In the battle of Oscar-bait vs. comedy ultra violence, it was The But – sorry, Lee Daniels’** The Butler** – all the way at the US box office this weekend. Daniels’ fact-based tale of a longstanding White House employee dashed to the top spot with $25 million.
Pot smuggling comedy We’re The Millers clung to second place, adding $17.7 million, and last week’s topper, the new Neill Blomkamp sci-fi Elysium, was pushed to third with $13.6 million. Kick-Ass 2, meanwhile, had to make do with a disappointing fourth place launch and $13.5 million in the bank, which is less than the original managed back in 2010. In fifth we find DisneyToons’ Planes, which increased cinema screens but still dropped in terms of earnings, making $13.1 million.
Sixth was Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters, which made $8.3 million, ahead of Steve Jobs biopic Jobs, which isn’t exactly enjoying Apple-level success with a $6.7 million opening. 2 Guns was eighth, earning $5.5 million, while The Smurfs 2 dropped to ninth with $4.6 million and The Wolverine was 10th with $4.4 million. But if there were a true flop this week, it would have to be the Liam Hemsworth/Harrison Ford/Gary Oldman thriller Paranoia, which staggered into 13th place despite arriving in 2,459 cinemas, and scraped only $3.5 million.
To see a butler kick the arse of a costumed vigilante, watch any video from Alfred Pennyworth’s ultimate fighting YouTube channel. Or head to Box Office Mojo.