EntertainmentMoviesDrama MoviesThe Sixth Sense25 years on, M. Night Shyamalan recalls the moment The Sixth Sense went from unlikely hit to making box office historyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesDrama MoviesThe Sixth Sense25 years on, M. Night Shyamalan recalls the moment The Sixth Sense went from unlikely hit to making box office historyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Spyglass)
On its 25th anniversary, director M. Night Shyamalan recalls the beautifully old-school way he discovered how The Sixth Sense went from unlikely success story to smashing all sorts of box office records.
“In those days, you used to call a phone number as a filmmaker and you would hear a recording where it would tell you what each movie grossed,” Shyamalan tells GamesRadar+ and the Inside Total Film podcast during media for his upcoming release Trap.
“When they said the first Friday grosses, I was like ‘What?’ Because it was meant to do much less,” Shyamalan recounted. “I called Bruce [Willis] or Bruce called me and said, ‘We won Friday.’ That’s so weird because no one thought we were going to [be the #1 film at the box office].”
A week later, Shyamalan made the same phone call to check on the grosses – and assumed a mistake had been made.
“I call the same number and it said $8 million [again]. I was like ‘Oh, shit. They didn’t re-do the tape’. Not realising that it didn’t drop. That’s never happened since Titanic.”
Shyamalan continues, “Literally I told the family that they must have to put the tape in. I call back and it’s still [$8 million]… Someone called me and said you dropped 1% or something like that.”
Starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osmont, and Toni Colette, The Sixth Sense followed child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Willis) and his treatment of Osmont’s Cole – who harbors a dark secret.
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It proved a winning formula at the box office, as it broke several records at the time. That included the biggest August domestic opening in history. The Sixth Sense also became only the second movie to gross $20m in each of its first five weekends, as well as later entering the top 10 highest-grossing films in the US and Canada with a taking of $293 million.
Famously, The Sixth Sense came bundled with an all-timer of a twist that turned M. Night Shyamalan into an overnight sensation. Malcolm had actually died during a confrontation with a former patient at the beginning of the film. You know the rest: ‘I see dead people’, with the iconic moment being parodied, pastiched, and immortalized into pop culture folklore ever since.
Listen out for our chat with M. Night Shyamalan on the upcoming episode of theInside Total Film podcast, which is available on Apple, Audioboom, Spotify, and more. For more, check out our verdict on Shyamalan’s latest with theTrap review.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”