As a long-time admirer of M. Night Shyamalan‘s work and having followed his career since the groundbreaking success of “The Sixth Sense,” I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia tinged with a touch of frustration when I reflect on the marketing of his masterpiece, “Unbreakable.”
After achieving such a monumental success with the 1999 release of The Sixth Sense, it was undoubtedly a challenging endeavor for director M. Night Shyamalan and distributor Buena Vista Pictures, who had previously banked on his word-of-mouth phenomenon. Following the immense success of The Sixth Sense, which earned $672 million worldwide and garnered six Academy Award nominations, Shyamalan envisioned a significantly different approach for his next project. However, this creative vision caused friction between Shyamalan and the studio concerning the film’s marketing strategy.
2000 saw the debut of the film “Unbreakable“. Initially, M. Night Shyamalan envisioned it as his take on a superhero’s origin story. However, studio executives at Buena Vista Pictures were hesitant to promote it as a comic book movie and instead opted for a horror-thriller marketing strategy, similar to “The Sixth Sense“. Shyamalan discussed this during an interview with GQ while promoting his new film “Trap“, explaining why the studio was reluctant to brand “Unbreakable” as a comic book movie.
Initially, when Unbreakable was about to be released, comic book movies were not the common phenomenon they are today, with only a few exceptions like Blade and X-Men that had achieved great success. Consequently, the studio was reluctant about its release. To counter this hesitation, the film was marketed as if it resembled The Sixth Sense, given Bruce Willis starred in both films, which made the comparison easier.
“If you refuse to acknowledge something for fear it might differ from your expectations, you’re depriving it of its power. Essentially, they said, ‘We made a record-breaking movie and the same pair are making another. Let’s mimic that film.’ Instead of embracing its true potential as the birthplace of an entire genre. They didn’t grasp this because they were hesitant to admit it was a comic book.”
The Marketing Made Unbreakable Look Like a Horror Film
If you recall the marketing strategy for the movie “Unbreakable,” or if you have a moment to visit YouTube, it’s evident that the production team played a game of misdirection when promoting the film. The trailers create an atmosphere suggesting horror elements, but they fail to hint at the film being primarily a superhero origin story. If viewers were expecting another movie like “The Sixth Sense,” M. Night Shyamalan may have left them feeling somewhat let down upon the film’s initial release.
“As others arrived and departed, they remarked, ‘It wasn’t frightening!’ To which I responded, ‘Who ever said it would be? Who suggested it was going to be scary? Through this experience, I discovered a fascinating lesson: if I’m to create unique tales for my existence, I must collaborate with individuals who appreciate that we’ll reimagine everything anew each time, and we should celebrate this freshness.”
In “Unbreakable,” we meet David Dunn (played by Willis), an ordinary man who miraculously survives a catastrophic train crash without any physical harm. As days pass, David discovers he possesses extraordinary abilities that catch the attention of Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a wheelchair-bound comic book store owner with a penchant for manipulation. The film additionally features Robin Wright and Spencer Treat Clark in key roles.
Although Unbreakable didn’t achieve the same critical acclaim or financial success as The Sixth Sense (with a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing $248.1 million globally against a budget of $75 million), it has since been appreciated more, often ranked among M. Night Shyamalan’s finest works. Retrospective analyses have noted, as intended by the director, that Unbreakable was an early pioneer in the developing superhero genre. In fact, some critics believe it was ahead of its time, predicting trends that would become popular decades later.
Unbreakable
can currently be streamed on Max and Hulu.
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2024-08-13 18:01