Weekend Box Office

YOUR WEAK-END BOX OFFICE: In what's traditionally a lull for the movies (thanks to football and the resumption of TV series, among other factors), the box office was Diesel-powered this weekend. The sci-fi actioner Riddick—the third installment in the franchise that began with 2000's Pitch Black—debuted with $18.6 million. Runner-up Lee Daniels' The Butler slipped 40% but is nearing $100m after four weeks. The raunchy road comedy We're the Millers, meanwhile, has earned an impressive $123.8m so far, while Disney's modestly budgeted Planes retains altitude. Last week's champ, One Direction: This Is Us, is off 74% and out of the Top 5. But with nearly $24m grossed in just two weeks, the boy-band romp has already earned nearly two-and-a-half times what it cost to make. Oh, and Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine (#8) is officially the Little Depressed-Lady Odyssey That Could, with $25.4m so far; it will doubtless balloon once the Oscar noms roll in.

1. Riddick (Universal) – $18.6m, 3,107/$6,010 average (debut)
2. Lee Daniels' The Butler (Weinstein) – $8.9m (-40%), 3,330/$2,673 average (week 4)
3, Instructions Not Included (Lionsgate) – $8.1m (+3%), 717/$11,297 average (week 2)
4. We're the Millers (WB) – $7.9m (-37%), 3,445/$2,300 average (week 5)
5. Planes (Disney) – $4.2m (-44%), 3,033/$1,409 average (week 5)

By the by, although this last weekend is traditionally the year's sleepiest (and the Top 12's cumulative take of $66.9m is indeed 2013's weakest), the movies were up 29% over 2012. So: Hooray for freakin' Hollywood. (9/9a)