'Split' Slices The Competition In Third Straight Week, 'Space Between Us' Flops [Box Office]

With most of the country getting their living rooms ready for game day, and Hollywood serving up some lukewarm fare at the multiplex, it’s not a surprise that one of January’s biggest hits is holding on strong in February.

M. Night Shyamalan‘s “Split” topped the box office for the third straight week, taking in $14.5 million. It brings the domestic haul to just a shade under $100 million, and it’s the first time the director has had a movie top the charts for three weeks since “The Sixth Sense.” Again, if there’s any doubt, Shyamalan is back. And while the film will be knocked down next weekend with the arrival of “The Lego Batman Movie” and “Fifty Shades Darker,” it’s probably a safe bet that the director will get to do whatever he wants next, namely, the follow-up to the twist ending of “Split.”

READ MORE: Suspense-Filled ‘Split’ Is A Return To Form For M. Night Shyamalan [Review]

For a movie that was delayed and thrashed by critics, Paramount will take whatever they can get out of “Rings,” especially given the franchise is pretty much dead at this point. The rebootquel debuted with $13 million, which is shade under what “The Ring” did in 2002, although this latest movie launched on 1,000 more screens. And the studio can’t even take solace in a small budget, as the picture somehow cost $25 million. Geez. They’re not going to be pulling this tape out of the drawer anytime soon.

STX will be nursing a pretty big bruise as the sci-fi romance “The Space Between Us” bombed with a tepid $3.8 million. And with a budget of $30 million, that’s gotta hurt. It’s mind-boggling to imagine the indie studio once thought of opening the film in the thick of December, and one wonders how much more it would’ve suffered in that crowded frame. But even on a relatively quiet weekend, audiences had no interest, and certainly their decision was helped by the film’s dreadful reviews.

READ MORE: So-Called Sci-fi Romance ‘The Space Between Us’ Hates Love, Science & Its Audience [Review]

Oscar nominees “La La Land” and “Hidden Figures” continue to hang around the top 10, but making the big breakthrough this weekend was “Lion,” as The Weinstein Company added 860 screens and landed in the number eight slot with $4 million. Nicely done.

In limited release, Robert De Niro‘s “The Comedian” tanked on 848 screens, bring in a measly $1.1 million. “The Irishman” can’t come soon enough…. Meanwhile, acclaimed doc “I Am Not Your Negro” got off to a solid start with $709,500 from 43 screens.

1. “Split” — $14.5 million ($98.7 mil.)
2. “Rings” — $13 million
3. “A Dog’s Purpose” — $10.8 million ($32.9 mil.)
4. “Hidden Figures” — $10.1 million ($119.4 mil.)
5. “La La Land” — $7.4 million ($118.3 mil.)
6. “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” — $4.5 million ($21.8 mil.)
7. “Sing” — $4.08 million ($262.9 mil.)
8. “Lion” — $4 million ($24.7 mil.)
9. “The Space Between Us” — $3.8 million
10. “xXx: Return Of Xander Cage” — $3.7 million ($40 mil.)