With four new releases gunning for its box office throne, the 17-year-old The Lion King 3D [TLK3D] fended off the upstarts to reign once again with $22.1 million. The animated classic tailed off just 27% from last week and has $61.1 million in just 10 days of re-release.
Two movies based on a true story were in a close race for second place. Moneyball [MONYB] earned $20.6 million as the baseball movie managed to draw both men and women in equal numbers with 64% of the audience over the age of 35. Strong word of mouth and award buzz should keep Moneyball a contender for weeks to come.
Dolphin Tale [DLPHN] tallied $20.3 million by appealing to the same faith-based crowd as The Blind Side from the same producers. With high marks from moviegoers, the insiprational story should have plenty in the tank for the long haul.
The action thriller Abduction [ABDUC] opened in fourth with $11.2 million. Taylor Lautner [TLAUT] attracted his fans as the audience was 68% female and 56% under the age of 25.
Open Roads' first release Killer Elite [KILET] rounded out the top five with an $9.5 million debut, in line with previous Jason Statham [JSTAT] film openings.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | THE LION KING 3D | $22,130,000 | $61,676,000 |
| 2 | MONEYBALL | $20,600,000 | $20,600,000 |
| 3 | DOLPHIN TALE | $20,260,000 | $20,260,000 |
| 4 | ABDUCTION | $11,200,000 | $11,200,000 |
| 5 | KILLER ELITE | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 6 | CONTAGION | $8,565,000 | $57,122,000 |
| 7 | DRIVE | $5,771,107 | $21,424,482 |
| 8 | THE HELP | $4,400,000 | $154,444,000 |
| 9 | STRAW DOGS | $2,100,000 | $8,884,000 |
| 10 | I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT | $2,053,000 | $8,019,000 |
| 11 | THE DEBT | $1,288,598 | $29,000,000 |
| 12 | KEVIN HART: LAUGH AT MY PAIN | $1,225,000 | $5,260,000 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): TLK3D, MONYB, DLPHN, ABDUC, TLAUT, KILET, JSTAT