M. Night Shyamalan's Trap Catches $16 Million, But Deadpool & Wolverine Still Rule The Box Office

Ever since M. Night Shyamalan made his triumphant comeback with 2015's low-budget horror "The Visit" (which he financed by re-mortgaging his home), it's been hard not to root for his movies at the box office. Shyamalan's filmography has had its ups ("Split") and downs ("Old") since then, but it's exciting to have a filmmaker consistently turning out original and unpredictable genre movies with a real auteur mark on them.

His latest offering, "Trap," stars Josh Hartnett as a serial killer who discovers that the pop star concert he's taken his daughter to is actually the stage for a police plot to ensnare him. It's a wild idea, inspired by an equally wild true story. Based on the opening day numbers, "Trap" will further cement Shyamalan's image as a plucky underdog by debuting in third place at the box office, behind "Twisters" (in second place) and the Marvel titan team-up "Deadpool & Wolverine."

Third place isn't as bad as it sounds. Per Deadline, "Trap" grossed $6.6 million on its opening day and is heading for an estimated $16 million opening weekend, which is in line with earlier projections. That's a decent start for a movie with a reported $30 million budget — which, according to Variety, was once again largely self-financed by Shyamalan. It's a similar start to the director's 2021 movie "Old" ($16.8 million) and his 2023 thriller "Knock at the Cabin" ($14.1 million). There definitely seems to be a baseline population of Shyamafans who reliably show up for Shyamalan's movies as soon as they hit theaters. (Full disclosure: I'm one of them.)

The mammoth opening weekend for "Deadpool & Wolverine" could have been setting the movie up for a big second weekend drop, especially since so much of the marketing has been driven by the promise of surprise Marvel character cameos. "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," which rode in on a similar wave of buzz, both dropped 67% in their sophomore weekend. However, it looks like the dynamic duo of Wade Wilson and James "Logan" Howlett are enjoying a smoother downwards curve with an estimated 56% drop compared to last week's debut. Friday's $28.3 million total puts them on track to add another $94 million to the domestic total this weekend.

Meanwhile, disaster movie "Twisters" is also holding up well in its third weekend after managing to resist being totally crushed by "Deadpool & Wolverine" last week. The film, which stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell as flirty storm-chasers, is set to hold on to the No. 2 spot this weekend as it adds around $22 million to its North American box office total. 

With animated holdovers "Inside Out 2" and "Despicable Me 4" rounding out the top five, it finally feels like the summer box office has arrived. It arrived a little too late for AMC Theatres, which posted a $32.8 million loss in the second quarter of 2024. But CEO Adam Aron reassured shareholders by pointing out that "the quarter finished with incredible strength" thanks to "Inside Out 2." For the sake of exhibitors everywhere, let's hope ticket sales stay strong as the year's hottest box office season continues.