Mostbox office analystspredicted thatSplitwould fail to win for a third weekend in a row, going up against Paramount’sRingsand STX Entertainment’sThe Space Between Us. A surprisingly small third frame decline and an underperforming crop of newcomers lead toSplitwinning for a third weekend in a row with $14.5 million. Its domestic total now stands at $98.7 million, with a worldwide haul of $142.7 million from just a $9 million budget.
DirectorM. Night Shyamalan’sSplithas already surpassed the totals for his last low-budget thriller,The Visit, which earned $65.2 million domestically and $98.4 million worldwide from just a $5 million budget in the fall of 2015. While it was a fairly close race,Ringscame in a somewhat close second place with $13 million, debuting in 2,931 theaters for a middling $4,435 per-screen average, according toBox Office Mojo.Rings' debut failed to surpass both of its predecessors, with 2002’sThe Ringopening with $15 million, en route to a $129.1 million domestic tally, and 2005’sThe Ring Twoopening with $35 million, en route to a $76.2 million domestic haul.
Ringsopened in 2,931 theaters this weekend, whileThe Space Between Usopened in ninth place with just $3.8 million, arriving in 2,812 theaters fora horrid $1,358 per-screen average. The horror sequel will debut in far less theaters than its predecessor,The Ring Two, which debuted in 3,332 theaters way back in 2005. NeitherRingsnorThe Space Between Uswerecritical hitswithRingsearning a horrid 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes andThe Space Between Usnot faring too much better with an 18% rating.
Ringsmarks a new chapter in the belovedRinghorror franchise. A young woman becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after he has viewed it. She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a “movie within the movie” that no one has ever seen before.RingsstarsAimee Teegarden,Johnny Galecki,Lizzie Brochere,Laura Wiggins,Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz,Zach Roerig,Alex RoeandBonnie Morganas Samara.Ringswas originally slated to hit theaters on June 02, 2025, just months after principal photography began that spring, but it was later pushed into the spring of 2016. Then last February, it was pushed to a Halloween 2016 release date, before being pushed into its current date.
In the interplanetary adventureThe Space Between Us, a space shuttle embarks on the first mission to colonize Mars, only to discover after takeoff that one of the astronauts is pregnant. Shortly after landing, she dies from complications while giving birth to the first human born on the red planet, never revealing who the father is. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield) an inquisitive, highly intelligent boy who reaches the age of 16 having only met 14 people in his very unconventional upbringing. While searching for clues about his father, and the home planet he’s never known, Gardner begins an online friendship with a street smart girl in Colorado named Tulsa (Britt Robertson). When he finally gets a chance to go to Earth, he’s eager to experience all of the wonders he could only read about on Mars, from the most simple to the extraordinary. But once his explorations begin, scientists discover that Gardner’s organs can’t withstand Earth’s atmosphere.
The top 5 will be rounded out by the controversialA Dog’s Purposein third place with $10.8 million and the awards season hitHidden Figuresin fourth place with $10.1 million andLa La Landin fifth place with $7.4 million. The top 10 is rounded out byResident Evil: The Final Chapter($8.7 million),La La Land($8.2 million),XXX: The Return of Xander Cage($5.7 million),Sing($4.1 million) andRogue One: A Star Wars Story($3.2 million). Also opening in limited release is Sony Pictures Classics’The Comedian, which earned just $1.1 million from 848 theaters for a paltry $1,323 per-screen average. Magnolia’s documentaryI am Not Your Negroearned an impressive $709,500 from just 43 theaters with a $16,500 per-screen average. No box office data was released for CJ Pictures’Confidential Assignment, Vertical Entertainment’sEloise, Indican’sThe Grace of Jake, Sony’sJourney to the West: The Demons Strike Backand another Indican release,The Trouble with Terkel. It remains unclear if any of these films will expand in the weeks and months to come.
Looking ahead to next weekend, this could be the first blockbuster weekend of the new year, with three highly-anticipated new films arriving in theaters. Universal Pictures will open its sexually-charged sequelFifty Shades Darkeragainst Warner Bros.' animatedLEGO Moviespin-offThe LEGO Batman Movieand Lionsgate’s R-rated action-packed sequelJohn Wick: Chapter Two. Since all of their predecessors fared well at the box office in their previous outings, it could make for an unprecedented February weekend at the box office. Take a look at the box office estimates for the weekend of February 3, and check back on Tuesday for next weekend’s predictions.
