( EW.com ) -- We 're counting on Gaston Wahlberg to lead the way ! In a weekend that saw both the Mark Wahlberg thriller `` Contraband '' and Disney 's 3-D re-release of `` Beauty and the Beast '' perform better than expected , it was the former that crossed the finish line in first place . The R-rated `` Contraband , '' which stars Wahlberg as a former smuggler trying to protect his brother-in-law from a drug lord , earned an estimated $ 24.1 million over the standard three-day weekend , and looks to finish the four-day holiday weekend with about $ 28 million . That 's a solid start for the $ 25 million movie , a remake of the 2008 Icelandic thriller `` Reykjavík-Rotterdam . '' It also represents Wahlberg 's strongest solo debut since 2008′s `` The Happening . '' ( What ? No ! ) `` Contraband '' confirmed Wahlberg 's ability to open a movie , as 69 percent of CinemaScore 's participants listed the actor as their reason for buying a ticket . It received an overall `` A- '' from the tracking service 's graders , indicating positive word of mouth . But the movie will have to contend with a number of action films in the coming weeks , including `` Haywire , '' `` Underworld : Awakening , '' and `` The Grey . '' In second was `` Beauty and the Beast 3D '' with $ 18.5 million for the three-day frame -- the largest January opening for an animated film ( topping 2006′s `` Hoodwinked '' ) . Disney spent less than $ 10 million converting the 1991 classic to 3-D , so this kind of opening more than justifies the studio 's decision to re-release the musical . It also bodes well for Disney 's future 3-D re-releases : `` Finding Nemo '' in September , and `` Monsters , Inc. '' and `` The Little Mermaid '' in 2013 . `` Beast '' should finish the four-day weekend with around $ 25 million . However , despite `` Beast 's '' commendable performance , it 's worth pointing out that it fell short of last September 's `` The Lion King 3D , '' which debuted to $ 30.2 million . That could be the result of several factors . For one , `` King '' was a much bigger hit in its original release , earning $ 312.9 million versus `` Beast 's '' $ 145.9 million . Second , `` Beast '' has been out on 3-D Blu-ray since October , whereas `` King '' did n't come out on Blu-ray until after it returned to theaters . And `` Beast '' had a harder time attracting the interest of boys . According to Disney , just 31 percent of `` Beast 3D 's '' audience was male -- compared to 44 percent for `` Lion King 3D . '' The weekend 's third new release , the gospel-singing dramedy `` Joyful Noise , '' drew a smaller congregation with $ 11.3 million over the three-day frame . The $ 25 million movie , starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton , is on pace for $ 14 million by Monday night . Those who saw the film loved it , though , as CinemaScore moviegoers handed the picture an `` A- '' rating . According to the tracking service , 73 percent of the audience was female , and 78 percent was at least 25 years old . A rep for Warner Bros. said the film performed particularly well throughout the South and Midwest . Among holdovers , `` Mission : Impossible -- Ghost Protocol '' dropped a mild 42 percent for $ 11.5 million . On Saturday it surpassed the original `` Mission : Impossible 's '' $ 181 million gross to become the action franchise 's second-highest grossing film , behind `` Mission : Impossible II '' with $ 215.4 million . `` Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows '' continued to hold up well , too , slipping just 39 percent for $ 8.4 million , and pushing its cumulative total to $ 170 million . One film that did not hang on well was last week 's winner , `` The Devil Inside . '' The R-rated horror flick plummeted 77 percent for $ 7.9 million . That 's the largest second-weekend drop for a wide release since 2009′s `` Jonas Brothers : The 3D Concert Experience '' -- now there 's a double feature for you ! It 's also the third-worst decline on record for a film playing in at least 2,000 theaters , behind 2003′s `` Gigli '' and 2009′s `` Friday the 13th . '' But do n't feel too bad for `` The Devil Inside , '' as it has already consumed $ 46.2 million on a $ 1 million budget . `` The Iron Lady , '' starring Meryl Streep as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , expanded from five to 802 theaters and earned a respectable $ 5.4 million , which was just enough for 10th place . 1 . Contraband -- $ 24.1 mil . 2 . Beauty and the Beast 3D -- $ 18.5 mil . 3 . Mission : Impossible -- Ghost Protocol -- $ 11.5 mil . 4 . Joyful Noise -- $ 11.3 mil . 5 . Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows -- $ 8.4 mil . See the full article at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
`` Contraband '' earned an estimated $ 24.1 million over the standard three-day weekend . In second was `` Beauty and the Beast 3D '' with $ 18.5 million for the three-day frame . `` Joyful Noise , '' drew a smaller congregation with $ 11.3 million .