It took over seven weeks, but James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” has finally been knocked off its No. 1 slot at the domestic box office. The winner this weekend was M. Night Shyamalan’s newest film, “Knock at the Cabin.” The film came in at No. 1, grossing $14.2 million domestically, per Box Office Mojo.
‘Knock At The Cabin’ Comes In At No. 1, Tops ‘Avatar’ Over The Weekend
Granted, it’s highly unlikely that Cameron is going to be crying over the news. “The Way of Water” spent eight weekends at the top of the box office heap. The film gained another $10.8 million domestically this weekend, bringing its current domestic total to $636.4 million. Its total worldwide take is $2.174 billion, and that number is only climbing. Not to mention, the film was just nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for Best Picture.
However, “The Way of Water” did not come in second this weekend. Coming in at No. 2 was a new comedy, “80 For Brady,” which did well, making $12.5 million for its opening frame, coming in just closely behind “Knock at the Cabin.”
While $14.2 million may not seem high for “Knock at the Cabin,” especially compared to Shyamalan’s breakout hit, “The Sixth Sense,” making $26.6 million when it opened in August 1999, one thing the movie has going for is its lower budget. The film only cost about $20 million to produce, per Variety. So its expense is nowhere near the level of most modern blockbusters, so its breakeven point is going to be much easier to achieve.
“80 For Brady” also only has a reported cost of about $28 million, so the film was not a big spend for Paramount Pictures. It should not have a problem at least breaking even while it’s in theaters.
“Knock at the Cabin” only did modestly well with critics, scoring 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s audience score is even lower at 64%. So considering these metrics, the film still opening number one is a feather in its cap. Unfortunately, Shyamalan wasn’t able to achieve the more recent box office success he had with “Split” ($40 million) in 2016 and its 2019 sequel “Glass” ($40.3 million). Both films served as follow-ups to Shyamalan’s 2000 sci-fi thriller “Unbreakable.” His last movie, 2021’s “Old,” also had a higher opening weekend at $16.8 million.
Elsewhere, DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” came in at fourth with another $8 million. That puts its domestic take at over $151 million and is now officially ahead of the 2011 film’s domestic total of $149 million. Despite a rather small opening, “The Last Wish” has truly overcome the odds and become a huge word-of-mouth success story at the box office.
The film was also recently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It’s currently sitting at $368 million at the global box office.
Shyamalan’s “Knock at the Cabin” is in theaters now. The film stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Rupert Grint, and Kristen Cui. “80 For Brady” is directed by Kyle Marvin and is also in theaters. The film stars Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and of course, NFL great Tom Brady. Of course, Brady just recently announced that he’s retiring from the NFL, for good this time.
