'Contagion' tops weekend box office

"Contagion" infected enough moviegoers to catch the top spot at the box office.

The Warner Bros. pandemic thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring an A-list cast that includes Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow, coughed up $23.1 million in its first weekend, The Associated Press reports.

The film's contagious opening marked the beginning of the fall movie season by exceeding the studio's estimates.

"I think Steven Soderbergh made a compelling movie that tapped into that fear that many of us have about illnesses, viruses and pandemics," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. general sales manager. "It's like a train or car accident. You can't look away."