Early predictions had Glass tracking for a four-day domestic opening weekend of between $50 million... [+]
Ever since Unbreakable hit theaters in 2000, fans of the movie have been hankering for a sequel. Glass completes what turned out to be a trilogy set in that universe but now they have what they wanted, have they embraced it and put their money where their money where their mouths are?
While there’s a disappointingly muted critical reaction to Glass, there’s been a healthy response to the movie at the box office. Despite coming in under expectations, its topped Shyamalan’s 2017 release, Split.
So, now audiences have had a chance to look at Glass and find out if it gleams as much as they’d hoped, how has it faired in its domestic box office debut compared to Shyamalan's previous movies? I take a look.
All figures are domestic and unadjusted for inflation unless stated otherwise.
12. Wide Awake (Miramax) 1998
Opening Weekend: $95,875
Total Box Office: $282,175
You’ve probably never heard of this movie. It’s a comedy-drama that starred Denis Leary, Dana Delany, Joseph Cross, and Rosie O'Donnell as well as Julia Stiles in one of her earliest roles. Written seven years, and released three years, before it saw the light of day, Wide Awake was not a success - it cost $6 million to make and grossed just $282,175 at the box office.
11. Lady in the Water (Warner Bros) 2006
Opening Weekend: $18.04 million
Total Box Office: $42. 29 million
Critics did not get on board with this story of a superintendent of a Philadelphia apartment complex who discovers a young woman in the swimming pool. Making $72 million at the worldwide box office, over half of that was domestic take, against a $70 million production budget, it was not a hit. The good news is that Lady in the Water garnered some awards attention. The bad news it was mostly for the Golden Raspberry Awards and the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.
10. The Visit (Universal) 2015
Opening Weekend: $25.43 million
Total Box Office: $65.21 million
Heralded as a return to creative form for M. Night Shyamalan, this found footage horror film about to two kids whose stay with their estranged grandparents takes a turn for the strange, generally received positive reviews. It cost $5 million to make and grossed $98.5 million at the worldwide box office. The Visit marked Shyamalan’s first partnership with producer Jason Blum and his company, Blumhouse Productions, that has continued with Split and Glass.
9. The Sixth Sense (Buena Vista) 1999
Opening Weekend: $26.68 million
Total Box Office: $293.51 million
The Sixth Sense, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, was the movie that put M. Night Shyamalan on the map. The film, which became a pop culture phenomenon and was nominated for six Oscars, was about a child who claims to be able to see dead people and the child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe who tries to help him. Strong reviews and one of the greatest twists in the history of cinema helped The Sixth Sense gross $672.8 million against a $40 million budget. It has become a classic movie.
8. After Earth (Sony) 2013
Opening Weekend: $27.52 million
Total Box Office: $60.52 million
Mauled by critics, After Earth was based on an original story idea by Will Smith and starred him as well as his son, Jaden. Set in the 31st century, it was about a high-ranking general and his kid, who, after an incident during a spaceflight, have to fight for survival on a hostile planet - Earth. It grossed $243 million against a production budget of between $130 million and $150 million - the cost of marketing the movie reportedly cost another $100 million. Intended to be the first in a trilogy, that didn’t happen.
7. Unbreakable (Buena Vista) 2000
Opening Weekend: $30.33 million
Total Box Office: $95.01 million
Having had success with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable saw Shyamalan and Bruce Willis reteam for this tale of two men who believe they may be superhuman. It also marked the fourth time Willis and co-star Samuel L. Jackson had appeared in the same movie. This deconstruction of the superhero genre, which got rave reviews from critics, is widely considered to be one of the best superhero films of all time. Unbreakable made $248.1 million at the worldwide box office against a $75 million budget.
6. The Happening (2008)
Opening Weekend: $30.52 million
Total Box Office: $64.51 million
M. Night Shyamalan’s first R-rated movie starred Mark Wahlberg as a high school teacher who, along with his wife, his best friend, and his friend's daughter, try to escape from an inexplicable natural disaster that is causing people to kill themselves. The Happening received mostly negative reviews from critics, was nominated for four Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Picture and made $163.4 million at the worldwide box office against its $48 million budget.
5. Split (Universal) 2017
Opening Weekend: $40.01 million
Total Box Office: $138.29 million
Split, the second time Shyamalan teamed up with Blumhouse Productions, was about a man with 23 different personalities who kidnaps and imprisons three teenage girls in an isolated underground facility. James McAvoy, whose performance was lauded by critics, was cast in the lead role after Joaquin Phoenix left the project. Split, made for just $9 million, took $278.5 million at the worldwide box office making it the most profitable film of 2017.
4. The Last Airbender (Paramount) 2010
Opening Weekend: $40.33 million
Total Box Office: $131.77 million
Made for $150 million, The Last Airbender made $319.7 million at the worldwide box office but was torn apart by critics and audiences alike. Based on the first season of the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, the film was criticized for everything from inconsistencies between the plot, screenplay and source material as well as the acting, writing, casting, and dialogue. The Last Airbender received nine nominations at Raspberry Awards including Worst Picture and won five gongs.
3. Glass (Universal) 2019
Opening Weekend: $40.59 million
Total Box Office: TBD
The final part in the trilogy that, as it turned out, started with Unbreakable and continued through Split, saw Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and James McAvoy to their roles as men who believe they have super-human abilities. While anticipation for Glass was high, critical response was far more lukewarm. Made for $20 million, industry insiders projected to a box office debut of between $50 million and $75 million, but even with its $40.59 domestic debut, Glass topped the box office and marked the third-best total of both Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend and of Shyamalan's career.
2. The Village (Buena Vista) 2004
Opening Weekend: $50.75 million
Total Box Office: $114.2 million
The Village grossed $256.7 million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $60 million. Its stellar cast included Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Bryce Dallas Howard, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, and Brendan Gleeson. It was about a village whose inhabitants live in fear of creatures inhabiting the woods beyond it. With mixed reviews, The Village became the tenth highest-grossing PG-13 movie of 2004. Oddly, it remains the only Shyamalan movie not available on Blu-ray.
1. Signs (Buena Vista) 2002
Opening Weekend: $60.12 million
Total Box Office: $227.97 million
The story of a former Episcopal priest, played by Mel Gibson, who discovers a series of crop circles in his cornfield, the science fiction thriller explored many themes such as themes of faith, kinship, and extraterrestrials. Signs got mixed, leaning towards positive, reviews from critics, but audiences got on board, and it took $408.2 million at the worldwide box office against a $72 million budget - to date, its Shyamalan’s second biggest box office hit behind The Sixth Sense.
Glass is in theaters now.
