The Weinstein Company biopic about a White House butler debuted with an estimated $25 million. It stars Forest Whitaker as the butler and Oprah Winfrey as his wife.
The comedy "We're The Millers" came in at No. 2 with $17.8 million.
Sci-fi thriller "Elysium" took the No. 3 spot with $13.6 million. The action movie starring Matt Damon cost about $115 million to make.
Action romp "Kick-Ass 2" came in at No. 4 with $13.56 million, and "Planes" rounded out the top five with $13.1 million.
The top 10 films of the weekend were:
1. "Lee Daniels' The Butler," $25 million.
2. "We're the Millers," $17.78 million ($10.6 million international).
3. "Elysium," $13.6 million ($22 million international).
4. "Kick-Ass 2," $13.56 million ($6.3 million international).
5. "Planes," $13.14 million ($7.3 million international).
6. "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters," $8.37 million ($21.8 million international).
7. "Jobs," $6.7 million.
8. "2 Guns," $5.57 million ($2.1 million international).
9. "The Smurfs 2," $4.6 million ($20 million international).
10. "The Wolverine," $4.42 million ($10.8 million international).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
