We told you yesterday that this weekend was on track to become the lowest-grossing frame of the year and the lowest-grossing frame since September 2008. Unfortunately, nothing came along to change that gloomy portrait after Sunday’s estimates were released. No film, including first-place holdover The Possession, managed to break ten million and only one new film reached half that amount.

Critically speaking, 2011 may have been Adam Sandler‘s worst year ever.  His two main vehicles, Just Go With It and Jack & Jill, were panned.  As a producer, his name is also on Zookeeper and (most damningly) Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.  The Razzies recognized his efforts with a record 11 nominations.  For those keeping track, this shatters the record set by Eddie Murphy and his 5 nominations for Norbit in 2007.  New Year’s Eve, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 join Jack & Jill and Bucky Larson as the 5 contenders for Worst Picture.  Hit the jump for the full list.

To say the box office has been a bit sleepy of late would be a gross understatement.  Seriously, if I am being bored by the numbers I can only imagine how ordinary movie fans feel.  Four new titles hit theatres this weekend, including Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion. The pandemic thriller, and its A-list cast, drew an impressive three day estimate of $23.1 million: more than enough to end the three-week reign of The Help as the nation’s top draw.

After three weekends at number one (and twenty five consecutive days), The Help has been handed its box office pink slip.  As expected, Warner Brothers’ disease-thriller Contagion was the clear winner on Friday; taking in an estimated $8 million from 3,222 locations.  The Steven Soderbergh film, and its cast of thousands, is expected to earn just over $20 million through Sunday – more than double the projection for Friday’s number two, The Help.  Of course, Contagion benefitted from the fact that it also had nearly double the screen count of Friday’s other new releases.  Lionsgate’s mixed martial arts drama Warrior debuted at just 1,869 locations and took in an estimated $1.8 million on Friday for what should be a $6 million weekend.  Finally, the R-rated Happy Madison comedy Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star debuted with just $540,000 from 1,500 venues for what will surely be one of the sorriest debuts of 2011.  Details and analysis tomorrow.