While January doesn’t often produce huge box office hits, fans have come out in full force for Oscar-nominated films likeHidden FiguresandLa La Land, which both continue to fare well with solidbox office numbersthroughout the month. Last weekend,M. Night Shyamalan’sSplitover-performed with an impressive box office win with $40 million, and it was certainly expected to repeat, even with three new releases hitting theaters. Joining the box office fray this weekend is Sony’sResident Evil: The Final Chapter, Universal’sA Dog’s Purposeand The Weinstein Company’sGold. The race was expected to be much closer, butSplittook advantage of a minimal second weekend drop to easily win with $26.2 million
The estimates fromBox Office Mojoreveal thatSplitactually expanded into 161 more theaters for a total of 3,199, which may have helped minimize the traditional second weekend drop. TheM. Night Shyamalanthriller only dropped 34.3% in its second weekend, earning an impressive $8,212 per-screen average.Splithas currently earned $77.9 million domestic with an additional $23.7 million internationally for a worldwide total of $101.6 million. While those certainly aren’t record-breaking numbers,Splitwas only produced under a $9 million budget, through producerJason Blum’s Blumhouse company, which specializes in low-budget thrillers. NewcomersA Dog’s Purposedebuted in second place with $18.3 million, withHidden Figuresremaining in third place with $14 million, dropping just 11%, withResident Evil: The Final Chapterin fourth place with $13.8 million andLa La Landrounding out the top 5 with $12.05 million, a 43.0 incraease from last weekend, as it added 1,271 more theaters for a total of 3,136 theaters.Golddebuted in 10th place with $3.8 million.
Resident Evil 6had the largest roll-out of all three new releases, debuting in 3,104 theaters for a middling $4,462 per-screen average. This movie is the last in the long-running franchise, and its $13.8 million debut is the lowest in of the franchise history. The franchise has typically fared much better internationally, with that tradition continuing with an international tally of $64.5 million and a worldwide tally of $78.3 million, from a $40 million budget.A Dog’s Purposedebuted in 3,059 theaters with a solid $6,010 per-screen average, whileGoldopened in 2,166 for a horrid $1,602 per-screen average. None of these new releases were critical hits, withResident Evil: The Final Chaptersporting a 43% Rotten Tomatoes rating, followed byGoldwith 38% andA Dog’s Purposewith 33%. There has been plenty of controversy swirling aroundA Dog’s Purpose, which didn’t seem to affect its box office performance too much.
Last week, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) asked fans to boycottA Dog’s Purposeafter a disturbing video surfaced that showcased animal abuse on the set. The footage was filmed on the Winnipeg set in November 2015, during a second unit scene where the dog was supposed to save a child from drowning. The video shows a frightened dog was forced into a pool, with the production using outboard motors in the pool to re-create a river rapids environment. DirectorLasse Hallstromwas reportedly present during this scene, where at least one crew member was disgusted by the dog’s treatment. This controversy lead to theworld premierescreening to be canceled.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapterfollows Alice Abernathy (Milla Jovovich) as she continues her battle against The Umbrella Corporation’s hostile AI system The Red Queen (Megan Charpentier) with the help of her friends Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), Leon Scott Kennedy (Johann Urb), Ada Wong (Li Bingbing), and her daughter Becky (Aryanna Engineer), while continuing an uneasy alliance with the former head of Umbrella, Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts). Along the way, they will reconnect with former comrades Chris Redfield (Wentworth Miller), Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), and Kmart (Spencer Locke). Their epic battle will lead them back to where it all began in the dark mansion built by Umbrella founder Lord Ozwell E. Spencer and the deep underground research and development center known as The Hive, where The Red Queen plots total destruction over the human race.
The top 10 is rounded out byXXX: The Return of Xander Cage($8.2 million),Sing($6.2 million),Rogue One: A Star Wars Story($5.1 million),Monster Trucks($4.1 million), andGold($3.4 million). The Weinstein Company’sGoldis the epic tale of one man’s pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. StarringMatthew McConaugheyas Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story. Directed byStephen Gaghan, the film starsMatthew McConaughey,Edgar RamirezandBryce Dallas Howard.
A Dog’s Purposefollows a dog as he looks to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes and owners. The ensemble cast includesDennis Quaid,Britt Robertson,Peggy Lipton,K.J. Apa,Logan Miller,Juliet Rylance,Luke Kirby,Bryce Gheisar,Caroline Cave, withJosh Gadvoicing the dog.Lasse Hallstromdirects from an adapted screenplay byCathryn Michon, based onW. Bruce Cameron’s best-selling novel. Also opening in limited release is Cohen Media Group’sThe Salesman, which earned $71,071 from just three theaters for an impressive $23,690 per-screen average, China Lion’sBuddies in India, which earned $190,000 in 55 theaters for a $3,455 per-screen average and Pantelion’sUn Padre No Tan Padreearned $1.02 million from 312 for a $3,285 per-screen average. No box office figures were given for Orion Pictures’Get the Girland Indican’sMassacre on Aisle 12, .
Looking ahead to next weekend, there are only two new films debuting in wide release, Paramount’sRingsand STX Entertainment’sThe Space Between Us. There are also a number of indie films debuting in limited release, such as Sony Pictures Classics’The Comedian, CJ Pictures’Confidential Assignment, Vertical Entertainment’sEloise, Indican’sThe Grace of Jake, Magnolia’s documentaryI am Not Your Negro, Sony’sJourney to the West: The Demons Strike Backand another Indican release,The Trouble with Terkel. Take a look at the top 10 estimates for the weekend of January 27.
