This film image released by Universal Pictures shows Vin Diesel in a scene from “Riddick.” AP
LOS ANGELES – Warrior anti-hero “Riddick” slammed into first place at the North American box office, estimates indicated Sunday, stealing the top spot held by “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” for three weeks running.
“Riddick,” the latest in the action franchise starring Vin Diesel, took in $18.7 million in its opening weekend, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
That was well ahead of “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which took in $8.9 million in its fourth week in theaters.
That Oscar-tipped drama, about the civil rights era as seen through the eyes of a black White House servant played by Forest Whitaker, has earned nearly $92 million since its release.
In third position, up three spots from a week ago, was comedy-drama “Instructions Not Included,” Eugenio Derbez’s movie about a Mexican playboy who is suddenly presented with the child from a previous liaison and forced to become a father. The movie took in $8.1 million.
Raunchy adult comedy “We’re the Millers,” dropped one position to fourth place. The film about drug smugglers posing as a suburban family, including Jennifer Aniston as a stripper, earned $7.9 million in theaters.
The fifth spot was claimed by Disney’s animated film “Planes,” a spin-off from Pixar’s “Cars” franchise, which took in $4.3 million.
British boy band One Direction’s new movie came in not far behind, with $4.1 million, good enough for sixth place.
The take for “One Direction: This is Us” was far below the $18.5 million earned over its debut during the Labor Day holiday weekend, but the concert documentary about the tween sensation, which has generated lukewarm reviews in the United States.
But with an estimated budget of around $10 million, the movie had been expected to deliver a hugely profitable box-office hit for Sony. It is directed by Morgan Spurlock, best known for his 2004 fast-food expose “Super Size Me.”
Seventh place was occupied by science-fiction drama “Elysium”, the critically acclaimed blockbuster starring Matt Damon about wealthy humans living in an exclusive outer space colony after Earth is ruined.
The film, directed by South Africa’s Neill Blomkamp, added another $3.1 million to take its five-week total to $85.1 million.
Woody Allen’s latest, “Blue Jasmine,” rose to eighth place, with $2.7 million in ticket sales, after seven weeks in theaters. The film stars Cate Blanchett as a New York socialite who tries to reconnect with her sister after exposing her adulterous husband, played by Alec Baldwin, as a crooked investor.
Rounding out the top ten 10 were “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” with $2.5 million, and British action disaster comedy “The World’s End,” with $2.3 million.