Though horror has had a recent history of performing well in February box office berths, new scare reboot Rings didn't factor in the enduring popularity of M. Night Shyamalan's Split, which stayed nestled at the top of the US charts for the third week in a row, earning $14.15 million across the Super Bowl weekend.
The movie has now earned an impressive $98.7 million in the States alone, and passed $142 million worldwide, which is a great result for a movie that cost an estimated $9 million to make (before ads etc). As for Rings, the attempt to breathe new life into the J-horror adaptation was shock-blocked in the final tally, earning $13 million for its first weekend of release.
A Dog's Purpose was bumped to third, adding $10.8 million, while Hidden Figures slipped one place to fourth on $10.1 million. Rounding out the top five, and staying in place for another week is Oscar favourite La La Land, enjoying a boosted screen count and plenty of interest. It took home $7.4 million.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter continued to underperform slightly, falling to sixth with $4.5 million, while Sing stuck its koala claws into seventh, staying in place and making $4.08 million.
At eighth we find Lion, which increased its screen count added $4.06 million for a current US total of $24.7 million. In ninth was new arrival The Space Between Us with the date-shifted blend of sci-fi and teen romance proving a tepid combination, and the film opening to a poor $3.8 million. Finally, at 10th and presumably hanging off the edge of the chart while using a surfboard on top of a ride-on lawnmower, was xXx: Return Of Xander Cage, which made $3.7 million this weekend and is up to $40 million in the States and a little more than $152 million worldwide.