While the psychological-tinged horror pic has bragging rights to finally being the film to topple Avatar: The Way of Water from the stop spot, it is nevertheless the lowest North American opening of any film directed by Shyamalan.

Mediocre word of mouth played crucial factor: Knock at the Cabin received a C CinemaScore (that’s below the C+ assigned to the prolific writer-director’s last film, Old).

Males dominated the audience, while more than 60 percent of ticket buyers were between the ages of 18 and 24.

Knock at the Cabin follows a young girl and her parents who are taken hostage at a remote cabin by a group of diabolical strangers who demand they make an unthinkable choice in order to avert the apocalypse. Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, newcomer Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn and Rupert Grint star.

Universal is releasing Knock at the Cabin, a Blinding Edge Pictures production, in association with FilmNation Features and Wilshmore Entertainment. Shyamalan finances his own films.

Shyamalan’s Weakest Opening

In 2021, amid the pandemic, Old debuted to $17 million domestically. Shyamalan’s two previous films, 2018’s Glass and 2016’s Split, each opened to a rousing $40 million.

The weekend’s other new studio offering, 80 for Brady, opened in second place with $12.5 million from 3,912 locations after succeeding in winning over older consumers, particularly females.

From Paramount and Fifth Season, the comedy stars Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Sally Field as a group of friends who are determined to meet then-New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady at the 2017 Super Bowl. Brady produced and stars in the film which opens one week before this year’s Super Bowl championship game, and just several days after Brady announced, for a second time, that he’s retiring.

In unprecedented move, Paramount and theater owners across the country — including the largest circuits — partnered on an initiative substantially lowering ticket prices in order to lure adult moviegoers who have been more reluctant to return to the cinema. Older-skewing theatrical movies have become an endangered species in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Bitterly cold weather in parts of the Northeast hurt box office traffic in the Boston area.

80 for Brady‘s pricing plan will be kept in place throughout the movie’s run.  There are promising signs that the variable price boosted the film’s opening, although the verdict has not yet been written. More patrons showed up to see 80 for Brady than Knock at the Cabin, or 1.3 million moviegoers compared to 1.1 million, according to EntTelligence.

Females made up more than 70 percent of the audience, while 80 percent was over the age of 35, including massive 50 percent over the age of 55.

Avatar: The Way of Water fell to No. 3 in its 8th weekend of play in North America with roughly $10.8 million from 3,310 theaters to finish the weekend with a global total of $2.174 billion, not far behind Cameron’s Titanic.

Disney and 20th Century’s The Way of Water should overtake Titanic to become the third top-grossing film of all time behind the original Avatar and Avengers: Endgame.

BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas tipped to earn more than $6 million from 1,125 theaters.

The Chosen Season 3: The Finale earnnd $4 million for the weekend from 2,000 locations.