The weekly movie box office prize went to "Split" a third consecutive time, as it pulled in $14.6 million to top North American ticket sales, beating out "Rings" and "A Dog's Purpose."
"Split" has turned out to be a winner for Universal, becoming the first movie from the studio to claim the top domestic position for three straight weeks since "Straight Outta Compton" in 2015, reported Entertainment Weekly.
"Split" stars James McAvoy as a man with 23 different personalities who kidnaps three girls, said The Wrap. The movie was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, whose past hits include "The Sixth Sense" and "The Lady in the Water."
"It was a squeaker, but Universal's 'Split' has edged past Paramount's 'Rings' ($13 million) to narrowly claim victory at the domestic box office," said Variety's Brent Lang. "… So far, 'Split,' the story of a man with multiple personalities, has made $98.7 million stateside, while costing just $9 million, making it very profitable indeed."
Rounding out the past week's top grossing movies were "A Dog's Purpose" ($10.8 million), Hidden Figures" ($10.1 million), "La La Land" ($7.5 million), "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" ($4.5 million), "Sing," ($4 million), "Lion" ($4 million), "The Space Between Us" ($3.8 million), and "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" ($3.7 million).
McAvoy has received plenty of praise on social media from moviegoers for his performance.
"He's captivating and magnetic and you can’t take your eyes off him," Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst at ComScore, told TheWrap. "And he's spectacular in the film. I absolutely feel without equivocation it's an Oscar-worthy performance."