Box Office Preview: Could ‘One Direction’ Knock Off ‘The Butler’?

This is it. This Is Us, the One Direction documentary hits screens on Friday, but can it knock Lee Daniels’ The Butler off the top spot at the box office this weekend?

Labor Day is traditionally not a good movie release weekend.

The fact that all other weekends were booked with one blockbuster or another left them with no choice. But can Niall, Zayn, Liam, Louis, and Harry do better than Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker? Remains to be seen.

One Direction has a lots of very loyal tween and teen adoring fans, who recently camped for days outside the TODAY Show’s studios for a chance to see the boys up close during their Summer Concert Series, so never underestimate them.

They broke the attendance record with an estimated 18,000 fans showing up for the gig.

By all accounts, once the swimming and cookouts are done, the girls will head to the movie theater to swoon watching One Direction do their thing.

This Is Us is expected to bring in $22 million over the four day holiday weekend, but it’s likely to fall short to Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never, which made $29 million on its opening weekend.

Lee Daniels’ The Bulter is expected to have a strong showing this weekend, despite it being the third week it features in movie theaters across the US.

Expectations are that it will make $20.7 million, but if it manages to fill more seats it could pass One Direction, the interest is still there.

We’re The Millers is still hanging in there and estimates are in the $15 million range for the holiday, which puts it over the $100 million mark. Quite remarkable considering they only used a budget of $37 million. Cha-ching!

The race will be tight between One Direction’s This Is Us and Lee Daniels’ The Butler this last weekend of the summer of 2013.