Mark Wahlberg's 'Contraband' Claims Champion Title on Box Office
Movie

The R-rated action movie grosses $24.5 million on its debut weekend, knocking down 'Beauty and the Beast' 3D re-release which lands on the runner-up spot with $17.7 million.

AceShowbiz - Universal Pictures' action film "Contraband" claims the top spot on the North American box office. The Mark Wahlberg-starring R-rated movie, which cost an estimated $25 million to produce, grosses $24.5 million on its opening weekend.

Receiving an "A-" CinemaScore, the Baltasar Kormakur movie appeals to 49|percent| female moviegoers, which is more than the expectation. According to exit polling, 69|percent| of the audience list Wahlberg as their reason to watch the movie.

Landing on the runner-up place is the 3D re-release of Walt Disney Pictures' "Beauty and the Beast (1991)". On its debut weekend, the movie rakes in $17.7 million, which marks the largest opening for an animated film in January. However, the result is far below the big success of last year's "The Lion King" 3D re-release which opened at $30.2 million.

"Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol" secures the third place on the chart. Dropping only 42|percent| from last week, the Tom Cruise-starring action movie grabs $11.7 million for a total domestic cume of $186.7 million. The film, however, hasn't surpassed the $215.4 million mark that "Mission: Impossible II" scored in 2000.

Another newcomer this week, "Joyful Noise", finishes on number four with $11.2 million. Receiving an "A-" CinemaScore, the comedy starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton appeals to 78|percent| audience over the age of 25 with 73|percent| of them are females. The movie reportedly performs particularly well throughout the South and Midwest.

Rounding up the top five is "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows". The Robert Downey Jr.-starring detective movie bags $8.6 million for a total domestic cume of $170 million after five weeks playing in theaters. Meanwhile, last week's chart-topper "The Devil Inside" falls to the sixth spot with $8 million for a total cume of $46.2 million in its second week.

Top Ten Movies at Box Office for January 13 - 15, 2012:

  1. "Contraband" - $24.5 million
  2. "Beauty and the Beast (1991)" 3D - $17.7 million
  3. "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol" - $11.7 million
  4. "Joyful Noise" - 11.2 million
  5. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" - $8.6 million
  6. "The Devil Inside" - $8 million
  7. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)" - $6.7 million
  8. "War Horse" - $5.9 million
  9. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked" - $5.9 million
  10. "The Iron Lady" - $5.5 million

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