Since its August 2 debut,M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller,Trap, has had a less-than-impressive beginning to life on the theatrical circuit. However, after four days, the movie is about to pass its next domestic box office milestone, with a$20 million US haul imminent. Currently, the movie sits on$19,348,423 at the domestic box office, with its current trend of daily takings suggesting that it will pass the aforementioned milestone in less than 24 hours. Internationally, the film has already returned $4.6 million, taking its worldwide total to just shy of $24 million.
Horror hasn’t been the most successful genre at this year’s Box Office, but it has seen some hits. Most recently, a bout of genius viral marketing sent Neon’sLonglegsflying to success, with the movie still pulling in decent numbers in the daily rankings despite being in theaters for nearly a month. Turning in awhopping $83 million so faron an estimated budget of less than $10 million,Longlegsis the sort of blueprintTrapwould love to follow. Still, the Shyamalan horror mystery has yet to prove it is able to keep up. August is always the toughest summer month to produce ticket sales, made even harder in 2024 by the sheer dominance ofDeadpool and Wolverine.
‘Trap’ Isn’t the Great Director’s Best Offering
M. Night Shyamalan is known as a divisive director, but it is unquestionable that, at his best, he can produce a masterpiece.Trap, sadly, is the veteran not at his best, with a frustrating script leading to amystery that lacks the atmosphere it so desperately requires. That isn’t to say the movie is without merit, especially when it comes to starJosh Hartnettwho dazzles as the Janus Cooper. In hisreview of the movie for Collider, Ross Bonaime said:
“There isn’t the building fear or tension that this film needs, and when it does seem close to hitting its potential, Shyamalan gets in his own way. For the man who used to be able to makeSamuel L. Jacksonor footage of an alien at a child’s birthday party a truly unnerving experience, he now struggles with making a trapped serial killer an intriguing affair. Trap isn’t Shyamalan’s worst by a longshot, and it certainly has its moments, but seeing those glimpses of the old Shyamalan almost makes things worse. At this point in his career, Shyamalan’s biggest twist is his inability to utilize the tools that once made him such a promising filmmaker.”
Trapis about to pass the $20 million mark at the US Box Office. You can grab tickets to watch the movie in theaters right now.
Trap is a film by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan under his Blinding Edge Pictures label. The film is part of a deal struck with Warner Bros for him to direct and produce several films under their banner.
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