Weekend Box Office: ‘Contagion’ Takes Top Spot from ‘The Help’

It took a global epidemic to do it, but ‘The Help’ has finally been knocked out of the number one spot at the box office after three weeks at the top of the list.

The Steven Soderbergh-directed ‘Contagion,’ about a deadly and fast-spreading disease and the panic it causes, earned $23.1 million at theaters in its first week of release, relegating ‘The Help’ to a runner-up status. The mixed-martial arts action flick, ‘Warrior,’ came in third during its debut week, with ‘The Debt’ and ‘Columbiana’ rounding out the top five.

Here’s a list of the top 10 movies at the box office Friday-Sunday with estimated grosses, along with how much each movie has made since its release:

1.’ Contagion’ – $23.1 million, $23.1 million total
2. ‘The Help’ – $8.7 million, $137 million total
3. ‘Warrior’ – $5.6 million, $5.6 million total
4. ‘The Debt’ – $4.9 million, $22 million total
5. ‘Columbiana’ – $4 million, $29.8 million
6. ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ – $3.9 million, $168 million total
7. ‘Shark Night 3D’ – $3.5 million, $14.8 million
8. ‘Apollo 18′ – #2.9 million, $15 million total
9. ‘Our Idiot Brother’ – $2.7 million, $21.4 million total
10. ‘Spy Kids: All the Time in the World’ – $2.5 million, $34.2 million total

[Yahoo! Movies]