Synopsis
As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man's life, family, and American society.
Scores
Overall Score
85.9
Popularity Percentile (Year)
85.3%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
93.3%
Review Aggregate
74.1
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 72% of 199 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize historical, emotional, character-driven. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
historicalemotionalcharacter-drivenfamily-friendlypoliticalthought-provokingrealisticfunnyupliftingmacabre
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Whitaker | 2013 | $1,248,000 | $1,680,000 | (est) |
| Oprah Winfrey | 2013 | $768,000 | $1,034,000 | (est) |
| Mariah Carey | 2013 | $578,000 | $779,000 | (est) |
| John Cusack | 2013 | $473,000 | $637,000 | (est) |
| Jane Fonda | 2013 | $405,000 | $545,000 | (est) |
| Cuba Gooding Jr. | 2013 | $356,000 | $479,000 | (est) |
| Terrence Howard | 2013 | $320,000 | $430,000 | (est) |
| Lenny Kravitz | 2013 | $291,000 | $392,000 | (est) |
| James Marsden | 2013 | $268,000 | $361,000 | (est) |
| David Oyelowo | 2013 | $249,000 | $335,000 | (est) |
| Vanessa Redgrave | 2013 | $233,000 | $314,000 | (est) |
| Alan Rickman | 2013 | $219,000 | $295,000 | (est) |
| Liev Schreiber | 2013 | $207,000 | $279,000 | (est) |
| Robin Williams | 2013 | $197,000 | $265,000 | (est) |
| Clarence Williams III | 2013 | $187,000 | $252,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score72.0
RT critic review count199
Rotten Tomatoes audience score78.0
RT audience rating count50,000
IMDb rating7.2
IMDb votes122,479
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 2013 | $116,632,095 | $157,027,846 |
| International | 2013 | $60,681,700 | $81,698,924 |
| Worldwide | 2013 | $177,313,795 | $238,726,770 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 2013 | $82,588,728 | $111,193,493 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 2013 | $5,139,000 | $6,918,903 |
| Digital Purchases ? | 2013 | $3,072,000 | $4,135,993 |
| Physical Rentals ? | 2013 | $6,642,000 | $8,942,470 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 2013 | $17,210,000 | $23,170,717 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 2013 | $32,656,987 | $43,967,797 |
| Total Revenues | 2013 | $147,308,714 | $198,329,372 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 2013 | $30,000,000 | $40,390,558 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 2013 | $36,926,000 (est) | $49,715,391 (est) |
| Participations | 2013 | $11,785,000 | $15,866,758 |
| Residuals ? | 2013 | $3,614,000 | $4,865,716 |
| Interest & Overhead | 2013 | $5,100,000 | $6,866,395 |
| Total Expenses | 2013 | $87,425,000 | $117,704,818 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 2013 | $59,883,714 | $80,624,554 |
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