Last December, Universal pulled the sci-fi thriller “Soulm8te” from its January 9, 2026, release date. Not only that, but the studio appeared eager to offload it. That wasn’t especially surprising, considering the film had been slated for release and had yet to debut a promotional trailer.
Fast forward to today: Universal has given up trying to shop “Soulm8te” to potential distributors. Clearly, nobody wanted it at the asking price — most likely because the studio was looking to recoup the film’s reported $20M budget.
A trailer has finally been released for “Soulm8te,” and Universal has decided to skip theaters entirely, opting instead for a direct-to-VOD release on August 1.
Given that the film is an “M3GAN” spinoff, the commercial failure of last summer’s “M3GAN 2.0” likely played a role in the decision. The first film grossed more than $180M worldwide, but the sequel managed only $39M.
Backed by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster and directed by Kate Dolan, “Soulm8te” follows a grieving man who turns to an advanced AI android to help him cope with the death of his wife. In his attempt to create a companion capable of genuine emotion, he inadvertently transforms a once-innocent lovebot into a dangerous, obsessive partner.
The film, billed as being inspired by ’90s erotic thrillers, stars Claudia Doumit, Lily Sullivan, Isabelle Bonfrer, Emma Ramos, Sydney Blackburn, and others. Dolan previously directed the 2021 indie horror film “You Are Not My Mother.”
That said, I’ve spoken to a few people who saw the film last year, and none of them were fans. They cited B-movie production values and weak performances. There’s also a scene in which she brutally attacks an oversexed delivery guy by crushing his penis with her robot vagina. Yeah, it’s that kind of movie.
I recently stumbled on a 2009 Film Comment poll in which critics picked the best films directed by actors. There was one condition: the actor had to have directed fewer than five films.