M. Night Shyamalan has found himself back in the good graces of audiences. After a disappointing few years, The Visit helped get audiences back on board, but it has really been Split that has gotten people back in his corner. Thanks to a strong script, great performances from James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy, and an ending that left people buzzing, Split has been a surprising box office machine.
Split doubled up on box office expectations in its first week to the tune of $40 million and then held off a few new releases to repeat at the box office. However, Split figured to fall off that spot thanks to Rings opening wide. This looked to be a formality with Rings beating Split on Friday. But, Split found a way to overcome the competition again.
Box Office Mojo's latest estimates for the weekend has Split squeaking out a victory, coming in first with $14.5 million domestically. Rings came close to dethroning the reigning champ, but is now estimated to fall less than $2 million short with a $13 million haul in its opening weekend. The top 5 is rounded out with A Dog's Purpose and Hidden Figures making over $10 million, while Oscar favorite La La Land pulled in an additional $7 million.
This is a rather impressive run for Split and should have no problem clearing $150 million worldwide by the time it completes its theatrical run, with it already having $142+ million worldwide. Rings meanwhile has now pulled in $28 million worldwide on a $25 million budget. With it and Split being the primary horror/thriller films in theaters right now, both should have the opportunity to boost their totals, but neither should be near the top spot moving forward.
Regardless of the quality of both films, next week has three big movies releasing wide. John Wick: Chapter 2, The LEGO Batman Movie, and Fifty Shades Darker all come out next weekend and are poised to stay in the top three for a couple of weeks. The real question then becomes how well each film performs. Each has a very different demographic, meaning it should be a popular weekend for theaters with kids, couples, and action fans all having their fix with a new release.
Both Split and Rings should be able to compete for the top five slots in the next few weeks, but while Split has had a continued audience, it is unknown how big of a carryover Rings will have.
Source: Box Office Mojo
