Weekend Box Office: The Butler Serves Up Win, Kick-Ass 2 Not Kicking Much Ass

Summer sequels can be cash cows for studios, but just as often they fail to live up to the hype. Following on the heels of financially floundering sequels like The Smurfs 2 and Percy Jackson: Seas of Monsters, Kick-Ass 2 debuted this weekend doing a little less box office ass kicking than its predecessor.

As a violent rated-R movie based on a non-mainstream comic, the first Kick-Ass did well enough when it opened at $19 million in 2010 and went on to bank $48 million domestic and almost $100 million with international sales rolled in. This summer's sequel settled for a fourth place debut with just $13 million.

First place went to Lee Daniels' The Butler. Despite a massive and impressive cast list that sports more than a couple of Academy Award asterisks, the movie came in with just $25 million. That may not be a box office boon for the Weinstein studio, but it's a solid number for director Lee Daniels, whose name will forever be etched in people's minds when they think of this film, and a decent success for his first wide-release film.

Steve Jobs biopic Jobs went over like an Android user at an Apple Store Genius Bar, getting just enough attention to eek out seventh place this weekend with $6.7 million, just behind sixth place sinking sequel Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

But the big loser this weekend was Paranoia. With a $3 million debut, it didn't even break the top ten and set a record low opening for almost every big name involved, from director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde, 21, The Ugly Truth) to Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, and Liam Hemsworth. Despite its moderate $35 million budget, the movie is set to be a major box office bust.

For the full weekend top ten, check out the chart below: