Despite the arrival of a new horror film, M. Night Shyamalan's holdover thriller still reigned supreme at the box office.
Coming in the #1 spot for the third consecutive week is Split, which made $14.5 million. At this point, there isn't much left to be said about the film's commercial success. In the early part of 2017, it's the breakout hit of the year, operating as a great showcase for star James McAvoy and a comeback vehicle for Shyamalan. Split has grossed $98.7 million domestically to date, easily enough for the director to move forth on his planned sequel.
Opening in second is Rings (read our review), the third installment of the Americanized Ring franchise. The movie made $13 million in its first three days, which is unfortunately the lowest debut in the series' history. Rings has numerous hurdles to clear, including its poor critical reception and the presence of Split, which appealed to a similar audience. The good news for Paramount is that Rings has a production budget of just $25 million, and its global total stands at $28.2 million. There's a chance it turns a small profit thanks to the international box office, but it probably won't stick around for long.
In third is A Dog's Purpose with $10.8 million. The family film has now made $32.9 million Stateside.
The #4 film is Hidden Figures, which made $10.1 million in its seventh weekend. Thanks to positive audience reception and awards buzz, the space race drama is now up to $119.4 million domestically, currently the highest-grossing of the nine Best Picture nominees this year.
Rounding out the top five is La La Land. The awards season juggernaut (which keeps picking up key wins) made $7.4 million to increase its domestic total to $118.3 million. Interestingly enough, it is far and away star Ryan Gosling's top earner, giving the actor is first bona fide commercial hit.
Coming in sixth is Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. The video game adaptation grossed $4.5 million in its second weekend, which is a whopping 66.9 percent decrease from its opening numbers. The supposed franchise finale now stands at $21.8 million domestically, having to rely heavily on the foreign markets to turn a profit.
Once again, Sing finishes in seventh, earning $4 million in its seventh weekend. Illumination's hit is now up to $262.9 million domestically.
Expanding to 1,405 theaters nationwide, Best Picture candidate Lion made $4 million over the weekend. The film has been playing since last Thanksgiving and is now up to $24.7 million in the U.S.
Debuting in the #9 spot is the sci-fi romance The Space Between Us, which grossed only $3.8 million in its first three days. Distributor STX kept moving the release date, and it's clear they did not have much confidence in the project. Like Rings, Space Between Us was plagued by poor reviews, and it premiered with very little fan fare. Awareness may have also been an issue, since the marketing campaign was very minimal. The film cost only $30 million to make, but it'll be an uphill climb to get there.
Capping off the top 10 is xXx: Return of Xander Cage, which brought in $3.7 million in its third weekend. The action sequel has now grossed $40 million for its domestic run.
[NOTE: These are only weekend box office estimates -- based on Friday and Saturday ticket sales coupled with adjusted expectations for Sunday. Official weekend box office results will be released on Monday, February 5 -- at which time we'll update this post with any changes.]
Source: Box Office Mojo