Summary
2024 gave audiences two new movies from the Shyamalan family withTrapandThe Watchers, and M. Night Shyamalan is officially the winner of the competing films. Heading into the year,TrapandThe Watcherswere counted as two highly anticipated titles for audiences to look forward to.Trapbrought M. Night Shyamalan back to telling original stories, as the concert-set psychological thriller paired him with Josh Hartnett. His daughter, Ishana Shyamalan, also made her directorial debut withThe Watchers, adapting A.M. Shine’s fantasy book. The dual 2024 releases set up a showdown for the Shyamalan family.
AlthoughThe WatchersandTrapwere released months apart, the Shyamalan family link between them made comparisons inevitable. There was great interest to see how similar or different Ishana’s directorial style would be compared to her father’s. Furthermore, seeing how the two different movies would fare financially was also viewed as a key part inTrapandThe Watchers' box office battle. While a winner could only be predicted previously, the two movies have now both been released and received by viewers. And the response makes M. Night Shyamalan andTrapthe winner over Ishana andThe Watchers.
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M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap and Ishana Night Shyamalan’s The Watchers both utilize the same common horror/thriller trope. Here’s our breakdown.
When it comes to declaring M. Night Shyamalan andTrapthe winner, the quality on display is a big reason why. Although it might not be for everyone, M. Night still has the greater skills as a storyteller at this stage. He knew how to make his latest movie thrilling from the start all the way untilTrap’s ending, delivering a few twists along the way as usual. The movie isbolstered by a strong performance from Josh Hartnett, a great soundtrack of Lady Raven songs, and an overall strong execution of its base premise.
The Watchersis a movie that I still quite enjoyed, even if it was not as good asTrapin my book. Ishana’s fantasy thriller does a good job of setting up plenty of intrigue with its story and characters, even if its execution of the plot gets a bit messy.The learning curve of a first-time director can be seenhere and there, including when it comes to figuring outThe Watchers' endingand wrapping up the main story. It’s certainly a promising showing for Ishana as a director, but M. Night’s greater experience and filmmaking abilities are clear.
Trap Is A Bigger Box Office Success Than The Watchers
The Watchers Was A Bigger Risk
In addition to making the better movie, M. Night Shyamalan also has the bigger box office success withTrapcompared to Ishana Shyamalan’sThe Watchers.M. Night Shyamalan’s moviesare often strong bets to do well at the box office thanks to how familiar audiences are with his movies after the last few decades of surprises.Traphas so far made $45.3 million worldwideagainst its reported $30 million budget (viaDeadline). This has been done after it made $15.4 million in its opening weekend domestically. It’s made $28.6 million domestically overall and added $16.7 million internationally.
In comparison,The Watchersonly made $32.9 million at the box officeoverall. The movie had a disappointing opening weekend at only $7 million domestically. It only managed to stay in theaters for about a month, leaving its domestic box office total at just $19 million.The Watchersdid fare okay internationally by adding another $13.9 million. But,Traphas still already managed to surpassThe Watchers' box office total worldwide in less than two weeks.
It appears thatTrapis also on track to be a box office success, whereasThe Watcherswas not. Ishana’s directorial debut carried a reported budget of $30 million (viaForbes), matchingTrap, so its box office total barely managed to make more than the cost. Strictly based on its box office performance,The Watchersdid not turn a profit then, although it could still become profitable over time through VOD and other revenue streams.Trapshould be able to pass the $60 million mark it needs to be a box office success, which is a win for M. Night’s movie.
Another victory for M. Night Shyamalan andTrapagainst Ishana andThe Watcherscomes with Rotten Tomatoes. The former received stronger reviews from critics and audiences alike compared to the latter. Although critics were still mixed overall,Trapreceived a 55% score on the Tomatometer. General audiences were a bit more positive, with it receiving a 65% Audience Score from verified ratings. Those are both stronger numbers thanThe Watchersreceived.Trap’s reviewsoften praise Harnett’s performance, Shyamalan’s unique tone, and the grounded thriller elements, while the effectiveness of the humor and third-act revelations are called into question too.
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Reviews were generally a bit harsher onThe Watchers. The movieearned a 32% on the Tomatometer from critics, with the biggest criticism often being the script, which Ishana wrote. Her ability as a director to capture the creepy fantasy tone is notable, but the movie’s flaws are still apparent. Audiences were more receptive to it overall, but the 55% Audience Score is still in the “rotten” range and below how her father’s film was received. That leavesTrapas the superior film critically, even if neither Shyamalan movie managed to earn a majority of positive reviews.
2024 Is Still A Promising Tease For The Shyamalan Family’s Future
The Shyamalan’s All Have Great Futures
M. Night Shyamalan might be the family winner afterTrap, but 2024 is still a sign of how much promise exists within the family’s future overall.M. Night is still an exciting voice in Hollywoodwho can surprise in various ways.Trapis another sign that he still is more than capable of delivering solid-to-great thrillers based on his own original concepts. That is hopefully something that he will continue to explore after his work here, even if aTrapsequel happens down the road too.
M. Night Shyamalan’s next movie after Trap is not confirmed
Meanwhile, Ishana Shyamalan proved withThe Watchersthat she is someone to keep an eye on as her career continues. The experience gained by writing and directing her first feature film is invaluable. There is reason to believe, or hope, thatIshana will only grow as a filmmakerin the years to come and learn all the right lessons fromThe Watchers. Perhaps this is all a necessary stepping stone to Ishana delivering a major breakthrough movie sooner than later, similar to whatThe Sixth Sensedid for M. Night’s career after directing two movies previously.
It’s also worth noting thatSaleka Shyamalan made her acting debutamongTrap’s castand showcased her talent. She might be better known for her music career at this point, but Saleka played a much larger role than expected. It’s unknown if more acting roles are in her future, butTrapsuggests that she could find success in this career path too. If that happens, the Shyamalan family could look back at 2024 andTrapandThe Watchers' releases as a significant point for them. M. Night has to be proud of his family at the very least.
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