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

CBC - 19/04
The internet’s favourite killer AI doll is back, and this time, movie audiences can slide into M3GAN’s DMs via chatbot technology. These and other interactive experiences that let viewers step into fictional worlds, like Lumon Industries from AppleTV's Severance, are immersive marketing strategies experts say can help build engagement among fans who crave authenticity.

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.

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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 ...
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