【I Am a Plaything】

M. Night Shyamalan is I Am a Playthingback. For the second weekend in a row, the director's Splitis the box office winner.

Not since 1999's The Sixth Sensehas a Shyamalan movie opened with two consecutive #1 weekends. But Splitpulled it off, seemingly cementing the filmmaker's re-emergence after more than a decade of critical duds.

Splitpicked up an estimated $26.3 million domestically over the weekend, based on Sunday estimates. That's down 34 percent after a $40 million opening weekend (domestic); a relatively small drop by Hollywood standards, and one that suggests both growing interest and repeat viewings for the new film.

Shyamalan's second weekend success was aided by a number of factors. Namely: A Dog's Purpose, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, and Gold.

The former two are pacing to finish the weekend at #2 and #4 -- with an estimated $18.4 million and $13.9 million domestic take -- respectively. And Gold, The Weinstein Company's new adventure starring Matthew McConaughey, opened at #10, with an estimated $3.5 million.

A Dog's Purposemight have had a shot at challenging Split, if not for the leaked on-set video of one of the film's dog performers being forced into choppy waters. The leak led to a pile-on of bad press, as well as a boycott call from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Resident Evil, meanwhile, lacks the theatrical draw that it used to have. Even releasing in the same week as a brand-new -- and extremely well-reviewed -- video game, director Paul W.S. Anderson's latest clocked the lowest-ever opening for a Resident Evilmovie by a wide margin; the first, and previously lowest-performing, entry in the series opened at $17.7 million.

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