The horror of what we saw last night drove people to the movies– to a horror film. M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” took in over $14 million on Friday. Those people could have stayed home and watched the end of the world for free. But they went out and spent $10 a pop to get away from it.
Second was “XXX: Return of Xander Cage,” which made $7.1 million. Again, escapism ruled.
Oscar favorites “La La Land” and “Hidden Figures” continue to do well. “Lion” hit $15 million. (Go, “Lion”!)
But Martin Scorsese’s “Silence” expanded to 1,580 theaters and tanked. The average per screen was $201. The total through today is $4.3 million. This is a tragedy. One day this movie will be ranked as a classic. Its release, however, has been a disaster. Try and see “Silence” before it’s out of theaters. A gorgeous, important film.
