WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Butler' Serves Up Shocking Upset Over Violent 'Kick-Ass' Sequel

In what was one of the most unpredictable weekends of the summer, let alone the year, Lee Daniels' The Butler denied Kick-Ass 2 from living up to its name and taking the top spot this weekend at the box office.

After various legal disputes over the title and scheduling changes, there's been plenty of buzz surrounding The Butler. Oprah Winfrey has also been diligently promoting the period piece, which she also stars in. The Butler plays up the "based on a true story" characteristics attributing to the 30-plus year tenure of a White House butler.

Foul-mouthed superhero sequel, Kick-Ass 2 debuted with a disappointing fourth place start, opening just over $13 million. The weak opening shocked many moviegoers and analysts after the first film's audience grew on home media and was expected to translate strong for the sequel. The Steve Jobs bio-pic, Jobs and Harrison Ford's Paranoia also opened over the weekend; neither of which snagged a spot in the Top 5.

'Elysium' Redresses Current Social Issues as Provoking Futuristic Action Drama

Max (Matt Damon) takes a stand against the socially divided system of the near-future. 

With only two feature films under his belt, what exactly should you expect from a Neill Blomkamp movie? First of all, there's always the dystopian element, leaving Earth or at least part of it in unlivable shambles. Add to that some sort of heavy-hitting message crammed in that affects contemporary society. District 9 was disguised as an alien flick full of immigration and overpopulation issues.

Blomkamp's latest sci-fi film, Elysium, does the same tackling both health care and social segregation. Little over a hundred years in the future, the entire population is divided by social class. The wealthy continue to live a life of luxury on the sole artificial space habitat orbiting the planet and all their health issues are taken care of after a few minutes in a restoration pod. Those not so lucky still live in the ruins of Earth, struggling day to day to survive.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Futuristic Commentary 'Elysium' Leads Overcrowded Weekend, Falls Short of 'District 9' Debut

Four new releases debuted in a heavily crowded frame this past weekend, but it was Neill Blomkamp's futuristic social commentary Elysium that emerged victorious with its $30 million opening. 

Elysium stars Matt Damon as a dying factory worker in the year 2154, who's only chance of survival is to find a way aboard a luxurious space colony where the wealthy are provided with the finest health care of the future. Elysium is supplied with a more prominent cast and larger budget than Blomkamp's 2009 directorial debut, District 9, but while Elysium secured the top spot at the box office this past weekend, it failed to match the director's previous opening.

The other three new releases, We're the Millers, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and Planes fought over the remaining spots in the Top 5, leaving last week's #1, 2 Guns barely hanging on to the final spot at the box office.