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

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.

‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ was number one again this week, joining ‘Thor’ and ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ as one of only three films this summer to hold the top spot for two weekends in a row. The film adaptation of the best-selling novel, ‘The Help,’ came in second, with horror flick ‘Final Destination 5,’ previous weekend box-office champ ‘The Smurfs,’ and the low-budget action comedy

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