Vin Diesel’s ‘xXx’ sequel to battle M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Split’ at box-office
Vin Diesel is back as thrill-seeker-turned-government-agent Xander Cage in ’xXx: Return of Xander Cage’
The women of “Hidden Figures” have defied expectations at the box office during the last two weeks. But now the NASA-themed breakout hit will face a new set of challengers — action star Vin Diesel and director M. Night Shyamalan.
Diesel vehicle “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage” and Shyamalan’s latest twisted thriller “Split” will race for first place this weekend, with both expected to gross close to $20 million Friday through Sunday, according to people who have seen pre-release audience surveys.
The new “xXx,” the latest in the long-dormant franchise, should gross $18 million to $20 million in ticket sales from the U.S. and Canada, a moderate start for a stunt-heavy movie that cost $85 million to make.
“The Return of Xander Cage,” released by Paramount Pictures, will test audience’s appetite for another sequel to a movie that is more than a decade old. Many recent long-delayed follow-ups, including “Independence Day: Resurgence,” have faltered, but the star power of Diesel should help.
The 2002 original hit “XXX,” which introduced Diesel’s extreme athlete turned government agent, opened with $44 million in the summer and ended up with $142 million domestically. A 2005 sequel (“State of the Union”), which didn’t star Diesel, wiped out with less than $27 million. Both were released by Sony Pictures.
Diesel returned for the latest installment, which was produced by Revolution Studios and is distributed in U.S. theaters by Paramount. Chinese companies Huahua Media and Shanghai Film Group also invested in the project. It’s the first movie in 10 years from Revolution, which was recently bought by Los Angeles investor Content Partners.
“Spilt,” released by Universal Pictures, could be the latest success from Shyamalan, who has enjoyed a career resurgence after making a series of major disappointments in recent years. The PG-13 movie, starring James McAvoy as a kidnapper with 24 distinct personalities, may gross $19 million this weekend, a healthy return for a movie that Shyamalan self-financed for $5 million. Produced with horror-focused company Blumhouse Productions, “Split” used a similar low-budget strategy to the director’s 2015 success “The Visit.”
It remains to be seen if either “xXx” or “Split” can finally topple “Hidden Figures,” which is likely to add as much as $18 million to its haul this weekend. The movie about black women’s role in the early U.S. space program has been No. 1 for two weekends in a row and has collected $64 million to date.
Meanwhile, the Weinstein Co. will release “The Founder,” starring Michael Keaton as McDonald’s business tycoon Ray Kroc. The film, produced by FilmNation and acquired for U.S. distribution by Weinstein, is expected to debut with a modest $4 million from 1,100 theaters.
Jason Blum’s experimental low-budget label BH Tilt is hoping for a $3-million opening from its faith-based comedy “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone,” about a washed-up child star who fakes being a Christian to join a mega-church’s Passion Play. BH Tilt is releasing the movie in 1,000 theaters chosen because they are often attended by religious moviegoers.
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