The Happening Box Office Update

Theatrical Performance

Total US Gross - $64,449,321
International Gross - $98,093,014

Worldwide Gross - $162,542,335

Source

Simply Amazing!

One of the many reasons why i admire Shyamlan's movies is because of the fantastic background score that is employed in them. All of Shyamalan movies since "The Sixth Sense" have involved James Newton Howard as the music director and he has given some fantastic masterpieces, may be of all time. OST for "The Village" is my favorite. I hope Shyamlan and Howard combination continues in the future.

Below is a short clip i found on youtube showcasing some of the finest peices from Shyaman's movies. Enjoy!

MRC's website updated

It looks like Media Rights Capital (MRC) has updated its website from the last time i visited it and has more information on its upcoming projects. They also have a stand alone page up for the Night Chronicles and i guess they are going to post all the relevant information and updates over here.

And i also noticed that they have couple of news articles up on their deal with Night.

The Happening Box Office Update

Theatrical Performance

Total US Gross - $64,410,412
International Gross - $95,892,432
Worldwide Gross - $160,302,844

Source

Shyamalan & Family @ Licensing Expo '08

Source

The Happening DVD/Blue-Ray Disc in October

From Cinemablend.com, we have news that The Happening is going to come out in the form of DVD and Blue-Ray discs in October. Cool!

DVD Specs:

• The Hard Cut (9 min.) – Behind the scenes preparations and execution of graphic scenes with Robert Bailey, special effects crew, images of the squibs, make-up, and prosthetics giving this piece an “anatomy of a scene” feel.
• I Hear You Whispering” (9 min.)
• A Day for Night (7min) – A day in the life of Night during production. Footage shot by a mini-DV cam contributes to the raw “in the moment” style of coverage for our one day with Night.
• Elements of a Scene (10 min.) – In cinema-verite style, dissect the staging of an elaborate scene, from planning, to adjustments, to nailing the last shot of the sequence. Stand-up interviews from cast and crew personalize the piece with a glimpse at all the contributions needed to capture the scene and move on.
• Visions of The Happening: A Making of ( 12 min.) – Making of documentary
• Deleted scenes with introductions from M. Night Shyamalan
• Gag reel
  
  And here are the Blu-Ray Disc Specs: Includes all of the above plus… Digital Copy
  
  * Scene specific picture in picture commentary
  * The Hard ‘R’
  * Train Shooting (4 min.) - The specifics of shooting on a moving train
  * Forces Unseen (4 min.) - Wind special effects piece – the piece focuses on how the wind was created for the film and how they gave it that eerie look.
  
  
  

Silvertide on Shyamalan

Silvertide vocalist, Walt Lafty talks about the bands involvement in the M. Night's Lady in the Water:

via

• Silvertide online
• Walt Lafty online

I believe there is a certain section of the web world out there who just hate him and want to tarnish him no matter what. This is not trolls I'm talking about but certain sections of the mainstream web media that has taken on this mission to smear Shyamalan. It just baffles me that a person like Shyamalan who is known for his kindness, work ethics and professionalism is being painted as the complete opposite in the media. It is just sad.

The Happening - Box office Update

Theatrical Performance

Total US Gross - $64,323,512
International Gross - $95,598,396
Worldwide Gross - $159,921,908

First Five Minutes of Praying with Anger: Shyamalan's First Movie

Praying with Anger (1992)



The first movie of Shyamalan which he wrote, directed and produced. His parents actually financed the movie for him. I might have actually watched this movie back in India...i'm not sure.

But this one looks and feels very indie kinda NRI/ABCD movie. Hopefully i'll get to (re)watch this soon.

The Happening - Box Office Update

Theatrical Performance

Total US Gross - $64,288,462
International Gross - $95,598,396
Worldwide Gross - $159,886,858

Source

The Happening - Box Office Update

Theatrical Performance

Total US Gross - $64,171,828
International Gross - $93,638,877
Worldwide Gross - $157,810,705

Cool....i guess it is really pulling in some bucks overseas...especially Japan!

SOURCE

Shyamalan turns 38

Happy Birthday Shyamalan!

The Happening - Box Office Update

Theatrical Performance

Total US Gross - $64,143,425
International Gross - $92,200,000
Worldwide Gross - $156,343,425

SOURCE

Shyamalan bats for Obama at NJ fundraiser Cool

Shyamalan bats for Obama at NJ fundraiser Cool

NEW JERSEY: For Indian origin Hollywood filmmaker Manoj Night Shyamalan it was the idea for a movie script - a young person of African-American and White descent becoming the President of America. Rejected by critics then, that notion did not make it to the big screen, but now, "only a few years later an idea rejected by critics even for a movie script is becoming reality," said Shyamalan at a fundraiser for Sen. Barack Obama held at the Royal Albert Palace in New Jersey on July 23.

Special guest Shyamalan represented Obama who was on an overseas tour at the time. The $5000 per person event to raise funds from the Indian American community was hosted by Democratic supporters Prakash Shah, H.R. Shah and Albert Jasani. Speaking about the recent Democratic primaries, Shyamalan talked about how his family would typically witness heated dinner table conversations with his dad being a strong Hillary Clinton supporter and he and his siblings preferring the younger Sen. Obama for his promise of a new and fresh vision for a change.

Shyamalan said that with Obama as a world leader the US will go from a country hated in the World under the Bush Presidency to one that would be loved, respected and admired once again. Shyamalan, although normally not political, said that anyone including his two daughters, regardless of their race, class or national origin can aspire to achieve the ultimate American Dream of becoming the President of the United States and therefore the Leader of the Free World. Present on the occasion was Mark Alexander, Senior Advisor to Obama Campaign and until recently the New Jersey Director for the Obama Primary Election Campaign. Edison Mayor Jun Choi, an early Obama supporter, also made his presence felt at the event.

Source

The Happening - Box Office Update

As of Sunday, August 3, 2008:

Theatrical Performance

Total US Gross - $64,028,078
International Gross - $89,700,000
Worldwide Gross - $153,728,078

Source

Shyamalan talks about The Last Air Bender and about filming in Pennsylvania

The Last Airbender



Source

M. Night Shyamalan and MCR Form the Night Chronicles

via Variety

Shyamalan teams for producing deal
By MICHAEL FLEMING

Media Rights Capital and M. Night Shyamalan have formed the Night Chronicles, a financing/production partnership intended to generate one thriller per year for three years.

Shyamalan will produce but not direct, marking the first time he will produce a film he didn't write and helm. Shyamalan will create the stories and ideas for the films and pick the writers and directors; MRC will finance.

Shyamalan and MRC will co-own the copyrights and retain artistic control.

Two factors in particular attracted MRC to the filmmaker: Shyamalan typically generates more movie ideas than he can execute, since he writes, directs, produces and often acts in the films he makes. And he has a track record of bringing his films in on budget.

The new venture marks the first major deal for Tory Metzger since she left CAA to become prexy of MRC Films, and she expects that Shyamalan will be very hands-on with the Night Chronicles product.

"These films will be based on ideas in keeping with what has made Night so successful, and has made him unique to his time," Metzger told Daily Variety. MRC will set up each project for distribution when Metzger and co-CEOs Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu feel it's best for the film.The projects aren't formalized, and no writers have yet been hired, but Shyamalan has at least two ideas that could become films. The Night Chronicles will be based near Philadelphia, where the filmmaker lives and works. To oversee development, MRC has hired Ashwin Rajan, a veteran UTA agent who is Shyamalan's cousin.

The MRC deal is the second Shyamalan has made recently that gives him a copyright ownership stake. His pact with India-based entertainment company UTV on "The Happening" gave Shyamalan a 25% ownership stake in the negative; that inventive deal gave the director his usual upfront fee but traded his first-dollar gross participation for an ownership stake and 50% of the film's revenue stream, once 20th Century Fox and UTV recouped budget and P&A costs.

While the film hasn't performed as strongly as some of Shyamalan's past hits, "The Happening" cost around $50 million and is about to cross $150 million in worldwide gross. Shyamalan is in Japan to promote the film's opening there.

"Filmmakers have always been my inspiration," Shyamalan said in a statement. "Working with the next wave of innovative filmmakers will teach me many things that I can bring to my own writing/directing and give my stories the opportunity to be brought to the screen in a stunning way."

Shyamalan next directs "The Last Airbender," a live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon property. Paramount has skedded the film for release on July 2, 2010.

One of Zillion reasons why i adore Shyamalan

From Crazy Days and Night

This one is a little hard to disguise because honestly there are not that many directors names that would just pop in your head. Yes, I know you can name a million, but think of the average person. How many directors can they name? This is one of them. Oh, and he always writes his own stuff as well.

So, this director bought a farm/estate about 4 years ago. It has been in existence for awhile and so had a number of employees already there when he bought it. Even though it isn't really related to the kindness, our director has treated the employees who remained much better in the past four years then they ever were treated by the past employers.

One of the guys who worked on the estate was given some new jobs when the director took over. The director hired him to work on his films as an electrician, handyman, and bartender for parties on the sets. He even gave the guy some bit parts in his films. Well about a year ago, the worker was diagnosed with liver cancer. Over the course of the year our worker had his ups and downs but finally died last week. From the time he was initially diagnosed, our director made sure that the worker received the best care in the world wherever in the world it could be found. He made sure the worker's girlfriend could travel with the worker.

The director made phone calls, called in favors, consulted with the best doctors in the world all for his employee. No matter what he did though, it just was never enough. The director now feels he could have even done more to help, and has been in terrible shape over the past week since the worker's death.

And here is the obituary of the worker,

James M. "Jimbo" Breen, 52, who acted and worked in movies, died Thursday of cancer at his home in Willistown.
Mr. Breen worked as a greensman, responsible for providing foliage and other greenery used as backgrounds on sets, on several M. Night Shyamalan films, including The Sixth Sense, Signs and Unbreakable. He had speaking parts in The Happening and Lady in the Water. Mr. Breen worked on other movies as a carpenter. He also was an estate manager in Chester County.

Mr. Breen, who grew up in Drexel Hill and graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1973, began working in the entertainment industry as a carpenter building stage sets for Quinlan Co. He toured Latin America in 2003 as a stagehand for the Philadelphia Orchestra.

At other times, he was a lifeguard for the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol and tended bar at Jim's in Drexel Hill.

Family members described Mr. Breen as a fun-loving guy and the life of the party. He was an avid hunter and outdoorsman and played ice hockey for the Olympia Otters in an amateur men's league.

He is survived by his mother, Veronica Donoghue; sisters Susan M. Quin and Joann Iuliano; his companion, Meghan Curran; and two nephews.

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