LOS ANGELES – A heroin pusher and a honey bee put some sting back into the movie business.

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe’s bloody crime saga “American Gangster” took in $46.3 million to lead the weekend box office, with Jerry Seinfeld’s family cartoon “Bee Movie” following with $39.1 million. Together, the movies revitalized Hollywood’s listless autumn.

After six-straight weekends of declining revenues, overall business rose, with the top-12 movies taking in $127.2 million, up 12 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” was No. 1 with $26.5 million.

Universal’s “American Gangster,” directed by Ridley Scott and starring Washington as 1970s Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas and Crowe as a Jersey cop on his trail, rode a wave of acclaim and Academy Awards buzz to debut at the top of the box office.

Audiences had been relatively disinterested this fall in serious R-rated films aimed at adults. Many of those earlier movies were box-office underachievers despite critical praise, but “American Gangster” landed with both good reviews and packed theaters.

“American Gangster” was the biggest opening ever for the film’s two stars. Crowe’s previous best was $34.8 million for “Gladiator,” also directed by Scott, while Washington’s was $29 million for “Inside Man.”

“These are two great actors telling this true story of Frank Lucas,” said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution at Universal. “You couldn’t have picked a better cast.”

DreamWorks and Paramount’s “Bee Movie” features Seinfeld in his first big project since his TV sitcom went off the air nine years ago. Co-written by Seinfeld, the movie has him providing the voice of a bee who sues humanity for stealing his species’ hard-earned commodity – honey.

“Bee Movie” owned the family crowd, and studio executives said they expect the movie to hold up through the holidays. It faces competition this weekend with Friday’s debut of the Warner Bros. holiday comedy “Fred Claus.”

The weekend’s other new wide release – New Line Cinema’s “Martian Child,” starring John Cusack as a widower adopting a troubled boy who thinks he’s from Mars – opened weakly with $3.65 million, finishing at No. 7.