Movies - TV
Disney Wasn't Convinced
M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable Would Appeal To Audiences
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
When M. Night Shyamalan first pitched “Unbreakable” to Hollywood executives, comic book movies were years away from being in vogue. In a 2021 interview with Variety, the filmmaker revealed that Buena Vista Pictures, the distributor of “Unbreakable,” was doubtful about its subject matter.
Shyamalan divulged that Disney executives were concerned that a comic book movie wouldn't be accessible to audiences. He explained, “They were so worried [...] that no one would come to see a movie about comics. This is Disney. Would they know this many years later that they would bank the entire thing on that same thing that they were so scared to even talk about?”
Studios steadily released comic book movies throughout the 1990s. However, in an interview with The Ringer, Shyamalan noted that at the time of the 2000 release of “Unbreakable” comic book movies still weren't viable at the box office, which made the blockbuster hit “Unbreakable” ahead of its time.