Shyamalan's 'Split' rules N. America box office for second week
"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 Sunday.
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 $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 $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 $14.0 million in tickets.
Sci-fi action-thriller "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" landed in fourth place with $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 $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" ($8.3 million)
"Sing" ($6.2 million)
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" ($5.1 million)
"Monster Trucks" ($4.1 million)
"Gold" ($3.5 million)