'Split' holds off 'Rings'

NEW YORK (AP)

M Night Shyamalan's multiple-personality thriller, Split, led the box office for a third straight week, an unusual streak for a low-budget horror film.

According to studio estimates yesterday, Split came out on top again with US$14.6m in North American ticket sales, bringing the Universal Pictures release's three-week haul to US$98.7m.

Surely hurt by the continued strength of Split, Paramount's horror option, Rings, came in second with an estimated US$13m. The sequel is an attempted revival of the dormant franchise begun with 2002's The Ring and followed up with 2005's The Ring Two.

The weekend's other debut, The Space Between Us, flopped altogether. The STX Entertainment release, starring Asa Butterfield as a boy who comes to Earth after being raised by astronauts on Mars made a mere US$3.8m. It cost $30m to make.

Universal's A Dog's Purpose came in third with US$10.8m in its second weekend. Audiences have largely shrugged off the outcry over a leaked video from the films production of a frightened German Shepherd being urged into churning water.

OSCAR CONTENDERS

Several Oscar contenders continued to pad their totals. Hidden Figures earned US$10.1m for a seven-week total of US$119.4m. La La Land added US$7.5m to bring its domestic total to US$118.3m in nine weeks of release, and Lion took in US$4m in its 11th week for a cumulative total of $24.7m.

Following are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian cinemas, according to comScore.

1. Split, US$14.6m (US$14.6m international)

2. Rings, US$13m (US$15.2m international)

3. A Dog's Purpose, US$10.8m

4. Hidden Figures, US$10.1m

5. La La Land, US$7.5m

6. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, US$4.5m

7. Sing, US$4.1m

8. Lion, US$4m

9. The Space Between Us, US$3.8m

10. xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, US$3.7m (US$12.4m international)