Safe to say, M. Night Shyamalan is back.Glass, the highly-anticipated sequel to bothUnbreakableandSplit, is looking at a massive debut at the box office next month and could be the first huge hit of 2019. Early projections have the movie taking in at least $50 million on its opening weekend, but some analysts believe that number could be much higher.
Glasswill open on January 18 during theMartin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, which will give it a full four days to rake in the dough. According to a new report, tracking services have the sequel taking in $50 million or so, however, other industry sources say that the number will actually be as high as $75 million. That would be a tremendous start, asGlasswill have a relatively low budget, much like its predecessorSplit, which was made for just $9 million and grossed $278.4 million worldwide, making it one of the most profitable releases of 2017 overall.
This is the sort of thing thatBlumhouse Productionsis known for. They regularly turn their micro-budget horror offerings, such asThe PurgeandGet Out, into huge hits at the box office, with M. Night Shyamalan’s last two movies being prime examples. Prior toSplit, Shyamalan helped to get himself out of director’s jail with his straightforward horror flickThe Visit, which was generally well-received and grossed $98.4 million globally, working from just a $5 million budget. That helped pave the way forSplitand, ultimately,Glass, which is the sequel many have been waiting years to see. By the time it finally arrives next month, it will have been nearly two decades since Shyamalan first introduced us to his non-traditional take on superheroes.
Unbreakablewas released in 2000 as the filmmaker’s follow-up to his breakout debutThe Sixth Sense. While it was nearly impossible for him to top what had come before,Unbreakablewas seen as a success, grossing $248.1 million worldwide. The key difference being the $75 million budget.Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willisare both back as Elijah Price, aka Mr. Glass, and David Dunn respectively forGlass, who are set to meet up with James McAvoy’s Kevin Wendell Crumb, in addition to his plentiful personalities.
Much of thebox officeperformance on opening weekend will be either bolstered or hindered by the critical reception, which we don’t have just yet. There is no word on when Universal and Blumhouse are going to allow critics to seeGlass, but that reception is going to be key not only for the opening weekend, but to give this movie some legs in the weeks that follow. If it’s good, not only could that $75 million become much more realistic, but M. Night Shyamalan will have officially made one of the most impressive comebacks for a filmmaker in recent memory, if not ever.The Last Airbenderbe damned. This news was first reported byDeadline.
