Split dropped just 34% in its second weekend, and has a ten-day domestic total of $78 million, a sterling showing for a film that cost just $9 million to produce. Split is assured of becoming the fifth Shyamalan film to top $100 million (and his first since The Last Airbender in 2010). It is awfully early in the year, but Split just might end up with the highest box office total of any 2017 horror film—Split’s second weekend drop of 34% was lower than that of any horror films released in 2016, so this tale of a kidnapper with two dozen personalities could have plenty of life left at the box office.
Second place went to A Dog’s Purpose, Lasse Hallstrom’s adaptation of W. Bruce Cameron’s bestseller. This sentimental tale of canine reincarnation annoyed the critics (witness the film’s 33% positive rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes), but opening weekend audiences, which were 56% female, gave A Dog’s Purpose an “A” CinemaScore.
A Dog’s Purpose might have even challenged for the #1 spot if TMZ hadn’t shown a behind-the-scenes clip of supposedly “abusive” actions by one of the dog trainers on the set, which led to a call from PETA to boycott the film. In spite of efforts on social media to get families to boycott the PG rated film, family groups made up 47% of the film’s weekend audience, which was 59% Caucasian, 22% Hispanic, 11% African-American, and 5% Asian.
Third place went to the biopic Hidden Figures, which buoyed by Oscar nominations, dropped just 11% as it added $14 million to bring its domestic total to $104 million. La La Land, which got the most Oscar nods, added theaters and earned $12 million driving its domestic total to $106.5 million. These two Oscar favorites added the most to this weekend’s totals, but other hopefuls such as Lion, The Founder, Manchester By the Sea, Moonlight, and Fences contributed more modest totals.
Debuting in the fifth spot with an estimated $13.85 million was Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the sixth and last entry in the video game-based franchise from director Paul W.S. Anderson and star Milla Jovovich. This is by far the worst North American debut in franchise history (the previous low mark was the $17.7 million of the original Resident Evil film in 2002). But, as is increasingly the case with video game-based movies, the North American market doesn’t matter that much for the final Resident Evil film, which has already made $34 million in Japan (probably pretty close to what its final North American total will be), and figures do most of its business overseas.
Opening weekend audiences for Resident Evil: The Final Chapter gave the film a “B” CinemaScore, a grade that would be a disappointment for Star Wars film, but is not bad for a science fiction/horror film like The Final Chapter. As might be expected the opening weekend audience for Resident Evil: The Final Chapter skewed male (56%), and was nearly balanced age-wise with 45% under the age of 25.
Paramount’s action extravaganza xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, which stars Vin Diesel, dropped 59% and ended up at #6 with an estimated $8.3 million and a ten-day total of $33.5 million. The $85 million production has done better overseas, where it has earned $55.6 million, but at this point it doesn’t look like foreign sales will be enough to save this franchise.
Disney’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story lost 554 theaters but still managed to earn $5.1 million to bring its 2016-leading domestic total to $520 million. Rogue One has now become the #2 film of 2016 worldwide with a $1.03 billion global haul, but it still trails Captain America: Civil War by $123 million for the global top spot in 2016.
The Weinstein Company’s Gold, which was directed by Stephen Gaghan and stars Matthew McConaughey, debuted ignominiously at #10 with $3.5 million, the worst opening ever for a film starring McConaughey. Opening weekend crowds gave the film a lousy “B-“ CinemaScore, which probably dooms this adult drama that is loosely-based on the Bre-X mining scandal involving a Canadian company and a “salted” gold mine in Indonesia, and features a powerhouse performance by McConaughey.
Be sure and check back here next week as another high profile horror film, Rings (the third film The Ring franchise) attempts to unseat Split as does the science fiction romance The Space Between Us.
