'Lee Daniels' The Butler' serves box-office winner

8/18/2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oprah Winfrey as Gloria Gaines, left, and Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines in a scene from 'Lee Daniels' The Butler.'
Oprah Winfrey as Gloria Gaines, left, and Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines in a scene from 'Lee Daniels' The Butler.'

LOS ANGELES — Lee Daniels’ The Butler is serving up success at the box office.

According to studio estimates today, the Weinstein Co. biopic about a White House butler debuted in the top spot with $25 million.

But the weekend’s three other new offerings — the action romp Kick-Ass 2, Open Road’s Steve Jobs biopic Jobs and the dramatic thriller Paranoia — failed to find traction with fans.

Universal’s Kick-Ass 2 debuted in fourth place with $13.56 million. Jobs opened in seventh with $6.7 million. And Relativity’s Paranoia didn’t crack the top 12.

Last week’s No. 1 film, Sony’s Elysium, dropped to third place with $13.6 million. The Jason Sudeikis-Jennifer Aniston Warner Bros. comedy, We’re the Millers, held onto second place with $17.78 million, while Disney’s animated Planes rounds out the top five.