娱乐英语新闻:"Contraband" opens to lead MLK weekend

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Adult thriller "Contraband" has opened atop the North America box office with 24.1 million U.S. dollars in ticket sales, leading the Martin Luther King weekend.

The film, an English-language remake of the 2009 Icelandic film which stars Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale, deals with a security guard who is tempted to return to a life of crime. The Universal release, which debuted in 2,863 venues in the U.S. and Canada, received "A-" from moviegoers. Forty-nine percent of the audiences were female.

Debuting in second place for the weekend is new 3-D re-release of Disney's "Beauty And The Beast," which bagged 18.5 million dollars from 2,625 locations.

A poster of "Contraband".

Tom Cruise' vehicle "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" was edged to third place, garnering 11.5 million dollars in ticket stubs, which registered a 42 percent drop from last week. It is on track for a total of 186.7 million dollars for five weeks in exhibition.

"Joyful Noise," a Warner Bros. film which opened in fourth place, is estimated to take in 11.3 million dollars. It features a gospel choir looking to win a national singing competition, and also garnered an "A-" rating from audiences, according to CinemaScore.

Rounding out the top 10 most-popular films in the U.S. and Canada are: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows" (8.4 million dollars), "The Devil Inside" (7.9 million dollars), "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (6.8 million dollars), "Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" (5.8 million dollars), "War Horse" (5.6 million dollars), and "The Iron Lady" (5.4 million dollars).