Weekend Box Office Report: January 20-22, 2017

Audiences unite for Split!

Moviegoers were interested in joining James McAvoy and his numerous personalities this weekend, putting SPLIT on top at the box office with an estimated $40.1 million!

That's the best opening for writer-director M. Night Shyamalan since the $40.3 million start of THE LAST AIRBENDER in 2006. Shyamalan's previous release, the low-budget horror movie THE VISIT, opened with $25.4 million in 2015 and ended up with nearly $100 million worldwide.

Shyamalan's new PG-13 abduction thriller, which also features THE WITCH star Anya Taylor-Joy, reportedly cost less than $10 million to make. Critics were mostly receptive to the filmmaker's latest effort with a 76% average on Rotten Tomatoes (check out the JoBlo review HERE).

Vin Diesel's espionage agent came back for more high-flying EXTREME activities, but xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE had to settle for second place with an opening of $20 million.

The PG-13 action movie made less than half of XXX's $44 million opening back in 2002, and opened with a fraction of the typical chapter in the FAST AND FURIOUS series (FURIOUS 7 started with $147 million). But Diesel's stunt-loving spy did come out just ahead of his third franchise character — RIDDICK opened with $19 million in 2013.

xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE, this time from director D.J. Caruso (EAGLE EYE), cost a reported $85 million and has earned an additional $50.5 million from international crowds. The chases and explosions didn't excite the majority of critics with 42% on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review is HERE).

Last weekend's winner HIDDEN FIGURES was bumped to third place with $16.2 million on its third weekend in wide release. With a domestic total of $84.2 million so far, the fact-based NASA drama with Taraji Henson and Octavia Spencer now seems destined to rocket past $100 million in the next couple of weeks.

The musical animals of SING were in fourth place with $9 million for a domestic total of $249.3 million, giving the animated release (from DESPICABLE ME creators Illumination Entertainment) the weird honor of being the highest-grossing movie never to hold the #1 position at the box office.

Oscars hopeful LA LA LAND continued its strong performance with $8.3 million for fifth place. The $30 million Emma Stone/Ryan Gosling musical now has a worldwide total of $173.3 million.

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY was in sixth place with $7 million as the standalone spinoff has now soared beyond $1 billion worldwide. MONSTER TRUCKS held onto seventh place with $7 million, surprisingly losing only 36% of business from its opening last weekend. Mark Wahlberg's Boston Marathon bombing account PATRIOT'S DAY was in eighth with $6 million, down 48% after its wide expansion last week.

Opening in ninth place was the new burger biopic THE FOUNDER with $3.7 million. The Michael Keaton-starring McDonald's origin story cost a reported $7 million and was released on 1100 screens. Critics gladly took a big bite with 82% on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review can be found HERE).

The Jamie Foxx thriller SLEEPLESS was at the bottom of the list with $3.7 million. The R-rated remake of Belgian crime-drama SLEEPLESS NIGHT dropped by 55% from last week's opening for a domestic total of $15.1 million.

Outside the chart, THE BYE BYE MAN said his name after one week in the Top 10, leaving along with PASSENGERS and UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS. Disney's MOANA has crossed $500 million worldwide, while the drama 20TH CENTURY WOMEN expanded to 650 locations for a $1.4 million weekend as Martin Scorses's religious drama SILENCE continues to struggle for attention.

Next weekend finishes up the Milla Jovovich videogame-movie franchise with RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER, Matthew McConaughey is digging for GOLD, and we learn about A DOG'S PURPOSE.

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