Actor Forest Whitaker (L) and Oprah Winfrey attend the Los Angeles premiere The Butler, about an African American who watches civil rights history in the making as a White House butler, debuted at the top of the North American box office , estimates showed Sunday.
Directed by Lee Daniels and starring Forrest Whitaker in the title role, the historical drama pulled in over $25 million over the weekend, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
That performance eclipsed science-fiction thriller \"Elysium,\" last week\'s top earner, which fell to third place behind We\'re the Millers, a Jennifer Aniston comedy.
We\'re the Millers held the number two spot with a box office take of nearly $17.8 million on its second weekend in theatres.
Elysium, which stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, brought in $13.6 million.
In its first week in theaters, Kick-Ass 2, the superhero action comedy sequel, ranked fourth with $13.5 million in weekend sales.
Planes, a spin-off of the hugely successful Cars franchise, landed in fifth place on its second weekend out, raking in $13.1 million.
Source: AFP