Here’s the thing. Split has been doing really well. It opened above expectations, and it only dropped 35% last weekend. It’s on track to be the first 100M release of 2017, possibly as early as this weekend (but more likely sometime next week). So, how does the new scary film Rings factor in? Rings is a sequel to a long-dead horror franchise, that looks nothing like the original films, and has been delayed multiple times. It also has no stars. Nor has it been screened for critics. I’m going to be bold here and say Rings flops, but as The Bye Bye Man proved, sometimes people latch onto shitty horror films, if only for one weekend.
The other new release, The Space Between Us, is actually a multi-delay film, having originally been tagged for last August, before being shifted to December, then now in February. Not quite as bad as Rings, which was delayed over a year, but still not a good show of faith. It also has not been screened for critics, which considering the genre is a little more perplexing. Horror films and raunchy comedies usually skip critics, because they know they’re going to get bad reviews. But a teen drama doesn’t typically not screen in advance, which means they know they’re sitting on a film no one will like.
In limited release, the Oscar nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro opens, while Robert DeNiro’s The Comedian tries to find a few ticket buyers.
This weekend will continue to belong to Split, which has audiences talking, and is reviving the career of M Night Shyamalan. Also, Hidden Figures and La La Land will continue to enjoy their time in the Oscar sun. La La Land, specifically, will have a fantastic run at the box office as it is most likely to win Best Picture. It could be in the top 10 into March at this rate, which could push it north of 150M. Impressive.
1) Split- 17M Weekend, 99M Total
2) A Dog’s Purpose- 11M Weekend, 33M Total
3) Hidden Figures- 10M Weekend, 118M Total
4) Rings- 9M Weekend, 9M Total
5) La La Land- 9M Weekend, 119M Total
6) The Space Between Us- 7M Weekend, 7M Total
7) Resident Evil: The Final Chapter- 6M Weekend, 23M Total
8) XXX: Return Of Xander Cage- 5M Weekend, 41M Total
9) Sing- 4.5M Weekend, 263M Total
10) Star Wars: Rogue One- 3.5M Weekend, 525M Total
