Frosh target different demos at B.O.

Disney "Beauty & the Beast 3D" (L-R) Belle & the Beast. 2011 Disney. All Rights Reserved. Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady" A three-way horse race among the weekend's new entries, along with several expansions for Golden Globes-nominated fare, should help keep overall domestic B.O. totals in line over the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.Leading the pack is Universal's Mark Wahlberg thriller "Contraband," which bows today at 2,862 locations. Warner Bros.' musical-comedy "Joyful Noise" follows at 2,735, while Disney goes wide with its 3D re-release of 1991's "Beauty and the Beast," at 2,625 Stateside engagements.None of those pics, however, are expected to reach last weekend's record-setting $33.7 million debut for "The Devil Inside." Instead, bizzers predict the trio will fight for top placement, with bows through Monday in the mid teens.But amid the recent unpredictablity of the marketplace, tallies could sway in either direction.Among this weekend's awards hopefuls, the Weinstein Co. aggressively expands "The Iron Lady" -- nominated at the Globes for best actress-drama -- to 802 engagements, up from five, while Sony Pictures Classics' twice-nommed "Carnage" (both in the actress, comedy or musical category) broadens to nearly 500 playdates. "Iron Lady," entering its third frame, has tallied almost $570,000 domestically; "Carnage" stands at approximately $530,000 after four weeks.Also competing in the actress-drama category, Oscilloscope's "We Need to Talk About Kevin," starring Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly, bows limited at two engagements.FilmDistrict's Globes foreign-lingo contender "In the Land of Blood and Honey" also expands today, to 18 locations.Meanwhile, Warner's "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" should continue its reign atop the international B.O., expanding to Brazil. Last weekend, "Sherlock" displaced three-week overseas champ "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," which has cumed $289.9 million internationally. "Sherlock" has grossed $180.6 million in total."Contraband" reps the only new studio release to open day-and-date overseas, debuting in seven territories, including Russia.Domestically, the film is tracking similarly to Par's "The Fighter," which expanded wide during the equivalent frame in 2010, though U said "Contraband" is showing slightly stronger responses among young men. "The Fighter" earned $12.1 million in its first wide weekend."Contraband," based on the 2008 German film "Reykjavik-Rotterdam," is helmed by first-time director Baltasar Kormakur, and comes from Working Title and Relativity Media. Pic cost a reported $25 million.While "Contraband" is expected to open strong with mostly male auds, Warner's "Joyful Noise," toplining Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, will earn the majority of its opening tally from women. The Alcon-produced and -financed pic is poised as counterprogramming to "Contraband," though "Joyful Noise" might lose some of its femme aud, particularly moms, to Disney's 3D "Beauty."The Mouse re-release will benefit most from kids out of school, with an estimated 15% out today and 91% out on Monday."Beauty" in 3D isn't expected to hit the same opening heights as "The Lion King" did in its 3D rerelease in September ($30.2 million). "The Lion King" had more than doubled "Beauty's" initial theatrical earnings.Like "Lion King," Disney said it hopes "Beauty" will play to non-family auds based on nostalgic reasons. "Lion King" in 3D cumed nearly $95 million domestically -- a high bar for "Beauty."Disney released a 3D version of "Beauty" theatrically last September for an exclusive run at L.A.'s El Capitan theater. Launch was meant to coincide with the film's 3D DVD and Blu-ray release on Oct. 4. (Pic first came out on Blu-ray in 2010.) Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com