Even with some competition for action-seeking audiences from "Mission: Impossible" and "Sherlock Holmes," R-rated thriller "Contraband" brought in a very solid $24 million this weekend at 2,863 theaters, making it easily the number one box office draw. Disney's re-release of "Beauty and the Beast" in 3D also had a strong weekend of $18 million, though it seems that enthusiasm isn't nearly what it was for last year's "The Lion King 3D." Music drama "Joyful Noise" also posted a surprising $11 million for Warner Brothers, enough to push it into the top five.
With star Mark Wahlberg and a familiar thriller concept, "Contraband" had no problem finding its intended demographic, helping it grab more than $8,000 per venue. Though "Contraband" isn't likely to end up as a major blockbuster, it does carry a minimal price tag of only $25 million, making its strong first weekend more than enough to ensure that it's at least somewhat of a commercial success for distributor Universal.
The problem for "Contraband," however, is that a slew of other titles will be hitting theaters shortly, which should pull away a sizeable chunk of its intended demographic in the coming weeks. Steven Soderbergh's thriller "Haywire" and historical drama "Red Tails" both open this Friday and will have some appeal for the same action-seeking adult demographic, likely making "Contraband" a difficult sell. Look for "Contraband" to see a fairly big drop in the coming weeks, though a solid $60 to $70 million domestic haul seems likely when all is said and done.
Opening at 2,625 theaters this weekend, Disney/Buena Vista's "Beauty and the Beast 3D" had easy appeal with its intended family demographic, enough for it to bring in more than $7,000 per site and $18.49 million overall. But even though an $18 million opening for a re-release is pretty good, it pales in comparison to the box office success of "The Lion King 3D," which brought in an eye-popping $30 million in its opening weekend in October despite playing at just 2,330 theaters.
The upside for "Beauty and the Beast" is that there is a complete lack of family releases over the next month or so, opening the door for some strong numbers from here on out. Disney also isn't likely to stop similar releases any time soon, as 3D releases for "Finding Nemo," "The Little Mermaid" and "Monsters, Inc." are already being planned for later this year and into 2013.
While "Contraband" and "Beauty and the Beast" hit with their target demographics, the surprise of the weekend was the Queen Latifah/Dolly Parton-starring "Joyful Noise," which brought in a fairly decent $11 million this weekend. Though "Joyful Noise" still has a low per venue average of just $4,148, it looked like "Joyful Noise" had the potential to be a major box office bust. Even if "Joyful Noise" slides significantly from here on out, it has already somewhat exceeded commercial expectations for Warner Brothers.
The weekend also saw a big-time slip for horror-thriller "The Devil Inside," which earned a shocking $33 million at only 2,285 total venues a week ago. In its second weekend, "The Devil Inside" plummeted 77% from its opening totals, marking one of the biggest drops at the box office in recent memory. But even with audience interest clearly falling off sharply, "The Devil Inside" still brought in a very nice $46 million in its first ten days, a total unheard of for a production costing just $1 million.
As audiences were split up over a variety of different new releases this weekend, Meryl Streep's "The Iron Lady" snuck into the bottom of the top ten with $5.39 million, though it might remain a tough sell to mainstream audiences from here on out. Streep did just win a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, but "The Iron Lady" is still a movie that will probably play better overseas than it will in the U.S.
After a couple of slow weekends, the release schedule will again pick up with a slew of action-thrillers over the next few weeks. Next weekend, Steven Soderbergh's thriller "Haywire" will hit theaters as will the Terrence Howard-starring historical drama "Red Tails," a George Lucas production that tells the story of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. "Underworld Awakening," the fourth in the semi-popular action series, is the last wide release of next weekend, with Kate Beckinsale stepping back into the franchise after skipping "Rise of the Lycans."
Early Studio Box Office Estimates for 1/13/12 - 1/15/12 (In Millions), [RTT Prediction]:
1. Contraband (Universal): $24.10 [$16.5]
2. Beauty and the Beast 3D (Buena Vista): $18.49 [$23]
3. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Paramount): $11.50 [$12]
4. Joyful Noise (Warner Brothers): $11.35 [$8]
5. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Warner Brothers): $8.41 [$7.5]
6. The Devil Inside (Paramount): $7.90 [$15]
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sony/Columbia): $6.80 [$6]
8. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Fox): $5.80 [$5]
9. War Horse (Buena Vista): $5.61 [$4.8]
10. The Iron Lady (Weinstein): $5.39 [N/A]
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.