2011 was the year of the indie. The majority of adaptations and blockbusters all fell completely flat, and numerous big studio dramas were missing that something special. Normally I’m one to say that every year is a great year, but this is no There Will be Blood Vs. No Country for Old Men, or even Moon Vs. Inglourious Bastards. That being said, the end of this year has been packed with award-worthy films and Sundance seemed to produce a number of films that made it big throughout 2011.

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17 years since its debut, The Lion King is still a favorite with audiences. This weekend the Disney film was re-released in 3D and audiences were more than spend a little extra to see their favorite film, reworked. The new version topped the charts with an unexpected gross of $29.3 million – we predicted it would rule with $13 million. The thriller Contagion fell from the top spot to second, garnering $14.4 million. Meanwhile, Ryan Gosling‘s artsy R-rated action film Drive came in third place. Other new releases included Straw Dogs and I Don’t Know How She Does It, which finished in fifth and sixth behind The Help.

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Can you feel the love tonight? After Contagion took the box office last weekend, you would think that September might have some moves. Normally a very slow month, this weekend proves how slow that is if The Lion King (in 3-D) manages to trump everything else. Then again, the hottest of the new titles is Drive - the Cannes Best director winner – that has also managed to get a little backlash. Those not as impressed note that the film doesn’t cure cancer. Surely that means that cancer is cured by the other films opening this weekend, I Don’t Know How She Does It and Straw Dogs. If so, expect their numbers to sure.

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Steven Soderbergh‘s plague thriller Contagion brought down The Help this weekend, as we predicted. The Warner Brothers picture made $23.1 million during its opening weekend, conquering other new releases like Warrior and Bucky Larson: Born to Be A Star. Contagion hit strong, winning over both audiences and critics – so far, the film holds an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an even better rating from our critic Damon Houx who also interviewed the stars and director. Following its three-week streak at the top of the box office, The Help came in at No. 2, making $8.7 million (bringing its total to $137 million). Warrior, another hit with the critics, landed quietly at No. 3, earning $5.6 million. As for Adam Sandler‘s new project Bucky Larson, well, the film didn’t make it to the top ten. During its weekend debut, the porn comedy landed thirteenth, making only $1.45 million.

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Contagion, the new disease thriller from Steven Soderbergh is a rare smart and entertaing disaster movie. So it’s no surprise that it attracted performers like Matt Damon and Laurence Fishburne. We were at the junket, and they were obviously happy with the movie they made, but the material, it’s easy to see how they got such a great cast. Check it out…

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After a couple of weeks of super weak titles, Contagion is the first A-lister vehicle in quite some time. You’d think summer would be loaded with them, but you can’t really call The Help or Rise of the Planet of the Apes star vehicles. Then again, look at the business Larry Crowne did. That is to say – very little. Forty years ago, a film like this would be a huge event picture ala The Towering Inferno. Now it’s a borderline art film. So let’s talk box office, shall we?

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Fall is off to a great start with Steven Soderbergh‘s Contagion kicking off the September releases. With an all star cast – including Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet and Jude Law among others – the film follows a new disease from Day 2 on as it infects the population, and scientists and doctors attempt to control and cure it. Soderbergh deftly avoids most of the genre’s pitfalls by keeping the film in a “you are there” approach that grounds the material, and will have most audiences reaching for the Purell when the film ends.

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When you craft a film about the next pandemic to rip across the world, you’ve got to do your research, and Scott Z. Burns was very invested in finding out the realities of Contagion. Working with Steven Soderbergh for his fourth time, the two weave a portrait of how disease changes peoples lives, from the victims (Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow) to the people dealing trying to control the spread (Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet) to the head of the Center for Disease Control (Laurence Fishburne) to the doctors working on curing it (Jennifer Ehle), to those who wish to profit from it (Jude Law). It’s a dense script, but made simple, and we talked about the writing process on the film. We also talked briefly about his work on David Fincher‘s upcoming 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Check it out..

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Filming has recently begun on director Steven Soderbergh’s ensemble piece Contagion. The film, as suggested by the title, has to do with a viral outbreak. There’s a lot at stake and a lot of A-List stars lending their time and talent to tell the story. Jude Law is one of the actors featured in the film, and we’ve discovered several photos of him on set in San Francisco shooting some scenes. Check them out…

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