M. Night Shyamalan Leads the Charge With This Week's New Releases in Theaters (2024)

Last weekend, we saw with an explosive release that reminded movie-goers to wear their white pants. The nostalgia-riddled third installment of the Deadpool trilogy blasted past the previous week’s number-one release, Twisters, raking in over $200 million since opening. While Twisters has had a very successful two-week run, amassing over $150 million so far, it was inevitable that Deadpool & Wolverine would overtake the natural disaster film with multiple generations of rabid fans eager to see the long-awaited collaboration between Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and his real-life “best frenemy,” Hugh Jackman, revising his role as Wolverine. If you’ve already seen the recent releases and are looking for something new, look no further! This handy guide will help you find something to check out in theaters this weekend and will keep you up to speed on the latest releases!

‘Trap’

M. Night Shyamalan's films can sometimes be a hit or miss for many horror fans and followers of his career. After creating a new potential superhero universe with his trilogy, Unbreakable, Split, and Glass, Shyamalan has had mixed reviews on his last two movies, Old, and Knock at the Cabin. His latest film, Trap, centers around a vicious serial killer, known as “The Butcher,’ caught in a sticky predicament. Played by Josh Hartnett (Lucky Number Slevin), he is known to law enforcement as “The Butcher,” but known to his family and friends as “Cooper,” or, in this case, “Dad.” While attending a massive pop concert with his young daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), Cooper learns that the entire concert is a sting operation as a means to capture him. With swarms of police surrounding all the exits, they know they have him cornered. He has to find a way to escape without alerting the authorities or letting his daughter discover the true monster that he is.

As some of the best fictional serial killers like Hannibal Lecter or Dexter have done in the past, they blend in with the crowd. The major difference in this film is that he is encumbered by his sole tie to humanity (his daughter) and thus cannot simply hack and slash his way to freedom without leaving her behind or revealing his true nature to her. The film also stars Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka, as the pop star, Lady Raven, and Hayley Mills as Dr. Grant, a psychiatric analyst who understands Cooper’s motivations and how he might respond to being trapped. Saleka, who is a musician, composed 14 songs for this film to match the onscreen action, so pay close attention to the songs and lyrics when you watch this movie!

Trap

Not Yet Rated

Crime

Horror

Mystery

Trap is a film by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan under his Blinding Edge Pictures label. The film is part of a deal struck with Warner Bros for him to direct and produce several films under their banner.

Release Date

August 2, 2024

Director

M. Night Shyamalan

Cast

Josh Hartnett , Hayley Mills , Marnie McPhail , Ariel Donoghue

Main Genre

Horror

Writers

M. Night Shyamalan

Studio(s)

Blinding Edge Pictures , New Line Cinema

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures , New Line Cinema

Fandango‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’

If you’ve already seen Despicable Me 4 and Inside Out 2, and you’re still looking for something a little more lighthearted and family-friendly to see in the theaters, look no further! Harold and the Purple Crayon features Shazam! star, Zachary Levi as the titular character. Similar to the early 2000s cartoon, Chalk Zone, this film is a live-action fantasy/comedy that follows a young boy who discovers that whatever he draws with his magical purple crayon… comes to life. Based on the 1955 children’s book of the same name, Harold learns that his crayon holds the ability to create real objects, including toys, airplanes, and creatures.

The film serves as a cinematic sequel to the book, where Harold grows up and draws himself off the pages of the book and into the real world, along with his two best friends, Moose (Lil Rey Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds). The trio seems to be able to adapt to real life, with the help of Mel (Benjamin Bottani) and his single mother, Terri (Zooey Deschanel), until Gary Naswich (Jermaine Clement) gets a piece of the magical crayon and decides to use it for evil. Following Levi’s roles in Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, as well as other family-friendly films like Tangled and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the 43-year-old actor is well-equipped to embody the frivolity and fun it takes to engage younger audiences.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

610

PG

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Animation

A young boy named Harold embarks on a magical mission with the help of his purple crayon

Release Date

August 2, 2024

Director

Carlos Saldanha

Cast

Zachary Levi , Zooey Deschanel , Lil Rel Howery , Ravi Patel , Camille Guaty , Tanya Reynolds , Pete Gardner

Runtime

92 Minutes

Main Genre

Adventure

Writers

David Guion , Michael Handelman

Studio

Columbia Pictures, Davis Entertainment

Cinematographer

Gabriel Beristain

Studio(s)

Columbia Pictures , Davis Entertainment

Distributor(s)

Sony

Fandango

‘#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead’

#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead is the next new slasher film that incorporates younger audiences. Sorry millennials, but movie franchises like Scream, The Blair Witch Project, or Paranormal Activity are so last generation. Fresh new takes on the slasher genre have been carving a path in recent years, appealing to Gen Z audiences with movies like Host, M3GAN, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and Talk To Me. The advancements in technology and connectivity have drastically impacted how people interact with each other, sometimes for good, and sometimes for evil.

This movie stars several up-and-coming actors, such as Jade Pettyjohn (Little Fires Everywhere), Jennifer Ens (Chapelwaite), Justin Derickson (Monster High: The Movie), Julian Haig (Riverdale), Cardi Wong (Golden Delicious), Ali Fumiko Whitney (Find Me Falling), and JoJo Siwa as a group of college friends whose entire lives revolve around their social media presence. When they rent an Airbnb to attend one of the year’s biggest festivals, things begin to go awry very quickly. As each member of the group is killed off in horrific ways, the surviving members of the group quickly learn that each death is related to the biblical “Seven Deadly Sins.” In a world that seems to revolve around the number of followers and likes you have, sometimes it’s safer to stay off the grid.

#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead (2024)

Horror

Thriller

A group of close college friends rents an Airbnb for a highly anticipated music festival. Their weekend of revelry quickly turns sinister when they begin to be murdered one by one. As they try to uncover the killer's identity, they realize each death is connected to one of the seven deadly sins.

Release Date

August 2, 2024

Director

Marcus Dunstan

Cast

JoJo Siwa , Jade Pettyjohn , Justin Derickson , Jennifer Ens , Ali Fumiko Whitney , Julian Haig , Cardi Wong , Peter Graham-Gaudreau

Runtime

91 Minutes

Main Genre

Horror

Writers

Jessica Sarah Flaum , John Baldecchi

Fandango

‘Coup!’

This film is a delectable dark comedy that focuses on survival and class warfare. Set in 1918, during WWI and the Spanish Flu epidemic, a wealthy family takes on a private chef, Floyd Monk (Peter Sarsgaard), to prepare their meals. Unbeknownst to the patriarch, Jay (Billy Magnussen), who is a vegetarian, Floyd is a grifter who will survive by any means necessary. As food supplies run short, Floyd questions Jay’s ability to provide food for his family and soon rallies the support of others who wait on Jay’s family and maintain their vast estate. After the contagion spreads to their remote island, threatening those who live there with starvation and disease. Floyd leads an insurrection of service workers to take over the mansion, not unlike the French Revolution of 1848. If you’re a fan of darkly comedic movies with similar themes, such as Parasite, Triangle of Sadness, or The Menu, this movie will fill your appetite. Check below to find showtimes at a theater near you!

Fandango