Anne Marie Fox © 2013 The Weinstein CompanyThe Butler cleaned up at this weekend's box office.
Lee Daniels' drama, which centers on the true story of White House butler Eugene Allen who served eight presidents during his term, nabbed $25 million in its debut.
This was a surprising triumph for The Butler, which critics thought would be topped by Kick-Ass 2.
The superhero flick landed in the fourth spot, however, bringing in only $13.6 million, way under the nearly $20 million analysts expected it to rake in.
The Weinstein Company originally planned to release the Butler Oct.18, but moved up the date after seeing positive test results for the film, according to Deadline.
The film is already stirring up Oscar buzz.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Aniston's We're the Millers grabbed the No. 2 spot for the second straight weekend with $17.8 million, followed by Elysium with $13.6 million.
Jobs and Paranoia also made their debuts this weekend, but neither made the top five, with the Steve Jobs biopic landing in seventh at $6.7 million and the Relativity thriller grossing only $3.5 million.
Here's a complete look at the weekend's top movies, per Friday-Sunday studio estimates and stats as compiled per Box Office Mojo:
1.Lee Daniels' The Butler, $25 million
2.We're the Millers, $17.8 million
3. Elysium, $13.6 million
4. Kick-Ass 2, $13.6 million
5. Planes, $13.1 million
6. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, $8.4 million
7. Jobs, $6.7 million
8. 2 Guns, $5.6 million
9. The Smurfs 2, $4.6 million
10. The Wolverine, $4.4 million