In what proved to be the quietest weekend of a bumper summer (though still beefier than previous years) THE BUTLER pulled a summer first and retained the top-spot across consecutive weekends.

With all 3 new releases opening to less than $10 million the pickings were ripe for the year’s first weepy awards contender and THE BUTLER took full advantage, falling just 31% and pulling in $17 million for a $52.3 million gross. While slightly behind the robust strength of 2011’s THE HELP, THE BUTLER is still quaffing along nicely and will doubtlessly double it’s $30 million budget by next weekend.

Staying strong in 2nd place for the third week running stands comedy hit WE’RE THE MILLERS. With a $13.5 million weekend haul it’s now grossed $91.7 million, making the $100 million target all but assured by next weekend. A surprise drubbing from singing dandies ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US aside, WE’RE THE MILLERS should finish up as the highest earning August release, proving once and for all that ’90s men and boys alike still can’t let go of their Rachel Green fantasies.

Landing in 3rd as the best performing of the new releases lays THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES. Its $9.3 million weekend puts it between the year’s other Young Adult angst-fests BEAUTIFUL CREATURES ($7.6 million) and THE HOST ($10.6 million). It’s a weak debut (though across five days it’s earned $14.05 million) especially as it’s supposed to be a franchise starter and, considering that YA releases tend to burn out pretty quickly, things aren’t likely to look up any time soon.

A CinemaScore of B+ serves only to capitulate the general ambiguity of MORTAL INSTRUMENTS’ release, like some meta-representation of its characters’ deep, dark and imperceptible teenage pandora’s box of emotional emotions. Sarcasm.

Opening into 4th, Edgar Wright’s THE WORLD’S END finally graced the Land of the Free to the tipsy tune of $8.94 million, giving it the highest start of any of the CORNETTO TRILOGY although it did open into 500+ more cinemas.

Dropping one, PLANES rounded out the Top 5 picking up $8.56 million for a now profitable gross of $59.59 million. In less rosy news – for a less than rosy release – ELYSIUM fell 48.1% with $7.1 million, taking its 3-week gross to an unappetising $69 million.

The Biggest Loser of the Week however is KICK-ASS 2 which plummeted 68% for a weekend total $4.27 million in 10th spot. After having grossed $22.4 million across 2 weeks the comic book sequel is looking less ‘badass ninja’ more ‘miserable-banker-stuck-in-a-traffic-jam.’

The final new release of the week, horror fodder YOU’RE NEXT, debuted in 7th spot with $7.05 million despite many of those in the know anticipating a sly 1st place finish on a sleepy weekend. As it happens, YOU’RE NEXT has had the worst opening for a horror film this year so, y’know, what the hell do they know. 

Finally, PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS continued having a thoroughly average time of it all in 8th – picking up $5.2 million for a 3 week gross of $48.3 million – while Woody Allen’s latest, BLUE JASMINE, expanded nationwide for a $4.3 million weekend haul and a gross of $14.8 million in 9th. That’s an 87.7% increase in its fifth week of release, which is about as common as a BATMAN actor not being thrown on the pyre before they’ve had the chance to blink.

Domestic Top 10

1. The Butler

2. We’re the Millers

3. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

4. The World’s End

5. Planes

6. Elysium

7. You’re Next

8. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

9. Blue Jasmine

10. Kick-Ass 2

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