"Lee Daniels' The Butler" tops box office rankings

"Lee Daniels' The Butler" is serving up success at the box office.

Starring Forest Whitaker as a longtime White House butler and Oprah Winfrey as his boozy wife, The Weinstein Co. biopic debuted in the top spot with $25 million in estimated weekend receipts, The Associated Press reports.

"We expected to do well, but we didn't expect to do this well," said Erik Lomis, president of distribution and home entertainment for Weinstein Co.

Even with a full slate of newcomers, last week's top movies claimed the second and third spots in the box-office race. The Jason Sudeikis-Jennifer Aniston Warner Bros. comedy, "We're the Millers," held on to second place in its second week of release, while last week's No. 1, Sony's "Elysium," dropped to third.