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.

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.

'Cars' Spin-Off 'Planes' Nosedives Into Straight-to-Video Oblivion

Crop duster Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) prepares for the Wings Around the Globe competition.

Little over a month ago, Disney received plenty of heat towards their underwhelming big budget interpretation of The Lone Ranger, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Originally intended to a direct-to-video release with its sequel to follow in 2014, Planes flies into theaters to capitalize on the studios lucrative Cars brand. Perhaps this spin-off would have been better off grounded for a home media release.

The first image in the animated film reiterates in big bold letters that Planes happens in the world of Cars if the borrowed character designs weren't already a dead giveaway. Forget Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater as they're nowhere to been or heard from. The duo hailing from Radiator Springs get swapped out by second-rate replacements who find their adventures up in the air.