Box office is set to be at least on par with last year...
Ted is a successful first theatrical endeavor for Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane. The crassy teddy bear comedy banked an unbelievable estimated $20.2 million (including a strong $2.65 million during midnight showings), which was much higher than what anyone was expecting. Reviews have been good and audiences awarded the film an "A-" CinemaScore, which could bode well for potential legs. Look for a giant $53 million first place debut for the weekend, already beating its' $50 million budget and another huge win for distributor Universal Pictures. If that number holds true, then it would claim the record for the biggest debut ever for an original R-rated pic.
Even with strong competition, females arrived in strong numbers for Magic Mike. The stripper comedy nearly tied Ted with a huge estimated $19.4 million on Friday (including $2.05 million during midnight showings). While it will likely have to settle for the second spot, distributor Warner Bros. is no doubt seeing another huge win on their hands. Channing Tatum is raking in some serious money this year. Expect around $46 million for the weekend, and another guaranteed $100 million grosser for the entire run.
But it wasn't all good news. It appears that the strong female appeal for either R-rated comedy might've destroyed Brave. Pixar's latest, which was originally expected to come out on top, cascaded an alarming 60% to an estimated $10.3 million on its' second Friday. By comparison, Cars 2 grossed $7.9 million on its' second Friday on its' way to a $26.2 million weekend, a rough 62% drop from last frame. Fortunately, this film won't drop nearly as hard, as it will likely land with about $34 million for its' second weekend if it gets the same multiplier.
Madea's Witness Protection was just a hair behind in fourth, and debuted above expectations with an estimated $10.25 million, or roughly the same as Big Happy Family's opening day. Based on recent trajectories, the latest Tyler Perry film is in line for a solid $27 million weekend, which would be Perry's second-biggest debut for a Madea film, behind Goes To Jail. Like other Perry films, this one received negative reception from critics, but was given an "A-" CinemaScore from audiences.
Rounding out the Top 5 in its' fourth weekend is Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, which had another nice hold, down just 41% from last Friday to an estimated $3.6 million. Comparing last weekend's trajectory, the animated threequel should earn roughly $12 million for the weekend.
The other new release, People Like Us, was a complete misfire. Landing in seventh place on Friday, the drama earned just an estimated $1.4 million, very similar to last weekend's Seeking A Friend for the End of the World. With positive critical reception and a "B+" CinemaScore, the film should at least reach about $4.5 million for the weekend, still a disappointing result.
Weekend estimates to be posted tomorrow evening...
