Los Angeles, Jan 29 (AFP) “Split,” the latest M Night Shyamalan thriller about a man who imprisons three teenage girls in an underground bunker, topped the North American box office for a second week, preliminary Hollywood figures showed today.
The movie — by the Indian-American director also responsible for the “Sixth Sense” and other films in the horror genre — stars James McAvoy as a man with 23 different personalities who preys on three girls. It earned USD 26.3 million in estimated ticket sales this weekend.
Family-friendly “A Dog’s Purpose” about a canine who continually comes back to life as different dogs searching for meaning, raked in some USD 18.4 million in its first week.
The film came in second despite a call by animal lovers for a boycott after video footage emerged of an apparently terrified German Shepherd being forced into rushing water on the set.
Third place went to “Hidden Figures,” the true-life story of three black women mathematicians who helped NASA put the first men in space, which sold USD 14.0 million in tickets.
Sci-fi action-thriller “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” landed in fourth place with USD 13.9 million in its first weekend out.
In fifth place was “La La Land,” a nostalgic tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals. It earned an estimated USD 12.1 million over the weekend after garnering a boatload of accolades, including a record eight Golden Globes earlier this month.
Rounding out the Top 10 are:
“xXx: Return of Xander Cage” (USD 8.3 million) “Sing” (USD 6.2 million)
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (USD 5.1 million) “Monster Trucks” (USD 4.1 million)
“Gold” (USD 3.5 million) (AFP)
This is published unedited from the PTI feed.