newsmakers

newsmakers

‘Contagion’ cleans up box office with 1st place

LOS ANGELES

“Contagion” infected enough moviegoers to catch the top spot at the box office.

The Warner Bros. pandemic thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring an A-list cast that includes Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow coughed up $23.1 million in its first weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The film’s contagious opening marked the beginning of the fall movie season by exceeding the studio’s estimates.

Despite the breakout success of “Contagion,” it was the lowest grossing weekend of the year so far for the film industry, according to Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. Dergarabedian said that’s typical for the weekend after Labor Day and expected business to pick up in the coming weeks as the Academy Awards race begins.

“The Help,” the acclaimed DreamWorks Pictures drama distributed by Disney about black Southern maids speaking out during the civil-rights movement, slipped to No. 2 with $8.7 million after three-straight weeks at the top, bringing its domestic total to $137 million.

“Warrior,” the Lionsgate mixed-martial-arts drama starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, punched up a $5.6 million debut in the No. 3 position.

Associated Press