HOLLYWOOD - There's something strange lurking in the cornfields of rural Pennsylvania, and it isn't the Jolly Green Giant.The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable director M. Night Shyamalan returns with Signs, a genuinely creepy sci-fi chiller that chronicles a potential alien invasion through the eyes of a family led by Mel Gibson. Signs should reinvigorate a box office that is being propped up solely by Austin Powers in Goldmember and possibly challenge the International Man of Mystery for the No. 1 spot.
The antithesis of Independence Day, Signs aims to startle audiences rather than blind them with expensive and extravagant special effects. Imagine being stuck in the basement during ID4's attack on Earth. That's Signs. Gibson, standing in for regular Shyamalan collaborator Bruce Willis, is the widowed father prepared to defend his family. Crop circles herald the arrival of the alien visit. But is this a friendly call a la Close Encounters of the Third Kind?
Shyamalan's unusual tales of ghosts and superheroes have transformed him into a director whose new films arrive with strong expectations. Signs is no exception. Its Friday opening comes after a long marketing campaign that refreshingly does not spoil the film's scariest moments. The Sixth Sense and The Others prove that everyone loves to be frightened out of their wits toward the end of a long, hot summer. Gibson guarantees a huge turnout, having headlined or lent his voice to eight $100-plus-million live-action and animated smashes in the last decade.
Lacking any direct competition, Signs should easily surpass The Sixth Sense ($26.6 million) and Unbreakable ($30.3 million) to become Shyamalan's best opener yet. Debuting in 3,264 theaters, Signs will likely enjoy a $35 million to $40 million first weekend. That also would serve as a record for Gibson, whose best opening to date is Ransom's $34.2 million.
Signs' long-term prospects look excellent given that August faces a dearth of potential blockbusters beyond xXx and Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams.
That's not to say Signs will match the stunning $293.5 million earned by The Sixth Sense, which came out of nowhere to become a genuine phenomenon. Signs doesn't have the same kind of surprise ending that inspired millions to see The Sixth Sense again to catch what they missed the first time around. Signs, though, should quickly exceed Unbreakable's $94.9 million total and end up somewhere between $130 million and $166 million earned by Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Signs' alien forces will vanquish the dragons and mutated spiders that have tried unsuccessfully to dominate the box office.
Reign of Fire is almost extinguished, having eroded 53 percent in its third weekend from $7.3 million to $3.4 million. With a mere $37.8 million through Wednesday, Reign of Fire won't even match Dragonheart's modest $51.3 million tally.
Eight Legged Freaks fell straight out of the Top 10 in just its second weekend, having dropped 63 percent from $6.4 million to $2.4 million. This arachnid attack has claimed just $14.1 million through Sunday.