the help

It took a global epidemic to do it, but ‘The Help’ has finally been knocked out of the number one spot at the box office after three weeks at the top of the list. The Steven Soderbergh-directed ‘Contagion,’ about a deadly and fast-spreading disease and the panic it causes, earned $23.1 million at theaters in its first week of release, relegating ‘The Help’ to a runner-up status. The mixed-martial

Earning a total of $123 million at the box office in the month since its release, ‘The Help’ kept its number one spot in theaters for the third week in a row, becoming the first film to do so since last summer’s ‘Inception.’

In a weekend that saw many East Coast theaters closed because of Hurricane Irene, ‘The Help’ remained atop the box office for the second week in a row. The film, based on the best-selling book of the same name, has now earned a total of $96.6 million.

In its second week of release, strong word-of-mouth and positive reviews propelled ‘The Help’ past ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ to take the number one spot at the box office this weekend, while ‘Apes’ moved to the number two slot. ‘The Help’ earned $20.5 million, while ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ pulled in $16.3 million.

In what has ironically turned out to be the franchise that just won’t die, ‘Final Destination 5′ opens in theaters Friday, promising more gore, more violence and, yes, more death. If you’re sick of the franchise, or if you just prefer something lighter, there are two comedies brand-new to choose from this weekend. One is the R-Rated ’30 Minutes or Less,’ which re-teams Oscar-nominated actor Jesse