M. Night Shymalan’s psychological horror, “Split,” grosses $40.2 million in its first weekend, dominating U.S. box offices.
“Split” tells the story of three teenage girls kidnapped and locked in the basement of Dennis, a bald man with bulging eyes and a violent temper.
They learn that “Dennis” is only one of 24 separate personalities in the body of Kevin Wendell Crumb, played by James McAvoy.
The girls soon realize their only chance of escape is getting to know these split personalities and convincing one of them to let them go.
All the while, they learn about Kevin Crumb’s dark history and his childhood of neglect and abuse.
Where M. Night Shymalan goes, incredible twists always follow.
A. O. Scott of The New York Times said, “Sinister and sentimental,” “Split” is “something of a return to form for its writer and director.”
Peter Debruge of Variety said, “There are plenty of proper twists to follow, none more unexpected than the fact that Shymalan himself managed to get his groove back after a slew of increasingly atrocious misfires.”
Some critics are condemning the film for its use of mental illness as a frightening plot device, saying the film only stigmatizes mental illness further and going so far as to call the film “exploitative.”
Either way, it certainly appears that Shymalan has once again found his footing as “Split” doubled the profits of box office second-place “xXx: Return of Xander Cage,” which grossed $20 million in its first week.
“Hidden Figures,” starring Auburn University’s own Octavia Spencer, finished in third this week at $16.3 million dollars, grossing in total over $84.2 million.
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