'The Lion King' re-release rules the box office

Seventeen years after Disney's "The Lion King" first hit theaters, the 3-D re-release managed to earn more than the other three films making their first debut this past weekend...combined.

"The Lion King" earned $30.1 million.

"Lion King" grabbed $30.1 million over the weekend, good enough for the fourth highest September opening in history and more than any movie has earned since the first weekend of August, when "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" earned $54 million in its debut.

Of course, the re-release benefited from the premium prices which go along with 3-D, but there's no denying "The Lion King" ruled the box office this weekend.

Last week's box office champ, "Contagion," fell to second place with $14.5 million and a two-week total of $44.2 million.

The critically praised "Drive" fared the best of the (true) newcomers with $11.4 million. "The Help" continues its strong--and lengthy--run at the box office, cleaning up another $6.5 million in its sixth week in theaters for a total of $147.4 million.

The "Straw Dogs" remake couldn't sniff out an audience, earning only $5.1 million for the weekend, figuring out to a paltry $2,128 per theater. Faring even worse was the Sarah Jessica Parker-starring "I Don't Know How She Does It," which earned only $4.4 million with an extra 68 theaters compared to "Straw Dogs."

"The Debt" followed with $2.9 million in its third weekend, while "Warrior" drew in $2.8 million in its second. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" ($2.6 million) and "Columbiana" ($2.3 million) rounded out the top 10.

The top ten grosses of the weekend (based on actual returns released today) were:

1. "The Lion King," $30,151,614 (New)
2. "Contagion," $14,548,433 ($44.2 million) 
3. "Drive," $11,340,461 (New) 
4. "The Help," $6,513,039 (Total: $147.4 million)
5. "Straw Dogs," $5,123,760 (New) 
6. "I Don't Know How She Does It," $4,402,201 (New)
7. "The Debt," $2,942,631 (Total: $26.5 million)
8. "Warrior," $2,860,325 ($10 million) 
9. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," $2,658,131 (Total: $171.6 million)
10. "Colombiana," $2,330,291 ($33.3 million)

'Contagion' sweeps through the weekend box office

"Contagion" infected the box office this weekend, producing the largest box office gross in a month to take the number one spot.

"Contagion" grossed $23.1 million.

The Steven Soderbergh-directed ensemble thriller earned an estimated $23.1 million in its debut weekend, the largest three-day total since the weekend of Aug. 12, during which "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" earned $27.5 million in its second week.

Since that time, there have been significantly more box office failures than successes, with the lone bright spot being "The Help," which dropped to number two this weekend after three straight weeks in the top spot. The film earned $8.7 million in its fifth week in theaters for a total of $137 million.

The mix-martial arts drama "Warrior" didn't have much of a punch, earning $5.6 million in its debut weekend, the only other newcomer to make it into the top 10.

Last week's number two film, "The Debt," fell to number four with $4.9 million and a total of $21 million.

"Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star," the other wide release of the weekend, utterly failed to shine, finishing with $1.4 million in 15th place. It's notable that the limited release "Laugh at My Pain" outdrew "Bucky Larson" with $2 million in only 97 theaters compared to the latter's 1,977

The weekend's top 10 grossing films according to studio estimates were: 

1. "Contagion," $23,135,000 (New)
2. "The Help," $8,691,000 (Total: $137 million)
3. "Warrior," $5,607,000 (New) 
4. "The Debt," $4,905,000 (Total: $21.9 million)
5. "Colombiana," $4,000,000 ($29.7 million)
6. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," $3,875,000 (Total: $167.8 million) 
7. "Shark Night 3D," $3,533,000 ($14.8 million)  
8. "Apollo 18," $2,913,000 ($15 million)
9. "Our Idiot Brother," $2,761,000 ($21.4 million)
10. "Sky Kids: All the Time in the World," $2,506,000 ($34.2 million)