‘Split’ shocks the box office a ” and Vin Diesel’s ‘xXx’ sequel a ” with a $40-million debut

Competing with a presidential inauguration, multi-city marches and big-budget Hollywood productions, M. Night Shyamalan’s creepy psychological thriller “Split” pulled off a surprising victory its opening weekend, pulling $14.6 million Friday for an estimated weekend gross of $40.2 million. The low-budget “Split,” which cost a reported $9 million to make, blew away predictions that it would be bested by Vin Diesel ‘s big, action-packed “xXx: Return of Xander Cage.”