As M3GAN ramps up its marketing, it seems like everyone has an opinion on the sci-fi take on the killer doll formula. Surprisingly, this includes Chucky from Child's Play, as the two franchises are engaged in a war of the words online.Audiences met the latest killer doll when the first Megan trailer dropped last week. The rough plot of the movie features a genius roboticist named Gemma (Allison Williams) who unexpectedly gains custody of her orphaned niece Katie. Gemma gets the idea to introduce Katie to M3GAN, a project from work that's supposed to be a child's best friend, except M3GAN proves to be more protective of Katie than Gemma intended.In a series of tweets, the meetM3GAN account acted in character as it tried to take down the ChuckyIsReal account. The latter actually started the feud by retweeting the trailer and writing the caption, "everybody's tryna be me." The meetM3GAN account linked a tweet which compiled the beef and simply wrote, "and now back to this doll who had a lot to say about me the other day in the press, @ChuckyIsReal what’s good?" a reference to Nicki Minaj's verbal comeback to Miley Cyrus at the 2015 VMAs.
The tweet is a fun bit of viral marketing. When the M3GAN trailer first dropped, the immediate response was to compare the film to the Child's Play franchise. The killer doll remains timeless, so it makes sense to pit the two against each other. M3GAN has also gained a viral following on Twitter in the subsequent days, particularly among the LGBTQ+ community on the platform. The shady, parody responses to Chucky seem to be playing into the campy nature that some have noted in the film.
Overall, the accounts hint at more to come. The Chucky series is in its second season, and if the M3GAN film does well, perhaps there could be a crossover between the two franchises in the same vein as Freddy vs. Jason. The Chucky series features Chucky being oddly paternal and protective of a troubled boy, and that could be a perfect jumping-off point for M3GAN to come in and for the two to fight over 'custody' of the child.
One thing is for certain: M3GAN is one of the more inspired bits of viral marketing as of late. The M3GAN team has taken what could be seen as a weakness and embraced it, allowing fans to see the film and Child's Play as related franchises, but also showing fans that M3GAN has its own identity.
M3GAN hits theaters on January 13, 2023.
Source: meetM3GAN/Twitter