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LOS ANGELES: The Lion King roared back to the top of the North American box office with a new 3D version bringing in $29.3 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.
The revival of Disney's 1994 animated classic tells the tale of Simba the lion cub, heir to a jungle kingdom, who is tricked by his uncle into thinking he killed his father.
Ridden ridden with guilt, Simba flees but later returns to regain his rightful place as king, all the while singing songs and learning about life.
The thriller “Contagion” slipped from the top spot to second, according to figures from movie data tracker Exhibitor Relations, taking $14.4 million in box office receipts.
The chilling flick, from acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh follows a team of doctors attempting to track and contain a deadly pandemic, with an all-star cast including Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet.
In third place was the action flick “Drive” starring Ryan Gosling, about a Hollywood stunt driver working as a heist getaway driver. The film brought in $11 million at the box office in its opening weekend.
In fourth was the top grossing film for much of the summer, “The Help,”which took in $6.4 million.
The drama about African-American housekeepers employed in the US south before the Civil Rights era has brought in a huge $147 million haul in its six weeks of release.
Fifth place was claimed by a remake of the 1971 thriller film “Straw Dogs,”which debuted with a $5 million take. In sixth place, also in its opening
weekend, was romantic comedy “I Don't Know How She Does It” starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan, which took in $4.5 million.
“The Debt,” an Israeli espionage thriller starring Oscar winner Helen Mirren, was bumped down from fourth to seventh with $2.9 million at the box office.
Eighth was action-packed film “Warrior,” taking 5.2 million dollars for the eighth spot.
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” prequel to the 1968 classic “Planet of the Apes,” hung on to the top ten charts with $2.6 million, making $171 million in total after seven weeks of release.
Action flick “Colombiana,” about a young woman who grows up to become an assassin after seeing her parents murdered when she was a child, brought in over $2.3 million to round out the top ten.
