For their opening weekends, "Ted," "Magic Mike," and "Medea's Witness Protection" take the top three spots, earning $20.2 million, $19.4 million, and $10.3 million, respectively.
HollywoodReporter.com is reporting that based on Friday's box office records, Ted and Magic Mike had some of the best numbers ever for R-rated comedies.
Based on the $20.2 million that it made on Friday, Ted, directed by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, is in line to earn $51 to $52 million its opening weekend. If it hits the projected estimates, it will be the highest opening weekend of all time for an original R-rated comedy. The record currently belongs to The Hangover, which earned $45 million on its opening weekend in 2009.
"Ted" stars Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and MacFarlane as the voice of the Ted, the talking teddy bear, and earned an A- CinemaScore. It cost $50 million to make.
"Magic Mike" is a comedy-drama that's loosely based on Channing Tatum's early days as a stripper. Tatum stars in the film alongside Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer. The $19.4 million it grossed on Friday was called "substantially better-than-expected" by the website, which projects the film to take in over $40 million its first weekend.
Some observers believe that the high numbers "Magic Mike" received on Friday were due to women who bought advanced tickets. Therefore, they're assuming that sales will slow for the remainder of opening weekend and it will finish farther behind Ted. Magic Mike's CinemaScore was a B.
Third place for this weekend will likely go to Disney/ Pixar's "Brave," which is expected to earn over $30 million. "Witness Protection," though it tied with "Brave" for earning $10.3 million on Friday, is expected to earn an estimated $25 million this weekend, putting it in fourth place. The CinemaScore for Tyler Perry's latest film was an A-.
Rounding out the top five films this weekend is "People Like Us," starring Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Elizabeth Banks and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film received a B+ CinemaScore and earned $1.4 million on Friday. That statistic puts the film in line for a possible $4 million weekend.
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