Weekend Box Office Report: January 27-29, 2017

Audiences remain Split!

For a second weekend, moviegoers put the multiple-personality thriller SPLIT in the top spot at the box office with an estimated $26.2 million!

The latest from filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan cruised on positive buzz, losing only 34% of business from its opening last weekend. The movie has a ten-day domestic total of $77.9 million, already surpassing the $65.2 million domestic finish of Shyamalan's previous movie THE VISIT.

The James McAvoy showcase, which only cost a reported $9 million (it was produced by horror cheapie purveyors Blumhouse of THE PURGE and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY fame), has also crossed $100 million worldwide.

Opening in second place was the new canine drama A DOG'S PURPOSE with $18.3 million. Based on the bestselling book by W. Bruce Cameron, the film from director Lasse Halstrom (CHOCOLAT, THE CIDER HOUSE RULES) cost a reported $22 million.

The Dennis Quaid movie (which prompted recent controversy over possible animal cruelty) wasn't exactly critics' best friend with an average of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. You can read the JoBlo review HERE.

The Taraji Henson/Octavia Spencer NASA drama HIDDEN FIGURES remained in third place with $14 million, flying over the $100 million mark after a month in wide release.

In fourth place was the new R-rated action-horror sequel RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER with an opening of $13.8 million. The sixth entry in the videogame adaptation series (which first hit screens in 2002) started out well below the $21 million opening of previous release RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION in 2012.

The Paul W.S. Anderson movie, ostensibly the last episode of the post-apocalyptic Milla Jovovich saga, cost a reported $40 million and has a worldwide total of $78.4 million (the RESIDENT EVIL franchise tends to make most of its money from overseas crowds). Critics gave the conclusion an average of 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, and you can check out the JoBlo review HERE.

The multiple Oscar contender LA LA LAND stayed in fifth place with $12 million. The Ryan Gosling/Emma Stone musical passed $100 million domestic this weekend and now has a worldwide total of $223.5 million.

The Vin Diesel sequel xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE was in sixth with $8.2 million, diving 59% from its second-place debut last week. The PG-13 EXTREME espionage action movie has a ten-day domestic total of $33.4 million (on an $85 million reported cost).

The animated SING was in seventh with $6.2 million on its sixth weekend, followed by ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY in eighth with $5.1 million (and now just a few million away from displacing THE DARK KNIGHT as the sixth highest-grossing release in domestic history). MONSTER TRUCKS downshifted to ninth with $4.1 million for a domestic total of $28.1 million after three weeks.

Opening in last place was the Matthew McConaughey mining adventure GOLD with $3.4 million. Directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (TRAFFIC), the fact-based story opened on over 2100 screens and started with less than half the $7.5 million opening weekend of McConaughey's FREE STATE OF JONES last summer. The R-rated release could only dig up a 38% average from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review can be found HERE).

Outside the chart, PATRIOT'S DAY and THE FOUNDER left along with the Jamie Foxx action movie SLEEPLESS. The sci-fi drama ARRIVAL added 1000 screens to capitalize on its Oscar nomination and made another $1.4 million, putting it close to the $100 million domestic mark.

Next weekend brings back Sadako Samara in the horror sequel RINGS and Asa Butterfield spends time on Mars in the sci-fi tale THE SPACE BETWEEN US, while limited releases include the Robert De Niro comedy THE COMEDIAN.

Which February release are you most interested in seeing? VOTE HERE!