WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: ‘Ted’ Outmuscles ‘Magic Mike’

Two R-Rated films went head to head this weekend, and in the box office battle between a foul mouthed Teddy Bear and a team of male strippers led by Channing Tatum: the bear won. In additional news, Men In Black 3 has become the highest grossing entry in the blockbuster series starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, and The Amazing Spider-Man is out performing The Avengers’ pre-US release numbers in some foreign markets according to box office accountants

Back here stateside, Ted, Seth MacFarlane’s raunchy R-rated talking bear led leap onto the big screen was a huge success. The Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis starrer not only came in at number one at the box office, but over performed with an estimated take of over $54 million from Friday to Sunday.

Magic Mike, directed Steven Soderbergh, finished second despite offering a huge ‘ladies night out’ over the weekend. The film exceeded expectations and made it rain to the tune $39 million worth of singles. The semi-autobiographical tale of Channing Tatum’s early days as a Florida stripper also boasted the box office eight packs of Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer (White Collar), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), and Alex Pettyfer (Beastly).

Though this weekend’s numbers could have turned out entirely different had Paramount not made the 11th hour decision to push back its planned release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation from this weekend to March 29th of next year. The second film in the big screen G.I. Joe series also featured Channing Tatum, which would have had the actor competing against himself in two films on the same weekend. His role had been greatly diminished in the sequel also starring new headliners Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson, and according to sources, his character Captain Duke Hauser is actually killed off early in the film. It appears that Paramount’s panic and release push is Universal and Warner Bros. box office gain.

20th Century Fox’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter disappointed again in week two, sliding to #6 with a 69% drop from last week. Prometheus – love it, like it, or hate it – continues to be debated continually and furiously online, scored nearly $5 million, bringing its total to $118 million domestically. Snow White & The Huntsman holds tight in the top ten with $4.4 million (a sequel script is in development). Star Trek fans did not show up to support the new Captain Kirk, Chris Pine in People Like Us. Despite positive reviews for his performance opposite Elizabeth Banks and Michelle Pfeiffer, the family drama came in 10th place with just over $4 million.


1. TED – Weekend Gross: $54.1M

2. MAGIC MIKE – Weekend Gross: $39.2M
3. BRAVE – Weekend Gross: $34M,  Total: $131.7M
4. MADEA’S WITNESS PROTECTION – Weekend Gross $26.4M
5. MADAGASCAR 3 – Weekend $18.8M, Total: $180M
6. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER – Weekend $6M, Total: $29M
7. PROMETHEUS  – Weekend $4.9M, Total: $118M
8. MOONRISE KINGDOM – Weekend $4.8M, Total: $18.3M
9. SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN – Weekend $4.4M, Total: $145.6M
10. PEOPLE LIKE US – Weekend $4.3M

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Men In Black 3 is now the highest grossing entry in the Sony franchise, having passed the $589.4 million made by the original MIB in 1997. Men In Black 3 has racked up $599.4 million worldwide since its release in May, and the majority of that has been earned overseas ($429.8 million vs. $169.6 million domestic).

Per Deadline, another Sony film, The Amazing-Spider-Man is out pacing the box office numbers racked up by The Avengers in some foreign markets in its pre-US release. So far the reboot of the Marvel web slinger has already earned over $50 million in Asia and Europe. Spider-Man opens here on July 3rd (with Katy Perry: Part Of Me competing for 3D screens that week).

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline

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About Jim Kiernan 1240 Articles
Founder and moderator of Nerdy Rotten Scoundrel. Steering this ship the best I can. Lifelong opinionated geek & pop culture enthusiast. Independent television & film professional. Born & raised New Yorker.

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