The Butler works its way to second box office win

Movie is inspired by the story of an African American man who served as a White House butler for eight US presidents.

LOS ANGELES:

Civil rights drama Lee Daniels’ The Butler took home its second US and Canadian box office title, topping a Jennifer Aniston comedy and a newly released supernatural teen film.

The Butler, starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, earned $17 million in ticket sales from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates. Jennifer Aniston comedy We’re the Millers came in second with $13.5 million.

Among three late summer newcomers, Mortal Instruments: City of Bones landed in third with $9.3 million, comedy The World’s End finished fourth with $8.9 million, while low-budget horror film You’re Next only managed the seventh slot, with $7.1 million.

The Butler, which also topped movie charts a week ago, is inspired by the real-life story of an African American man who served as a White House butler for eight US presidents. Whitaker stars as the title character and Winfrey plays his chain-smoking, hard-drinking wife.

The movie distributed by The Weinstein Company has rung up sales of $52.3 million through its first two weekends, far surpassing its $25 million budget paid by 28 investors, and is drumming up buzz as an awards season contender.

Mortal Instruments, which stars Lily Collins as a teen who works to protect the world from demons, performed best among the weekend’s new entries. The movie, another bid to reach the teen audience that made Twilight a blockbuster, is based on a popular series of young adult novels written by Cassandra Clare.

Rory Bruer, Sony Pictures’ president of worldwide distribution, said that as the weekend progressed, the film saw increasing business from its base of teenage girls, and had performed within the studio’s expectations.

“People like this film, so there’s more to this story as far as the future of the film goes,” Bruer said.

British sci-fi comedy The World’s End, which was accurately projected to haul in about $9 million, tells the story of five friends who re-unite for a pub crawl and become the planet’s only hope for survival from an alien invasion.

You’re Next, the latest entry in the inexpensive horror film genre, performed the weakest among the new entries, falling far short of pre-weekend forecasts for a $15 million opening.

The movie, which tells the story of a gang of ax-wielding murderers who wear animal masks and terrorise a family re-union, was shot for under $1 million, with Lionsgate reportedly acquiring the rights for about $2 million.

Woody Allen comedy Blue Jasmine expanded to 1,200 theatres and earned $4.3 million over the weekend. The film stars Cate Blanchett as a woman falling apart after her husband’s financial misdeeds cause her to lose her posh New York lifestyle. Cumulative sales since its July 26 release have reached $14.8 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2013.

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