M. Night Shyamalan’s “Trap” will be in theaters on Friday. Critics weren’t allowed to see the film, unless you were part of the interview junkets. I’m not even sure if the embargo will lift before Friday. What is Warner Bros trying to hide from us?
Variety and Deadline are now predicting a $15M weekend for “Trap.” It might actually make less money than Osgood Perkins’ “Longlegs.” Where’s the buzz for this one? It’s not like I’ve been hearing terrible things about it either. Hell, some, like The Film Stage’s Nick Newman, are saying it’s Shyamalan’s best since “The Village.”
“Trap” stars Josh Hartnett as a serial killer who takes his teenage daughter to a pop concert, only to realize the event is a ruse by the police to catch him. Shyamalan’s last film was 2023’s “Knock at the Cabin,” which opened to $14 million and ended its theatrical run with a $54M worldwide tally.
Regardless, ever since 2015’s “The Visit,” Shyamalan has self-financed his releases, while keeping the budgets very low, sometimes under $10M. Warner Bros. is only distributing “Trap,” and it might have very well been Shyamalan’s idea, as much as Warners’, to block reviews from appearing before release day.