M. Night Shyamalan has a complicated track record. On the one hand, his claim-to-fame 1999 film The Sixth Sense is still regarded as a seminal horror work today. This movie, and its follow-ups, made Shyamalan synonymous with the twist ending. This trait has gained him notoriety and criticism, with some people thinking that he over-relies on the twist. Shyamalan may have some good movies, but he has also produced a litany of critically panned projects, including The Last Airbender, After Earth, and The Happening.
In 2024, Shyamalan was joined in the movie industry by his two daughters. One of them was Suleka Shyamalan, who acted in her father's psychological horror film Trap. Suleka Shyamalan played Lady Raven, the Taylor Swift-esque popstar at the heart of the movie. In addition to this acting role, Shyamalan's other daughter made her directorial debut with a horror film this year. This movie was not well-received by critics at the time, but is now getting a second wind on streaming.
The Watchers Is Now A Streaming Hit
The Watchers Is Ishana Shyamalan's Debut
The Watchers has become a streaming hit on Netflix. The movie is the directorial debut of Ishana Shyamalan, who is also a writer on the film. M. Night Shyamalan produced the film alongside Nimitt Mankad and Ashwin Rajan, among others. The horror film tells the story of a woman who gets stranded in the Irish wilderness and is taken in by seemingly magnanimous strangers before realizing that she is trapped there while mysterious creatures lurk in the night. The Watchers received poor reviews, getting a 32% Tomatometer among critics and a 50% audience score.
Despite the bad reviews, The Watchers has now become a streaming success. As per Netflix, the film is currently the no. 4 film in the U.S. Today (January 10) on their charts. It is on the rise, as it was in the no. 5 slot on January 1. Beating it out today are Carry-On, The Six Triple Eight, and Interstellar. Joining the ranks on the charts below The Watchers are Dune: Part Two, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, In the Heart of the Sea, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water, and Horizon.
Our Take On The Watchers' Success
The Watchers Was Recently Added To Netflix
Audiences were mixed on The Watchers at the time of its release, and the film ultimately underperformed at the box office. This makes its success in the Netflix top 10 somewhat surprising. The film also only recently premiered on the platform, as it had previously only been available to watch on Max. This recency might be a contributor to its success, as recently added films tend to perform well on streaming. As The Watchers continues to sit atop these charts, it will be interesting to see whether audiences re-evaluate their opinions on the Shyamalan family film.
Source: Netflix
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Based on A.M. Shine's novel, The Watchers follows Mina, a twenty-eight-year-old artist stranded in the middle of a forest in Ireland. Her momentary relief when she finds shelter is shattered when she discovers other strangers in the same predicament - but they're stalked each night by unseen creatures.
English (US) ·