Box Office Twist: M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Old’ Beats ‘Space Jam’ and ‘Snake Eyes’

In a twist fitting for an M.

Night Shyamalan thriller, “Old” is the No.

1 movie at the domestic box office with $16.5 million in ticket sales.Heading into the weekend, reigning champ “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and fellow newcomer “Snake Eyes” were projected to lead North American charts.

Instead, “Space Jam 2” had a huge decline from its opening weekend and “Snake Eyes” fell slightly short of expectations, leaving “Old” to slither to a surprising first place finish.It may not be the kind of pull-the-rug-out-from-under-you, leave-your-jaw-on-the-floor style finale favored by “The Sixth Sense” filmmaker, but it does demonstrate how wild and unpredictable the box office can be as it tries to recapture momentum during the pandemic and grapples with new hybrid distribution strategies.

Stability won’t return anytime soon.

New variants of Covid-19 have been driving a spike in infections, recently forcing Los Angeles, the country’s top moviegoing market,

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