The M Night Shyamalan horror film Split has comprehensively defeated Vin Diesel’s extreme-sports action thriller xXx: The Return of Xander Cage at the US box office, taking more than twice as much as its rival.
Split, which stars James McAvoy as a man with 23 different personalities, took $40.2m, significantly above predictions of around $20m.
The only other new entry in the box office Top 10 is The Founder, featuring Michael Keaton as McDonalds’ franchising pioneer Ray Kroc in a much-hyped biopic.
Despite general critical approval, its takings were undercooked, with $3.75m from more than 1,100 locations to land at No 9.