Weekend Box Office: 'The Lion King 3D' Mauls the Competition

Though there were plenty of new movies in theaters this weekend (okay, one of them was a remake), it was a re-release of a nearly two-decade-old film that took the first place spot. A little 3D goes a long way.

"The Lion King 3D" took the top spot this weekend, bringing in an impressive and surprising $29.3 million. The premium 3D ticket prices certainly helped the re-release reach that number, but there's no denying that fans were heading to theaters in droves to see it. The original release in 1994 pulled $40.8 million in its first weekend, so this is a nice second run for the film.

In second place was a movie with a very different tone, the apocalyptic "Contagion." In its second weekend, "Contagion" fell only 35% to land at $14.5 million. The movie seems to have benefited greatly from good reviews and word of mouth, resulting in a strong hold.

The highest-grossing new movie for the weekend was Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive," which pulled in $11 million. The movie has received excellent reviews thus far, and is supported by a stunning cast including Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, and Christina Hendricks.

"Drive" was followed by "The Help," which refuses to die and has placed in the top five for six weekends straight. The Emma Stone starrer earned $6.1 million to bring the cume for the movie to just under $150 million, a remarkable number for the low-budget feature.

The other two new openers, "Straw Dogs" and "I Don't Know How She Does It," placed fifth and sixth with $5 million and $4.5 million respectively. Neither film received very good reviews, with both of them well under 50% on Rotten Tomatoes.

1. "The Lion King 3D" - $29.3 million
2. "Contagion" - $14.5 million
3. "Drive" - $11 million
4. "The Help" - $6.1 million
5. "Straw Dogs" - $5 million
6. "I Don't Know How She Does It" - $4.5 million