EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
"Contagion" gripped filmgoers as the thriller about the race to contain a deadly virus took hold of the top spot at the domestic box office and knocked hit drama "The Help" to second place.
The film brought in an estimated 23 million dollars (USD) at U.S. and Canadian theaters over its first three days.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the film tells the story of a fast-spreading killer virus and scientists' efforts to stop it as the body count rises. The movie features an all-star cast includes Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow.
"The Help," a critics and audience favorite about black maids who speak out about white employers in civil rights-era Mississippi, slipped to second place after three straight weeks as the box-office leader. The film soaked up 8.7 million, pushing up its domestic receipts to 137 million since the book adaptation hit theaters five weeks ago.
"Warrior," a new drama about two brothers who battle for victory and redemption in a mixed-martial arts tournament, finished third with a disappointing 5.6 million. The brothers, a war veteran played by Tom Hardy and a high-school teacher and father played by Joel Edgerton, face wounds from the past as their estranged father, portrayed Nick Nolte, works as one of their coaches.
Actor Cliff Robertson, who won an Oscar playing a mentally disabled janitor in "Charly" and worked in movies ranging from "PT 109" to "Spider-Man 3," died in New York Saturday (September 10), the day after his 88th birthday.
John Russell, Reuters.
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