If studios need help bringing in the cash at the box office, maybe they will start turning to casting crude talking teddy bears for big roles, just like Universal did in its latest comedy.
The movie being referenced here is “Ted,” which won a slight victory at the box office Friday, barely beating out “Magic Mike,” for first place at the theaters.
Director Seth MacFarlane, the brains behind Fox’s comedy “Family Guy,” is the voice behind the cuddly teddy bear named Ted.
Although the bear has gotten most of the attention in the weeks leading up to its premiere, the movie also has a couple of big names that may have attributed to its good start.
The raunchy comedy also stars Mark Wahlberg (John Bennett) and Mila Kunis (Lori Collins).
“Ted” raked in $20.2 million during its opening on Friday, gaining a small edge for box office superiority this weekend over “Magic Mike,” which was also strong out of the gate, earning $19.4 million, according to early estimates from Box Office Mojo.
Friday’s runner up, “Magic Mike,” is about male strippers, and specifically one male performer who takes a younger stripper under his wing and passes on knowledge about partying, picking up women, and making money.
The comedy stars Matthew McConaughey (Dallas) and Channing Tatum (Magic Mike).
According to Rotten Tomatoes, critics chose the movie about male strippers over the cuddly teddy bear, though both got decent reviews.
Sixty-nine percent of critics gave “Ted” a positive review on the website, and 80 percent gave “Magic Mike” a favorable review.
Rounding out the top five Friday was “Brave” ($10.3 million), “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection” ($10.2 million) and “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” ($3.5 million).
