Wahlberg’s movie lands a big score

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Updated: February 17, 2012 8:21AM

“Contraband” managed to steal the top slot away from competitors at the weekend box office.

The action film starring Mark Wahlberg as a reformed smuggler debuted above expectations at No. 1 with $24 million, while Disney’s 3-D re-release of “Beauty and the Beast” waltzed into the No. 2 position with $18.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Joyful Noise,” the musical comedy starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, opened below expectations with $11.3 million in the No. 4 spot behind “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” which earned $11.5 million in its fifth week, bringing the total haul of the fourth installment of the Tom Cruise action franchise to $186.7 million.

“The Devil Inside,” the horror film that scared up a massive $33.7 million debut last weekend, experienced a steep 77 percent drop in its second weekend, coming in at No. 6 with $7.9 million.

“Horror movies typically drop big, but that is a huge drop,” said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “It doesn’t matter because ‘Devil Inside’ is a profit-making machine. If your budget is low enough, who cares if it drops big and you’re making money? It’s already one of the most profitable films of the past year, so there’s nothing really to complain about there.”

AP