While the Labor Day holiday could give The Butler and family films a boost, the One Direction film This Is Us is still poised to win the holiday weekend. In its first three days, the film has dethroned Lee Daniels’ The Butler, but it was considerably front-loaded, with fans rushing to see it on Friday.
This Is Us, directed by Morgan Spurlock, started off with a huge Friday, earning $8.9 million, reports Entertainment Weekly. However, the film plummeted by Saturday, earning just $4 million that day. It’s still expected to finish the three-day weekend with $17 million, enough to top The Butler.
While that may not sound like a huge number, it is at least better than Katy Perry’s Part of Me from last year. That film debuted to a measly $7.3 million over three days. It’s also Spurlock’s highest-grossing release ever, beating his famous fast-food documentary Super Size Me. That movie made $11.5 million during its entire run.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that The Butler made an estimated $14.7 million from Friday to Sunday. Since adults with the day off might finally get their chance to see it, don’t be surprised it it beats This Is Us over the four-day frame.
The Butler, which cost $30 million to make, has already reached $78.7 million.
We’re The Millers with Jennifer Aniston passed the $100 million mark, which is great news for Warner Bros., since Getaway flopped. Millers added $12.6 million, while Getaway opened to just $4.5 million. It also earned a C+ CinemaScore grade from audiences.
Disney’s Planes added $7.8 million, while the Spanish-language film Instructions Not Included made an incredible $7.5 million. That’s amazing, considering that the film was only screened at 347 locations this weekend.
image: Sony