Weekend Box Office: ‘Split’ Dominates Over ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’

M. Night Shyamalan is now looking at one of his bigger hits in quite some time with Split, in which James McAvoy plays a kidnapper with multiple personality disorder. According to Variety, Split is not only dominating xXx: Return of Xander Cage, which will come in with an approximate $20 million or so, but also outpace tracking for the compact thriller, which now has an approximate weekend total of $40.2 million.

For some context, Shyamalan’s last movie, The Visit, has an opening weekend of about $25 million and After Earth, which sported one-time box-office titan Will Smith, came in with about $30 million. The last Shyamalan movie to hit $40 million on opening weekend was The Last Airbender, a movie that had both a tremendous following coming in from the source material but also an outrageous budget of $150 million. Compare that to Split‘s gross thus far and keep in mind that Shyamalan and Blumhouse spent under $10 million to make  Split. That would be the far more reasonable model of numerous, small-budget movies over a few titanic film with budgets that reach up into 9 figures, rearing its head once again. Mind you, The Visit made over $100 million off of a $5 million budget.

In third place would be Hidden Figures, Theodore Melfi‘s exuberant and quite excellent comedic, historical melodrama, which has had a rousing run at the box office over the last few weeks. Another historical melodrama, however, has not done very well. In fact, The Weinstein Company’s The Founder will likely not even make it into the top ten this weekend, which can be blamed largely on its completely botched marketing campaign and troubles with release dates. Right now, it’s looking likely that La La Land and Sing will continue their admirable box office runs to come in at 4th and 5th place, the former still feeding off its Golden Globes sweep and its presumed Oscar nominations. Split is not likely to enjoy any nominations in this coming year, but its success points to pragmatic, skilled production and smart, selective marketing, two elements that helped build the industry and are becoming scarcer by the day.

TOP 5 BEST FEEL-GOOD MOVIES

You’ve had a bad day. You’ve had a bad week. You’ve had a bad month. You’ve had a bad year. And sometimes, you’re not in the mood to watch “the best” films. There’s nothing wrong with Citizen Kane, but if you’re feeling like garbage, it’s probably not the film you want to watch while you’re down in the dumps. Sometimes you not only want a movie that can lift your spirits; you need that movie.

With that in mind, we’ve humbly compiled a list of 22 feel-good films to put you in a better mood. These aren’t just blithely cheerful, brain-dead pictures. They’re all terrific movies that carry an uplifting message that is earned, thoughtful, and will definitely leave you smiling as the credits roll.

Aladdin

Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker

Writers: Ron Clements, John Musker, 18 other credits…

Cast: Scott Weinger, Linda Larkin, Robin Williams, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilberg Gottfried, Douglas Seale, Charles Adler, Corey Burton, Jim Cummings

It’s hard to go wrong with a Disney film when you need a little emotional pick-me-up. This 1992 classic tale of sand, sorcery, and a street-rat’s rise to fame is hands down one of the best the studio has to offer. It’s got all the hallmarks of the Disney greats: a likable underdog for a protagonist who falls in love with a beautiful princess and, despite all odds, wins her hand; a bevy of supporting characters, from a flying carpet, a thieving monkey, and a hilarious genie, to tigers, a talking parrot, and sword-wielding palace guards; and a thrilling adventure story that perfectly blends magic and music together into an unforgettable tale. Do yourself a favor and revisit the Cave of Wonders and take a magic carpet ride to a whole new world with Aladdin and Jasmine; you’ll be glad you did. – Dave Trumbore

Frozen

Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Writers: Jennifer Lee, Hans Christian Andersen, Chris Buck, Shane Morris

Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk, Ciarán Hinds, Chris Williams, Stephen J. Anderson, Edie McClurg, Robert Pine, Maurice LaMarche

It may be one of Disney’s most modern animated movies, but it’s also one of the studio’s most progressive. Sure, there are moments where Disney slips back into its predictable princess mode, but for every step back, Frozen takes two steps forward.

The plot centers on two royal sisters who drift further and further apart as they grow out of childhood thanks to an accident related to the elder sister’s magical ice powers. Those powers, and the princess’s inability to control them, form the major conflict of the film in the form of a countryside cursed into a frozen eternity. While true love certainly plays a part in breaking the curse in this modern fairy tale, the way it all thaws out is anything but expected. And if the heart-warming conclusion to Frozen’s fantastic story doesn’t put you in a good mood, there’s a very good chance that at least the music will! – Dave Trumbore

Clueless

Director: Amy Heckerling

Writer: Amy Heckerling

Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Paul Rudd, and Brittany Murphy

Let’s face it: Clueless is the Jeff Goldblum of ‘90s movies. Easy to like and simply stuffed with charm, Clueless is a breezy comedy with some knowing bite thanks to sharp-toothed scripting from writer/director Amy Heckerling and such a pure-hearted center that it’s as impossible to dislike as its bubbly protagonist. Carried deftly by the preternaturally charming Alicia Silverstone in a star making role as the immaculate and perpetually optimistic Cher and flanked by similarly shiny-haired co-stars in Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy (RIP!) and the baby-faced Paul Rudd, the film is a classic high school comedy of genius proportions. Making the most of its gleefully shallow setting in Beverly Hills, Heckerling never shortchanges the intellect or innate goodness of her less than deep protagonist, a foresight that ultimately helps to define it from similar films of its ilk. So go ahead, sit back, ignore that Cher’s love interest is her ex-stepbrother, and relax. Are you feeling those blues anymore? Ugh! As if! – Aubrey Page

Sing Street

Director: John Carney

Writer: John Carney

Cast: Lucy Boynton, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Aidan Gillen, Jack Reynor, and Kelly Thornton

While 2016 was quite possibly the worst year ever, it did give us one of the best feel-good movies ever: Sing Street. This 80s-set musical/coming-of-age story hails from Once and Begin Again filmmaker John Carney and follows a young Irish boy who starts a band in order to impress a girl. In writing their original music, they cover the various trends of the decade—there are songs that sound like Duran Duran and there are songs that sound like The Cure. At heart, it’s a story about young love and discovering who you are while not shying away from the harsh realities of real life—yes indeed, this is optimism that doesn’t ignore realism. That’s sometimes a tough mix, but one that’s certainly necessary at this particular point in time. The songs are genuinely great, the performances are incredible (especially from newcomer Lucy Boynton), and the ending is a humdinger. I dare you to watch this movie and not smile. – Adam Chitwood

Zootopia

Directors: Byron Howard and Rich Moore

Writers: Jared Bush and Phil Johnston

Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Jenny Slate, Idris Elba, Nate Torrence, J.K. Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, and Octavia Spencer

Who knew an animated feature from Disney would be one of the most socially conscious films of 2016? Zootopia is a surprisingly thoughtful chronicle of prejudice and inherent bias, telling the story of a young bunny who wants nothing more than to be a top police officer in a world filled with various types of animals. However, while the world of Zootopia is integrated with predators and prey working and living side-by-side, historical prejudices are alive and well, and the film doesn’t shy away from showing that oftentimes the fault lies with those who believe themselves to be wholly innocent and justified. The movie is funny and gorgeous, with top-notch world building, but it also has something to say, which ensures that it’s much more than a lazy cash grab. It’s wildly entertaining and it ends on a solid upbeat note (hence “feel-good”), but it’s refreshingly introspective about the world we live in. – Adam Chitwood