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.
Note: These #'s are based on Sunday's projections and can change with Monday's actual #'s
#1 Lee Daniels' The Butler (NR)
$25.0 million / $25.0 million total
Could Lee Daniels' The Butler be this year's The Help? It's sure looking that way. Just like the leggy civil rights period piece from 2011, The Butler shocked box office analysts betting on an almost guaranteed Kick-Ass 2 victory over the weekend. It also helps when Oprah Winfrey is also backing up the project. Expect strong legs in the coming weeks as The Butler should finish as one of the final if not the final film of summer 2013 to cross the century mark.
#2 We're the Millers (2)
$17.8 million / $69.5 million total
Even with Lee Daniels' The Butler and Kick-Ass 2 added to the box office mix over the weekend, drug smuggling comedy, We're the Millers retained its second place spot in its sophomore frame, bringing its 12-day total to nearly $70 million. Additionally, Millers only dropped a mere 33%, the strongest hold in the current Top 10 and should reach $100 million as early as Labor Day weekend.
#3 Elysium (1)
$13.6 million / $55.9 million total
Last week's box office champion, Elysium suffered the heaviest blow in the Top 10 down 54% from last weekend. The Matt Damon sci-fi film continues to trail behind director Neill Blomkmap's 2009 film, District 9 by $17 million after 10 days of release. At this point in its run, Elysium is on track to finish around $85 million.
#4 Kick-Ass 2 (NR)
$13.6 million / $13.6 million total
Kick-Ass 2 should've changed it's title to Ass-Kicked, because that's exactly what happened to the superhero graphic novel sequel over the weekend. The 2010 film wasn't exactly blockbuster material, but it managed to expand beyond its niche audience thanks to DVD and Blu-ray. Kick-Ass 2 was also released for mid-August whereas the first film debuted in April. After debuting in fourth place and already trailing $6 million behind its predecessor, Kick-Ass 2 looks to fall fast off the charts.
#5 Planes (3)
$13.1 million / $45.1 million total
For what was once a straight-to-video release, Disney's Planes is taking full advantage of the lack of family films currently out there. Unlike its Pixar counterparts, Planes appeals more to the younger audiences rather than entire families and as long as summer is out of session, Planes is the family ticket.
Opening Next Week: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (Wednesday), The World's End, You're Next
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