Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Happening

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
206K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,297
236
Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
This is the second theatrical trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening.
Play trailer2:30
9 Videos
62 Photos
  • Adventure
  • Sci-Fi
  • Thriller
A science teacher, his wife, and a young girl struggle to survive a plague that causes those infected to commit suicide.A science teacher, his wife, and a young girl struggle to survive a plague that causes those infected to commit suicide.A science teacher, his wife, and a young girl struggle to survive a plague that causes those infected to commit suicide.
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
206K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,297
236
  • Director
    • M. Night Shyamalan
  • Writer
    • M. Night Shyamalan
  • Stars
    • Mark Wahlberg
    • Zooey Deschanel
    • John Leguizamo
Top credits
  • Director
    • M. Night Shyamalan
  • Writer
    • M. Night Shyamalan
  • Stars
    • Mark Wahlberg
    • Zooey Deschanel
    • John Leguizamo
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.5KUser reviews
    • 356Critic reviews
    • 34Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos9

    The Happening: Theatrical Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:30
    The Happening: Theatrical Trailer #2
    Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!
    Clip 5:23
    Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!
    The Happening
    Clip 1:00
    The Happening
    The Happening
    Clip 0:42
    The Happening
    The Happening
    Clip 0:33
    The Happening
    The Happening
    Clip 1:02
    The Happening
    The Happening
    Interview 0:47
    The Happening
    The Happening
    Interview 0:41
    The Happening
    The Happening
    Interview 0:51
    The Happening

    Photos62

    Zooey Deschanel and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    Mark Wahlberg in The Happening (2008)
    Zooey Deschanel in The Happening (2008)
    Mark Wahlberg, Betty Buckley, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    Mark Wahlberg, John Leguizamo, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    On the run in 'The Happening'
    Mark Wahlberg in The Happening (2008)
    Mark Wahlberg, John Leguizamo, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mark Wahlberg
    Mark Wahlberg
    • Elliot Mooreas Elliot Moore
    Zooey Deschanel
    Zooey Deschanel
    • Alma Mooreas Alma Moore
    John Leguizamo
    John Leguizamo
    • Julianas Julian
    Ashlyn Sanchez
    Ashlyn Sanchez
    • Jessas Jess
    Betty Buckley
    Betty Buckley
    • Mrs. Jonesas Mrs. Jones
    Spencer Breslin
    Spencer Breslin
    • Joshas Josh
    Robert Bailey Jr.
    Robert Bailey Jr.
    • Jaredas Jared
    Frank Collison
    Frank Collison
    • Nursery Owneras Nursery Owner
    Jeremy Strong
    Jeremy Strong
    • Private Austeras Private Auster
    Alan Ruck
    Alan Ruck
    • Principalas Principal
    Victoria Clark
    Victoria Clark
    • Nursery Owner's Wifeas Nursery Owner's Wife
    M. Night Shyamalan
    M. Night Shyamalan
    • Joeyas Joey
    • (voice)
    Alison Folland
    Alison Folland
    • Woman Reading on Bench with Hair Pinas Woman Reading on Bench with Hair Pin
    Kristen Connolly
    Kristen Connolly
    • Woman Reading on Benchas Woman Reading on Bench
    Cornell Womack
    Cornell Womack
    • Construction Foremanas Construction Foreman
    Curtis McClarin
    • Construction Crew Memberas Construction Crew Member
    Robert Lenzi
    Robert Lenzi
    • Jakeas Jake
    Derege Harding
    • Train Conductoras Train Conductor
    • Director
      • M. Night Shyamalan
    • Writer
      • M. Night Shyamalan
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Lady in the Water
    5.5
    Lady in the Water
    The Village
    6.6
    The Village
    Signs
    6.8
    Signs
    Unbreakable
    7.3
    Unbreakable
    The Visit
    6.2
    The Visit
    Devil
    6.3
    Devil
    Glass
    6.6
    Glass
    After Earth
    4.8
    After Earth
    Split
    7.3
    Split
    Praying with Anger
    4.5
    Praying with Anger
    Old
    5.8
    Old
    The Sixth Sense
    8.2
    The Sixth Sense

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Mark Wahlberg admitted that he regrets working on this movie, but said, "You can't blame me for wanting to try to play a science teacher. At least I wasn't playing a cop or a crook."
    • Goofs
      The locomotive leaves Philadelphia as a diesel electric. Later, in an overhead-view, the locomotive is electric, with a pantograph and other electrical equipment clearly visible. Later, it changes back to a diesel electric model.
    • Quotes

      Mrs. Jones: Planning on stealing something?

      Elliot Moore: No, ma'am, we're not.

      Mrs. Jones: Plan on murdering me in my sleep?

      Elliot Moore: What? No!

    • Crazy credits
      Moving clouds form the backdrop for the opening and closing credits. On the end credits, they've become stormclouds with lightning. On the end credits, M. Night Shyamalan's name vanishes.
    • Alternate versions
      German version was edited prior to submission to the FSK by the director himself to secure a "Not under 16" rating. These cuts included:
      • a needle piercing a throat during a suicide
      • a man's arm being bitten off by lions
      • a man dying under a lawnmower This version was released on DVD in the UK. However, for the German home video release the complete version was submitted. Ironically, this version was rated "Not under 16" as well (making the cut version even more redundant as guidelines for home video are stronger than for theatrical releases).
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Incredible Hulk/The Promotion/You Don't Mess with the Zohan/The Happening/Baghead (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      Black Water
      Written by Patrick Simmons

    User reviews1.5K

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Not brilliant but it is worth a look
    When I first saw the trailer for 'The Happening', I was quite excited at the prospect of another film by M. Night Shyamalan. After all, I enjoyed all his previous films, save 'Lady in the Lake', and was sure he would deliver another breath-taking blockbuster. Sadly, I was wrong and while the film was not a turkey, it was not of the excellence I had expected.

    The film sees some sort of mysterious ecological event leading to people committing mass suicide, the phenomenon spreading first from large cities then to smaller towns until it is clear a huge chunk of the East Coast is affected. At first, it is assumed to be a terrorist attack but, as more and more people are spontaneously kill themselves, it is clear the cause may be something else entirely...

    One of the problems with the film was the quality of the acting and the characters themselves. Mark Wahlberg stars as Elliot, the science teacher who is our main protagonist, and he does flounder in many scenes as if he forgets he's playing an intelligent but ordinary everyday guy, not a gung-ho military hero who is cool in all situations. He could have injected more emotion into his performance. Zooey Deschanel plays Elliot's girlfriend Alma and she too fails to make the audience care for her with the way she depicts the character to be some sort of an escapee from a teeny-booper romance flick. To be fair, it is not entirely Deschanel's fault as Alma is a weak, self-centred character with the emotional capacity of a young adolescent (for example, she puts Elliot and a child at risk a couple of times with her stupid decisions and, at the start, when it's clear people are dying, she is in a huff because Elliot and his friend 'hurt' her feelings).

    When it comes to the actual storyline, the plot does start off intriguingly and there are many chilling moments when we see people are coolly committing suicide like mindless zombies. However, the finale doesn't deliver what the build-up promised. There are no real explanations or solid end result. In many ways, this film is similar to Shyamalan's previous project 'Signs' both in terms of a mass disaster and no real end resolution to the events but 'Signs' worked better because the characters were more effectively portrayed and their personal storyline was enough of a finale to compensate. This is not the case in 'The Happening' where the storyline fizzles out.

    Overall, this is by no means a terrible film. It is enjoyable and fits nicely into the apocalyptic genre but 'Signs' has done this sort of idea before and did it better. That said, there was not only moments that had me on the edge of my seat but also lines which were quite humorous. And certainly, it does make one think about the state of the planet in regards to whether humanity does have it coming to them and how we would cope in such an event. It is worth a look, especially in a week when the other premiere is 'The Hulk, a film aimed at keeping twelve-year-olds' entertained.
    helpful•307
    242
    • cosmic_quest
    • Jun 13, 2008

    FAQ14

    • Is "The Happening" based on a book?
    • What is the Happening?
    • What is causing the Happening?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 13, 2008 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • India
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Green Planet
    • Filming locations
      • G-Lodge Diner - 1371 Valley Forge Road, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • UTV Motion Pictures
      • Spyglass Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $48,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $64,506,874
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $30,517,109
      • Jun 15, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $163,403,799
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Ashlyn Sanchez in The Happening (2008)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of The Happening (2008) in Canada?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in June
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.