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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 23 January 2017
Shyamalan’s ‘Split’ rules inauguration weekend with $40.2M

JAKE COYLE forecasts to easily lead all held on well, sliding to third
AP Film Writer films. The Universal Pictures place with an estimated
NEW YORK (AP) — M. Night release again brings to- $16.3 million.
Shyamalan’s psychologi- gether Shyamalan, direc- Despite the weekend’s
cal thriller “Split” blew away tor of “The Sixth Sense,” political events, the North
box-office expectations, with the low-budget horror American box office was
earning $40.2 million in experts of Blumhouse Pro- up 29.2 percent from the
ticket sales over inaugura- ductions. same weekend last year,
tion weekend, according The PG-13-rated “Split,” according to comScore.
to studio estimates Sunday. starring James McAvoy as “You would think that those
Though many were fo- a man with split personali- events would suck the air
cused on Friday’s presiden- ties, cost less than $10 mil- out of the room, but that
tial inauguration and Satur- lion to make. didn’t happen,” said Paul
day’s nationwide women’s “This is an unusual week- Dergarabedian, senior me-
marches, “Split” doubled end in our society and a lot dia analyst for comScore.
“The movie theater expe-
rience with the right con-
tent is irresistible no mat-
ter what is going on in the
outside world, and in fact
may even benefit from so
much going on in the out-
side world. To have your
wits scared out you is one
This image released by Universal Pictures shows James McAvoy of the greatest escapes.”
in a scene from, “Split.” A pair of other new re-
Associated Press
leases had more difficulty
rounding up audiences.
of things have been going They previously combined The Weinstein Co.’s “The
on that would otherwise for 2015’s breakout horror Founder,” a biopic about
divert our attention,” said hit “The Visit.” Ray Kroc of McDonald’s
Nick Carpou, head of distri- The Vin Diesel action se- starring Michael Keaton,
bution for Universal. “A film quel “xXx: The Return of launched in 1,100 theaters
like this based on the ele- Xander Cage” opened in but gathered only $3.8 mil-
ments that it brings and the second place, with $20 mil- lion. It will be hoping for an
audience that it attracts, I lion. It’s the third film in the Oscar nomination on Tues-
think can take some ad- trilogy and first installment day to help it stand out of
vantage of that either as in 12 years. Though a mod- the adult-skewing releases.
a relief to current events or est start for a film designed Oscar favorite “La La Land”
perhaps as an adjunct to to recharge a dormant is still going strong with $8.4
them.” franchise, it is faring better million in its seventh week.
It’s the second collabora- overseas. It took in $50.5 Bombing altogether was
tion between producer Ja- million internationally over the Christian drama “The
son Blum and Shyamalan, the weekend. Resurrection of Gavin
whose fluctuating career Last weekend’s top film, Stone,” which took in
has recently found a lucra- the stirring mathematician $1.4 million from 1,000
tive home at Blumhouse. drama “Hidden Figures,” theaters.q
Review: Evan Smoak returns in

Hurwitz’s ‘The Nowhere Man’

JEFF AYERS Nowhere Man. more resourceful. He’s also
Evan Smoak, the anti-hero After receiving a call from pleased that he’s been im-
from last year’s “Orphan a young woman, Smoak prisoned not by his former
X,” returns in an even more is able to rescue her, and colleagues who are look-
intense and harrowing thrill- when he takes out the man ing for him, but a criminal
er. responsible for her predica- solely interested in money.
Smoak was trained as an ment, thugs in full combat The novel focuses on
operative in the orphan gear knock him uncon- Smoak and the psychologi-
program and was known scious before he can es- cal issues associated with
as Orphan X. He has evad- cape and he wakes in a being trapped without any
ed that life, but his lethal prison cell. hope of escape. The more
skills are still put to use as His captor, Rene, tells him he fights back, the more
a vigilante. After he saves that he will be released Rene and his henchmen
someone, he tells that per- when he transfers $27 are ready for him. Smoak
son to give his phone num- million from his bank ac- keeps count of every mi-
ber to another one who count. Rene doesn’t realize nor detail in case it can be
needs his special services. Smoak has access to more used to help him escape.
He’s a ghost, known as The money than that — and is q