Disney‘s 3D reissue of family classic The Lion King topped the US box office this weekend with almost $30m.
The feature animation took $29.3m in its opening weekend, pushing last week’s box-office topper Contagion into second place with $14.5m.
Nicolas Winding Refn’s critically-acclaimed action-thriller Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, opened to $11m, followed by Emma Stone-led comedy-drama The Help with $6.4m.
A remake of Straw Dogs, starring James Marsden and Kate Bosworth, rounds out the top five films of the weekend with $5m.
This week’s US box office top ten in full (studio estimates):
1. (-) The Lion King 3D – $29,300,000
2. (1) Contagion – $14,500,000
3. (-) Drive – $11,000,000
4. (2) The Help – $6,400,000
5. (-) Straw Dogs – $5,000,000
6. (-) I Don’t Know How She Does It – $4,500,000
7. (4) The Debt – $2,945,000
8. (3) Warrior – $2,770,000
9. (7) Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $2,625,000
10. (9) Colombiana – $2,300,000