Weekend Box Office: 'Split' Benches 'Rings'; 'Space Between Us' Bombs With $3.8M

Robert De Niro's comedy 'The Comedian' also falls flat over Super Bowl weekend, while 'La La Land' dances to $268 million globally.

M. Night Shyamalan's horror-thriller Split stayed atop the North American box office for a third weekend in a row with $14.6 million from 3,373 theaters, the first time the filmmaker has claimed that victory since The Sixth Sense in 1999.

Horror ruled the weekend all the way around. Paramount's Rings, returning the franchise to the big screen after a long absence, placed No. 2 with an estimated $13 million from 2,931 theaters. The new pic had hoped to win the weekend, considering Split is well into its run.

Through Sunday, Split has grossed $98.7 million domestically for Blumhouse Productions and Universal. It is the first Universal title since Straight Outta Compton in 2015 to win the race for three consecutive frames. Overseas, the film, starring James McVoy, earned another $14.6 million from 41 markets for a foreign total of $44 million and a global tally of $142.7 million.

Rings revives the horror series that began in 2002 with Gore Verbinski's The Ring, which was a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film Ring (which in turn was based on a book by Koji Suzuki centering on a reporter who investigates a cursed videotape that kills its viewers after one week). The Ring earned $249.3 million at the global box office, followed by 2005's The Ring Two with $162 million.

The new film, helmed by F. Javier Gutierrez, stars Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Vincent D'Onofrio, Aimee Teegarden and Bonnie Morgan. Costing $25 million to make, Rings also opened in 35 international markets over the weekend, collecting $15.2 million for a global bow of $28.2 million.

STX Entertainment's younger-skewing space romance The Space Between Us bombed in its launch with $3.8 million from 2,812 theaters and coming in at No. 9. (STX insiders say the company's exposure on the $30 million film is reduced to $3.7 million when factoring in foreign deals, co-financing partners and tax incentives.)

The sci-fi drama, starring Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson and Gary Oldman, follows a boy who has lived on a different planet his whole life but builds a friendship online with a person on Earth. At age 16 he has the chance to go to Earth, but soon discovers he can’t survive on the planet.

Back in the top five, Universal and Amblin Entertainment's A Dog's Purpose placed No. 3 with $10.8 million from 3,178 locations for a 10-day domestic total of $32.9 million. The family-friendly film dipped 41 percent.

Fox 2000 and Chernin Entertainment's Hidden Figures followed at No. 4 with $10.1 million from 3,401 theaters for a North American total of $120 million. The biographical drama fell a narrow 28 percent after winning top honors at the SAG Awards on Jan. 29.

Lionsgate's Oscar front-runner La La Land rounded out the top five with $7.5 million from 3,236 theaters for a domestic total of $118 million. Overseas, Damien Chazelle's musical earned another $20.1 million from 72 markets for a foreign tally of $150 million and a global cume of $268 million. Chazelle took home the top DGA award for best feature film on Saturday.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Sony's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter tumbled 67 percent in its second weekend to $4.5 million for a domestic total of $21.9 million. It placed No. 6.

Moving up to No. 8 was Garth Davis' Oscar-nominated Lion, which expanded into a total of 1,405 locations, grossing a pleasing $4 million for a domestic total of $24.7 million. Edwards won the DGA prize for best first-time feature director on Saturday.

At the specialty box office, The Comedian, starring Robert De Niro and Leslie Mann, withered in its debut in 838 locations, taking in less than $1 million (the film's cume of $1.1 million includes grosses from an award-qualifying runs in December). Directed by Taylor Hackford, the dramedy also stars Danny DeVito, Edie Falco, Veronica Ferres, Charles Grodin, Cloris Leachman, Patti LuPone and Harvey Keitel.