For the second Friday in a row, M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller Split leads all competitors by a decisive margin. Bolstered by positive buzz and a critically approved return to form for the twisty writer/director, the film took in almost $8 million in its follow-up Friday and looks to be on pace for a $25 million weekend. The horror/thriller stars James McAvoy as a man afflicted by two dozen personalities who kidnaps three girls; his intentions are mysterious and threatening, but the final moments of this story are what have people flocking to the theaters.

On the other hand, A Dog's Purpose is actively driving folks from the theaters thanks to PETA launching a boycott of the film. The controversy stems from a leaked on-set video suggesting less-than-acceptable treatment of the film's animal stars. From a purely cinematic standpoint, the film just isn't that great according to our own Aubrey Page. Still, the fact that the film's marketing has lovable dogs and a family-friendly message (despite the core of the film being about dog death and supposed resurrection...) was enough to land a #2 spot this Friday.

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Image via Sony/Screen Gems

Elsewhere in the Top 10, the sixth Resident Evil movie makes its North American debut with just over $5 million, though it's already pulled in $35 million from the international market. At the bottom of the pile was another debut, Gold, and it's one of Matthew McConaughey's worst openings ever. It's not great for director Stephan Gaghan either, but with the McConaissance on some shaky footing, one wonders if the combined star-power of McConaughey and Idris Elba is enough to secure a solid outing for the long-awaited adaptation of The Dark Tower later this summer. (Fingers crossed.) McConaughey's voice performance in Sing, however, will keep the coffers full; though it lands in the 7th spot this Friday, the animated musical comedy has earned over a quarter-of-a-billion dollars domestically and $431.9 million in total. No wonder a sequel has been announced!

For more on Split, be sure to check out some of our recent write-ups below:

Check out the full Top 10 from Friday's Box Office below (via Box Office Mojo):

Title

Friday

Total

1.

Split

$7,900,000

 $59.6

2.

A Dog's Purpose

$5,300,000

 $5.3

3.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

$5,100,000

 $5.1

4.

Hidden Figures

$3,775,000

 $93.8

5.

La La Land

$3,450,000

 $97.9

6.

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage

$2,230,000

 $27.5

7.

Sing

$1,300,000

 $252.5

8.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

$1,234,000

 $516.2

9.

Gold

$1,155,000

 $1.2

10.

Monster Trucks

$784,000

 $24.8

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