‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ [SEE TRAILER] Starring Oprah Winfrey, Forest Whitaker Tops Box Office Records Ahead of ‘One Direction: This Is Us’

Lee Daniels' The Butler, starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, has topped the box office for the third week in a row. BoxOfficeMojo reports that the film, which has a production budget of $30 million, has already earned a total of $80,814,767 in domestic sales as of Sept. 3.

During the four-day Labor Day weekend, from August 30 to September 2, the film earned $20,201,272, ahead of "One Direction: This Is Us" which earned $18,472,875.

Quoting Bloomberg.com, "'Lee Daniels' The Butler' led ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters for a third weekend over the Labor Day holiday, as Hollywood wrapped up a record summer season at the box office."

The movie portrays an African-American named Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), who served and worked as a butler at the Presidential Palace for 34 years.   Cecil started in the White House in 1957 during President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration, followed by John F, Kennedy, Lydon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and the movie ends in present day America, with Cecil meeting up with the newly inaugurated, first African-American president, Barack Obama.

Lee Daniels' The Butler is loosely based on the story of Eugene Allen, an African-American who worked for several US presidents for 34 years, starting in 1952 as a pantry man until his retirement in 1986 as head butler with the most prestigious rank of Maître d'hôtel.   

Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 94 in its "Fresh" meter reading, and 72 percent rating out of 130 reviews.  The critic site describes the film as: "Gut-wrenching and emotionally affecting, Lee Daniels' The Butler overcomes an uneven narrative thanks to strong performances from an all-star cast." 

The film features many notable names, including: Oprah Winfrey as Cecil's wife, Gloria; Mariah Carey as young Cecil's mother; Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Cecil's friend, Carter Wilson; Robin Williams as President Dwight D. Eisenhower; John Cusack as President Richard Nixon; Alan Rickman as President Ronald Reagan; and Jane Fonda as First Lady Nancy Reagan. 

The movie trailer of Lee Daniels' The Butler: