Box office sees Contraband starring Mark Wahlberg best Beauty and the Beast 3D.
Universal Pictures' action thriller Contraband debuted on top of the charts this weekend, posting an estimated $24.06 million from 2,863 theaters.
Pic averaged a solid $8,405 per theaters, with a cast which includes Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Caleb Landry Jones, Lukas Haas, Diego Luna and J.K. Simmons. Overseas, Contraband earned an estimated $1.5 million.
Baltasar Kormákur directs from the writing by Aaron Guzikowski based on Reykjavik-Rotterdam by: Óskar Jónasson and Arnaldur Indrioason.
Day-By-Day Weekend Box Office Breakdown for Contraband:
- Friday: $8.7 million.
- Saturday: $8.6 million.
- Sunday: $6.7 million.
In second, Disney's Beauty and the Beast 3D managed just under $18.5 million from 2,625 theaters, averaging $7.044 per venue.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol continued to flourish in its fifth weekend at play, grossing $11.5 million from 3,346 venues. The Brad Bird-directed pic starring Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner, has amassed over $186.7 million domestically.
Warner Bros. Pictures' music drama Joyful Noise was close behind in fourth place, earning an estimated $11.34 million from 2,735 theaters. Pic starring Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Kris Kristofferson, Courtney B. Vance, Judd Lormand and Jesse L. Martin averaged $4,148 per theater.
Ending the top five list this weekend, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows posted $8.41 million, bringing the domestic cume for the Warner Bros. Pictures' pic starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Noomi Rapace, to over $170 million.
Falling rapidly from the charts, last weekend's number one The Devil Inside made $7.9 million on its second weekend at play, showing a hefty 77% change. The horror release has pocketed over $46.2 million thanks to clever marketing from Paramount Pictures; all from a mere $1 million production budget.