NOTE: The following is from an article first published in USA Today on August 9th, 1999
Following the opening weekend of the new blockbuster The Sixth Sense*, Disney has decided to make a special announcement about the film’s “real” title after months of teasing.
“We are thrilled to reveal that the actual title of The Sixth Sense* is…THE GHOST MAN,” Disney CEO Michael Eisner proudly announced. “Now that the movie has been out for three days, we figured that’s enough time for everyone to have had a chance to go, and we feel free to announce the surprise to everyone, whether they like it or not.”
Bruce Willis, who stars as the titular Ghost Man, was there to reveal the new poster with the title reveal.
“Just to clarify, the film is called The Ghost Man because my character is a ghost. I went to a few screenings of the movie. In the back of course so I don’t get hounded by Look Who’s Talking fanboys. And one thing I noticed was how noisy the audience got during the ending. It was so annoying. If you watch the ending, it’s actually very quiet, until you hear some loser loudly explain what happened to his girlfriend for five straight minutes.”
Director M. Night Shyamalan was also there to join in on the fun.
“It occurred to me that people might wrongly assume The Sixth Sense* was in some way a sequel to The Fifth Element, and I didn’t want them to be disappointed when Chris Tucker didn’t show up to yell for the final act. This way, audiences will know exactly what they’re getting into. It’s not a movie about senses. It’s about a man who is a ghost. Specifically, Bruce Willis. Who dies at the beginning of the film. You could say he even died hard. He doesn’t know that. But you do.”
The Ghost Man lead the weekend against a string of newcomers, including Mystery Men, The Iron Giant, and Dick. No, really. All of those films opened on the same day. Pretty cool, right?
Disney and Shyamalan were excited to reveal that Bruce Willis will be returning for the director’s next thriller, now titled Don’t Trust Samuel L. Jackson.
In unrelated news, author George R.R. Martin said he is considering changing the name of his A Song of Ice and Fire book series to Bran’s New Chair.
Have a spooky night, y’all!