Scoring the third best R-rated launch for a comedy (and the best for an original concept), Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane proved he could be king of the big screen as well with Ted.
Rocketing to a $54.4 million debut, the tale of a stoner teddy bear and his immature best bud connected with older men (not surprising considering the rating) and proved that a clever, original concept is often a winner with audiences, especially after the lackluster runs of The Dictator and That’s My Boy.
With an A- minus CinemaScore and no direct competition on the way, expect Ted to have a leggy box office run.
No slouch in second was Steven Soderbergh’s stripper dramedy Magic Mike, which scored big with women and danced all the way to the bank with a huge $39.1 million in singles. For a movie that only cost $7 million to produce, this is a success for all those involved.
For star Channing Tatum, however, this can only be called a triumph as the hunk is now on track to wrack up three $100 million-plus hits this year after February’s The Vow ($125 million) and March’s
The only thing that will keep Magic Mike from joining the century club will be its frontloading effect from all those lusting woman who rushed out on Friday for a piece of the Tatum pie.
The Top 11
1. Ted - $54.4M (weekend)…$54.4M (gross)
2. Magic Mike - $39.1M…$39.1M
3. Brave - $34.1M…$131.8M
4. Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection - $25.4M…$25.4M
5.
6. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - $6.0M…$29.0M
7.
8. Prometheus - $4.9M…$118.3M
9. Snow White and the Huntsman - $4.5M…$145.7M
10. The Avengers - $4.4M…$606.5M
11. People Like Us - $4.3M…$4.3M
After a No. 1 debut last weekend, Pixar’s Brave fell similar to WALL-E and took in an additional $34.1 million and upped its take to $131.8 million. This tale of a determined princess will easily give the animation house its tenth film to finish above $200 million.
Maintaining his fan base in fourth, Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection ran off with $25.4 million which is right in the sweet spot for the director and on par with last year’s Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family.
Debuting outside of the top 10 was Disney drama People Like Us starring Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks. With so much competition, a small film about a brother and sister reassembling their divided family was a weak option to say the least.
Finding huge success at just four locations was Grand Jury Prize winner Beasts of the Southern Wild, which grossed $169,702 for a potent $42,426 per theater average. Fox Searchlight will role this drama out wider in the coming weeks.
Next week Spidey returns in The Amazing Spider-Man which swings into theaters July 3 in an attempt to get a piece of the holiday business. Then, Katy Perry: A Part of Me debuts two days later, followed by Oliver Stone’s Savages on Friday.