Here’s a twist that many may not have seen coming:M. Night Shyamalanis back in the good graces of moviegoers thanks toSplit, the writer-director’s latest thriller. The film starsJames McAvoyas a man afflicted with two-dozen personalities and who, with mysterious and threatening intentions, kidnaps three girls. The twist at the end seems to be what’s driving audiences to check outSplitin the theater, helped out by positive word-of-mouth and critical acclaim.
Splitis already Shyamalan’sbest domestic opening of the decade; for his other directorial efforts, it’s behind only 2002’sSigns, 2004’sThe Village, and 2010’s woefully inept but financially successfulThe Last Airbender. In terms of lifetime domestic gross,Splitis still behind those three films and Shyamalan’sUnbreakableandThe Sixth Sense, which tops the list with more than $293.5 million. But in only its second weekend,having dropped just 34%,Splithas already crossed $100 million globally.
Universal Pictures enjoys the top two spots this weekend with the controversial filmA Dog’s Purposetaking the silver medal.Hidden Figures, meanwhile, finished up a spot from Friday’s frame to take the bronze over the sixth installment in theResident Evilfranchise. That fourth-place finish should be enough to push the horror video game adaptation title over the $1 billion mark once all estimates are verified; worst-case scenario forPaul W.S. AndersonandMilla Jovovichis thatResident Eviljoins the billion-dollar franchise club later this week. Not a bad way to close out a feature film franchise!
Meanwhile,Stephen Gaghan’sGoldis off to a miserable start, racing to the bottom of the weekend’s Top 10. TheMatthew McConaughey-starrer bottomed out with a debut of less than $3.5 million; for reference, 2008’sFool’s Goldended its debut weekend with nearly $21.6 million.
Here’s a look at how the Top 10 from this weekend’s box office stacked up (viaBox Office Mojo):
$26,268,685
A Dog’s Purpose
$18,386,020
Hidden Figures
$14,000,000
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
$13,850,000
La La Land
$12,050,000
xXx: The Return of Xander Cage
$8,250,000
$6,213,710
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
$5,124,000
Monster Trucks
$4,100,000
$3,470,000
