifically intended to attract Gen Z consumers, because they're already in the habit of using their phones as a second screen.  

"That might be a new way of the future," she said.

Duke also points out that M3GAN's chatbot gambit could mean that if people are busy on their phones, they might miss details in the film.

"If you were kind of in the flow of the story, you were narratively transported, we would say," she said. "Then switching to your phone and doing a slightly different task will kind of break you out of that."

New York-based film and pop culture critic Kristen Maldonado says that while viewers might find it interesting to be able to access exclusive content or additional information, encouraging them to do that while texting a chatbot as a movie plays is "a little dangerous," because it makes it more socially acceptable to use phones in a dark theatre.

"Maybe there's a different way that could be done, where you're still getting that experience but not taking away from what's on the actual silver screen," Maldonado said.