Weekend Box Office:
SPLIT No. 1 for 2nd Week, Beats A DOG'S PURPOSE with $26 Million
Lasse Hallstrom's
A Dog's Purpose came in behind expectations over the weekend with a debut of $18.3 million from 3,058 theaters at the North American box office after being dogged by controversy over a leaked video showing a canine in distress on the set of the film.
M. Night Shyamalan's sleeper hit
Split fell a scant 36 percent in its second weekend to $26.3 million for a domestic total of $78 million. The horror film easily stayed No. 1 for Blumhouse and Universal.
The filmmakers and production companies of
A Dog's Purpose, along with producer Gavin Polone, have said the video was highly edited and dispute allegations of abuse.
While the pic's debut is a solid opening in terms of financials — it cost a net $22 million to make — it had been tracking to open in the $24 million range before the video was published by TMZ, prompting calls of a boycott from PETA. Box-office observers believe
A Dog's Purpose, rated PG, was hurt by the video, noting that major markets including New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., under-indexed.
The film, appealing to pet lovers of all ages, earned an A CinemaScore, fueling hopes for strong word of mouth.
Sony and Screen Gems' new entry
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter followed at No. 4 with a projected $13.8 million from 3,104 theaters. The sixth installment in the franchise expects to do the majority of its business overseas, where it won the weekend with $28.3 million from 44 markets for a foreign total of $64.5 million and a global cume of $78.3 million. (
The Final Chapter opened offshore ahead of its domestic bow.)
Placing No. 10 in its North American debut, Stephen Gaghan's
Gold bombed with $3.4 million from 2,166 theaters, marking the worst wide opening of Matthew McConaughey's career (that doesn't count 1993's
My Boyfriend's Back, in which he played a minor role). The Weinstein Co. originally planned to open Christmas Day before pushing its release.
Weekend Box Office: 'Split' Beats Troubled 'Dog's Purpose' With $26M