“Split” tops the box office for a third weekend in a row
NEW YORK -- M. Night Shyamalan’s multiple-personality thriller “Split” led the box office for a third-straight week, an unusual streak for a low-budget horror film.
According to studio estimates Sunday, “Split” came out on top again with $14.6 million in North American ticket sales, bringing the Universal Pictures release’s three-week haul to $98.7 million.
The run for the Universal Pictures release has come in an especially slow period at multiplexes. Hollywood traditionally skips significant new releases on Super Bowl weekend due to the game’s enormous television audience.
Surely hurt by the continued strength of “Split,” Paramount’s horror option, “Rings,” came in second with an estimated $13 million. The sequel was an attempted revival the dormant franchise that includes 2002’s “The Ring” and 2005’s “The Ring Two.”
Like “Independence Day Resurgence,” ‘’Bad Santa 2” and many more, “Rings” served as yet another questionable decision to recharge a franchise long out of theaters. It cost a relatively minimal $25 million to make and pulled in $15.2 million internationally, but it won’t come close to the $249.3 million the first installment made globally, or the $161.5 million “The Ring Two” made.
The weekend’s other debut, “The Space Between Us,” flopped altogether. The STX Entertainment release -- starring Asa Butterfield as a boy who comes to Earth after being raised by astronauts on Mars -- made a mere $3.8 million and cost $30 million to make.
Universal’s “A Dog’s Purpose” came in third with $10.8 million in its second weekend. Audiences have largely shrugged off the outcry over a leaked video from the film’s production of a frightened German shepherd being urged into churning water.
On Saturday, the group responsible for overseeing animal safety on the set, American Humane, released findings from an independent animal-cruelty expert. The unidentified veterinarian said the video mischaracterized the events on the set, though the vet acknowledged the dog should have been handled more gently in the scene shown in the video.
Below are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final three-day domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Split,” $14.6 million ($98.7 million total)
2. “Rings,” $13 million
3. “A Dog’s Purpose,” $10.8 million ($32.9 million)
4. “Hidden Figures,” $10.1 million ($119.4 million)
5. “La La Land,” $7.5 million ($118.3 million)
6. “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,” $4.5 million ($21.9 million)
7. “Sing,” $4.1 million ($262.9 million)
8. “Lion,” $4 million ($24.7 million)
9. “The Space Between Us,” $3.8 million
10. “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,” $3.7 million ($40 million)
