M. Night Shyamalan is officially back in the good graces of audiences with another bona fide box-office win.
The Sixth Sense and Signs director enjoyed another week at the top the box-office rankings with Split, the thriller that casts James McAvoy as a kidnapper with multiple personalities and more than a few secrets. Not only did the film extend its run as the top movie in theaters and continue to earn positive reviews, but it also crossed the $100 million mark after just two weeks — no small achievement for a film that cost only $9 million to make.
As for the weekend’s second-place film, an animal-abuse scandal didn’t seem to deter audiences from herding into theaters for A Dog’s Purpose. The drama — which was expected to take a hit due to a leaked video showing one of the film’s animal actors being forced into turbulent water — earned what most box-office pundits originally expected for it before the leaked video surfaced.
| # | Title | Weekend | U.S. Total | Worldwide Total |
| 1. | Split | $26.2M | $77.9M | $101.6M |
| 2. | A Dog’s Purpose | $18.3M | $18.3M | $23.3M |
| 3. | Hidden Figures | $14M | $104M | $104.8M |
| 4. | Resident Evil: The Final Chapter | $13.8M | $13.8M | $78.3M |
| 5. | La La Land | $12M | $106.5M | $223.5M |
| 6. | xXx: Return of Xander Cage | $8.2M | $33.4M | $89M |
| 7. | Sing | $6.2M | $257.4M | $463.7M |
| 8. | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | $5.1M | $520M | $1,030M |
| 9. | Monster Trucks | $4.1M | $28.1M | $47.5M |
| 10. | Gold | $3.4M | $3.4M | $3.4M |
The conclusion of the Resident Evil franchise didn’t quite live up to the standards set by the previous installments of the franchise, earning just $13.8 million in its opening weekend — the lowest premiere for any of the six films in the action-horror series. However, the movie’s worldwide gross of $78.3 million continued the franchise trend of each installment earning far more internationally than it does in U.S. theaters. It also pushed the six-film series close to the $1 billion mark collectively, further cementing its position as the most successful movie franchise based on a video game.
The only other new release to make it into the weekend’s top ten films was Matthew McConaughey’s Gold, which underperformed significantly with a $3.4 million premiere.
This upcoming week features a few noteworthy new releases, including the horror sequel Rings and the sci-fi drama The Space Between Us. Horror films have been enjoying a relatively successful run in theaters lately, so it will be interesting to see whether Rings can knock Split out of the top spot.
