‘Butler’ tops N. America box office for second week

This undated file film image provided by The Weinstein Company shows Oprah Winfrey as Gloria Gaines (left) and Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines in a scene from “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” served up another box office-topping weekend, earning $17 million according to studio estimates Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013. AP

LOS ANGELES – US civil rights epic “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which is generating serious Oscar buzz, topped the North American box office for a second straight week, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The drama, based on the real-life story of an African American butler who witnessed decades of US history from within the White House walls, earned $17 million, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

Critics have hailed the performances of Forest Whitaker in the title role and Oprah Winfrey as his wife, giving the actors a leg up in the early race to the Academy Awards.

“We’re the Millers,” a dark comedy about pot-smuggling starring Jennifer Aniston as a stripper, moved up from third to second place with $13.5 million in ticket sales.

“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,” a teen-romance demon thriller about a girl who discovers dark secrets from her family’s past, debuted in third place at $9.3 million.

Another debut film, action disaster comedy “The World’s End,” opened in fourth place with $8.9 million in sales.

The newcomer pushed animated film “Planes,” a spin-off of the hugely successful “Cars” franchise, into fifth place at $8.6 million, just ahead of science-fiction thriller “Elysium,” which dropped to sixth place at $7.1 million.

“You’re Next,” a horror flick about a family weekend gone awry, opened in seventh place with $7.05 million.

“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” an adaptation based on the book series by Rick Riordan about a schoolboy who is the son of the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, made $5.2 million, dropping to eighth place from sixth last week.

Woody Allen’s acclaimed drama “Blue Jasmine,” which stars Cate Blanchett and Alec Baldwin, earned $4.3 million, weighing in at ninth.

Superhero action comedy sequel “Kick-Ass 2” rounded out the top 10 with $4.27 million.
Final figures are expected out Monday.