‘Split’ leads box office 3rd week

‘Split’ leads box office 3rd week

NEW YORK

M. Night Shyamalan’s multiple-personality thriller “Split” led the box office for a third-straight week, an unusual streak for a low-budget horror film. According to studio estimates Sunday, “Split” came out on top again with $14.6 million in North American ticket sales, bringing the Universal Pictures release’s three-week haul to $98.7 million.

Paramount’s horror option, “Rings,” came in second with an estimated $13 million.

Rounding out the top five were “A Dog’s Purpose,” $10.8 million, third; “Hidden Figures,” $10.1 million, fourth; and “La La Land,” $7.5 million, fifth.

‘La La Land’ takes top DGA honor

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.

“La La Land” director Damien Chazelle has waltzed off with the top honor at the Directors Guild of America Awards on Saturday in Beverly Hills.

At 32, Chazelle, a first-time nominee, is the youngest recipient of the prize. The DGA win is the next step on the path to the Oscars. Only seven times has the DGA winner not gone on to win the directing prize at the Academy Awards.

‘Zootopia’ wins at Annie Awards

LOS ANGELES

“Zootopia” won best animated feature and took home a leading six awards at the 44th Annie Awards, setting up the Disney release as the clear favorite at the Oscars. At the LA ceremony Saturday, “Zootopia” won for directing and writing.

One of its leads, Jason Bateman, shared best-voice acting with Auli’-Cravalho from “Moana.” Along with more than $1 billion in global box office, “Zootopia” has been the top choice in awards season, also winning a Golden Globe.

The Annie winner has won the best-animated feature Oscar in 10 of the 15 years since the Academy Awards introduced the category.

‘SNL’ cranks up Trump satire

NEW YORK

Melissa McCarthy lampooned White House press secretary Sean Spicer in a “Saturday Night Live” sketch where she taunted reporters as “losers,” fired a water gun at the press corps and even used the lectern to ram a Wall Street Journal journalist.

“SNL” opened with Alec Baldwin reprising his President Donald Trump and phoning foreign leaders with chief strategist Stephen Bannon by his side. Bannon, with hood and scythe, was portrayed as the grim reaper.

It was McCarthy’s mid-show sketch impersonating a pugnacious Spicer that sparked the bigger response in the NBC show’s second episode since the inauguration.

Associated Press