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UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
June 29-July 1 Weekend Actuals
1. Ted (Universal) NEW [3,239 Theaters] R
Friday $20.6M, Saturday $17.9M, Sunday $16.0M, Weekend $54.4M2. Magic Mike (Warner Bros) NEW [2,930 Theaters] R
Friday $19.4M, Saturday $11.4M, Sunday $8.4M, Weekend $39.1M3. Brave 3D (Pixar/Disney) Week 2 [4,164 Theaters] PG
Friday $10.4M, Saturday $13.3M, Sunday $10.4M, Weekend $34.1M (-49%), Cume $131.8M4. Madea’s Witness Protection (Tyler Perry/Lionsgate) NEW [2,161 Theaters] PG13
Friday $10.1M, Saturday $9.4M, Sunday $5.9M, Weekend $25.4M5. Madagascar 3 3D (DWA/Par) Week 4 [3,715 Theaters] PG
Friday $3.6M, Saturday $4.7M, Sunday $3.6M, Weekend $11.8M (-40%), Cume $180.0M6. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 3D (Fox) Week 2 [3,109 Theaters] R
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $2.3M, Sunday $1.8M, Weekend $6.0M (-63%), Cume $29.0M7. Moonrise Kingdom (Focus) Week 6 [854 Theaters] PG13
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.0M, Sunday $1.5M, Weekend $4.9M (+45%), Cume $18.5M8. Prometheus 3D (Fox) Week 4 [1,951 Theater] R
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.0M, Sunday $1.6M, Weekend $4.9M (-50%), Cume $118.3M9. Snow White & The Huntsman (Universal) Week 5 [2,337 Theaters] PG13
Friday $1.3M, Saturday $1.8M, Sunday $1.4M, Weekend $4.5M (-44%), Cume $145.7M10. Marvel’s The Avengers (Marvel/Disney) Week 9 [1,757 Theaters] PG13
Friday $1.3M, Saturday $1.8M, Sunday $1.3M, Weekend $4.4M (-38%), Cume $606.5M11. People Like Us (DreamWorks/Disney) NEW [2,055 Theaters] PG13
Friday $1.5M, Saturday $1.7M, Sunday $1.1M, Weekend $4.2M
‘Spider-Man’ Opens Foreign: Bigger Than ‘Avengers’ In Some Markets
‘Ice Age 4′ Box Office Already Breaking Records Overseas
‘Ted’ Opens ‘Off The Charts’ In Australia
SATURDAY PM, 7TH UPDATE: Rentrak tonight was having trouble obtaining 
AMC’s grosses so numbers were delayed. But my sources say the top new movies took a nosedive Saturday compared to Friday’s fireworks at the domestic box office. As for the new films, Universal’s Ted dropped -15% from Friday to Saturday but will still clear $52M, Warner Bros’ Magic Mike was down -45% and won’t climb to $40M, and Lionsgate’s Madea’s Witness Protection fell -7% and can’t get to $30M. Only DreamWorks’ People Like Us went up +18% – but it was still stillborn. Overall moviegoing this weekend was strong enough to score a big $205M which managed to stay +5% ahead of last year. Here are updated numbers for the Top Ten based on weekend estimates. More analysis coming:
1. Ted (Universal) NEW [3,239 Theaters] R
Friday $20.5M, Saturday $18.0M, Weekend $52.5M
2. Magic Mike (Warner Bros) NEW [2,930 Theaters] R
Friday $18.0M, Saturday $10.7M, Weekend $38.0M
3. Brave 3D (Pixar/Disney) Week 2 [4,164 Theaters] PG
Friday $10.5M, Saturday $13.4M, Weekend $35.5M (-47%), Cume $132.2M
4. Madea’s Witness Prot (Tyler Perry/Lionsgate) NEW [2,161 Theaters] PG13
Friday $10.2M, Saturday $9.6M, Weekend $27.0M
5. Madagascar 3 3D (DWA/Par) Week 4 [3,715 Theaters] PG
Friday $4.2M, Saturday $5.1M, Weekend $12.5M, Cume $180.7M
6. Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 3D (Fox) Week 2 [3,109 Theaters] R
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $2.5M, Weekend $6.2M (-62%), Cume $29.2M
7. Prometheus 3D (Fox) Week 4 [1,951 Theater] R
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $5.1M, Cume $118.4M
8. Moonrise Kingdom (Focus) Week 6 [854 Theaters] PG13
Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.0M, Weekend $5.0M, Cume $18.5M
9. Snow White & The Huntsman (Universal) Week 5 [2,337 Theaters] PG13
Friday $1.2M, Saturday $1.9M, Weekend $4.5M, Cume $145.7M
10. People Like Us (DreamWorks/Disney) NEW [2,055 Theaters] PG13
Friday $1.5M, Saturday $1.7M, Weekend $4.2M
FRIDAY PM, 6TH UPDATE: The domestic box office is exploding with early Fourth Of July fireworks with 
total moviegoing a blazing $205M which is +15% from last year. And R-rated raunch ruled today. Universal’s Ted is wildly overperforming: $20.5M today for a $51M first weekend. The reprobate teddy bear is #1 and outgrossed Hangover today. Playing in 3,239 theaters, it could open the weekend as the biggest original R-rated comedy on record! (Remember, this is the movie that Twentieth Century Fox passed on – even though Seth MacFarlane is BMOC at 20th TV and FBC and Mark Wahlberg has a growing list of hit movies.) Audiences gave Ted an ‘A-’ CinemaScore which ensures great word of mouth. The pic debuted with a stunningly strong $2.625M from midnight showings at 1,090 theaters. Seth MacFarlane has now made the successful transition to the big screen, while Mark Wahlberg cements his status as a major star. Ted was acquired by Universal from MRC for $69M and was made for $50M.
Also overperforming is Warner Bros‘ Magic Mike (2,930 theaters) which is looking at a great $18M opening today and $43M weekend. Domestic matinees for Magic Mike were especially “crazy”, rival studios told me. This is really reminding me and Hollywood of opening day for the first Sex And The City – though hopefully not as frontloaded. (I loved Warner Bros’ marketing line to women for Channing Tatum et al that “on June 29th tell your boyfriend you’re going to the book club”). Audiences gave Magic Mike a ‘B’ CinemaScore which won’t hurt word of mouth. The male beefcake strippers movie directed by Steven Soderbergh took in a huge $2.050M from just one show at midnight in 1,100 locations. Chalk up another hit for new star Tatum but with a twist because he and Soderbergh funded the film themselves – since Magic Mike is partly based on the actor’s experiences as a Tampa stripper at age 19. And this was a low-cost acquisition of domestic rights for the studio for only a $7M investment. On Fandango and MovieTickets, the big online movie tickets sellers, Magic Mike was #1 going into today, representing 60+% of sales and outpacing Bridesmaids and Mamma Mia! at the same point in the sales cycle.
Hollywood thought Ted and Pixar/Disney’s holdover Brave (4,164 theaters) would be fighting for #1 and between $30M-$35M this weekend. But, as one rival studio exec told me, the toon took a -57% Friday-to-Friday drop “mainly because Mom said, ‘Screw you. This is my night!” Look for Brave to recover because of the Saturday kiddie matinee bump. Magic Mike and Lionsgate’s Tyler Perry film Madea’s Witness Protection (2,161 theaters) were expected to battle for 3rd and low- to mid-$20sM. But that began changing hour by hour. 
Lionsgate’s PG-13 Madea’s Witness Protection from Tyler Perry as his stereotypical cross-dressing alter ego also is doing better than expected by aiming at $30M on this crowded weekend. Major help will be the ‘A-’ CinemaScore from audiences. (Why oh why haven’t they had enough of Medea, pray tell?) Producer/director/star Perry plays 3 parts in this pic, which is 3 too many. Overlooked today is the debut of DreamWorks’ PG-13 dramedy People Like Us (2,055 theaters) which distributor Disney always knew was a small movie unlikely to gross beyond single digits. Then why in heck release it in summer when this isn’t another Hail Mary like The Help for struggling DreamWorks? But the ‘B+’ CinemaScore could generate modest word of mouth.
As for last week’s major studio releases, Fox’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is down -69% Friday-to-Friday and is over and out. And New Line/Warner Bros’ Rock Of Ages dropped -67% Friday to Friday and fell out of the Top Ten. Big flop, pending divorce: Tom Cruise is having a really bad week.
For more estimates listed by title, see box office results here...Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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This is great news! I loved the board game TED was based on and MAGIC MIKE was such an awesome, much-beloved children’s plastic toy!
Wait….WHAT? These are like, plain old original ideas? And people are actually BUYING TICKETS?!?!
I don’t get it.
You have a very strange definition of an “original idea”
Original in this context means it isn’t directly based on an already existing piece of media. Everyone knows that Ted is what would happen if Winnie the Pooh was allowed to grow up and get a bong. Magic Mike is your typical “Inspirational Disturbing” story. They all have the right backstops in other stuff, but don’t directly take the title and/or plot of a pre-existing something or another, or purport to be a direct successor of such.
Ah yes, the old “Everyone knows” riff. You sir, have a very disturbing idea of what everyone supposedly knows. Ted looks atrocious and it’s an idea bordering on literary blasphemy to think that’s a logical progression for Winnie the Pooh. But, let me guess, you’re a big time Hollywood exec, churning out the ‘hits’.
Oh, hell, they aren’t making money because they are original ideas or repetitive Hollywood hits. They are making money because it’s over 100 degrees in most states and the only thing to do is see a movie.
James is exactly right, Flat Stanley. TED is original because it isn’t based on any pre-existing material. MAGIC MIKE was primarily based on Channing Tatum’s life as a stripper when he was 19, though it might also have been based on a magazine article, I’m a bit murky on that. Still and all, these weren’t based on first person shooter games or plastic toys from the 80s. A refreshing distinction. I have no interest in either of these, but TED actually looks pretty clever. Where are you getting atrocious from? Or are you bringing your own guilty fetish to bear?
I guess they evoke the right tropes. I guess as long as it doesn’t involve slow motion action sequences between 19th Century US Presidents and Vampires, people are willing to suspend their disbelief…
That’s a good illustration of the difference between “okay original” and “TOO original.” The concept must be something that can be conveyed effectively within the scope of a movie trailer. Hot guys stripping = fun night out for the girls. Vampires + Abraham Lincoln + ??????
And I did like Vampires + Abraham Lincoln, but despite, not because of, the marketing. Unlike John Carter, I’d say the marketing is not to blame. They had an impossible job, selling something that looked like pickles and ice cream and only when you actually dig in do you realize the pickles are actually yummy pistachios (to extend a metaphor well past the breaking point hah).
Ive been noticing a lot of R-Rated comedies are being released this summer…i wonder if this is because of the Hangover’s numbers last year
What was the last PG-13 comedy? That Drew Barrymore movie where a group of unpleasant people were expecting children? Then again, what was the last successful R-rated comedy? 21 Jump Street?
Minors are getting action films this year and college kids are getting raunchy comedies. It’s a good trade-off, in my opinion, but it would probably help if youthful unemployment wasn’t stuck at 50%. Oh well; at least we can still buy tickets with MasterCard.
I think what’s driving up the box office this week is the ridiculous heatwave SLAMMING 2/3rd’s of the country.
Got to beat the heat somehow. Why not the movie theatre?
“I think what’s driving up the box office this week is the ridiculous heatwave SLAMMING 2/3rd’s of the country.”
That would make sense if 90% of Americans didn’t have air conditioning in their homes. Why go out to stay cool if you can just stay home and stay cool?
1st off, 90% of Americans don’t have air conditioning. That’s a gross overstatement. (You sound like a republicant)
2nd, from time to time people like to get out of the house on the weekend and go do something. When the weather is unbearable outside, that usually moves them towards indoor activities.
Hmmmm, I wonder where we can go……?
Sam,
According to the Census Bureau: “In 2009, 72,808,000 homes or 65.1 percent of all occupied homes in the United States had central air conditioning; another 22.0 percent had room units.”
90% may be an overstatement, but just barely. I could do some political snark in response to yours, but not everyone has to turn every discussion into political point-scoring.
Here in New York, everybody and I mean everybody went to the movies this weekend because of the heat. It’s just what people do here in really hot weather. Pretty common knowledge. Maybe it’s hard to believe that not everyone has a beach house, or doesn’t want to sit home for two days and three nights in an air-conditioned apartment.
@Karl
Yeah, you want to check out the whole “About the Survey” and their sampling errors and their methodology.
A majority of the cities they sample are located in the South and West. Yes, Dallas and Phoenix and Sacramento and polling rich neighborhood apartment complexes will give you inflated numbers when you then multiply that to cover the general population.
Also, crappy table fans are counted as “room units” which is practically worthless when it’s 110 degrees outside and your body has fused to the couch.
It really is about the weather. Almost 100 here for two days. EVERYBODY went to a movie.
I’m glad somebody is excited about this weekend’s releases. As a straight guy there is just nothing for me with “Magic Mike”. Seth McFarlane’s shtick is a bit tiresome and predictable so I am not exactly eager to see “Ted”.
Here’s hoping the masses enjoy the fare though!
You gotta love the risk Soderberg and Tatum took, though. MM pretty much alienates half your audience — I mean, I don’t know a single guy who’ll get dragged along; most of ‘em will just go see Avengers or Prometheus again, while the girls see MM as a pack. And it looks like the opening frame will be golden. I’m guessing it’s the same risk Sex And The City took. Good for them. Also, glad it’s at least original material, for the most part.
On another note, it’s good to see Hollywood rediscovering the mature female audience. With BRIDESMAIDS and now MM, hopefully that demo will be targeted with more regularity.
Don’t forget the gays! Half of my group for tonight are my fabulous gay friends.
Oh, that’s right! Forget the gay mafia at your own risk, I always says. The gay demo oughta give this legs.
And, yes, there’s an irony about macho guys refusing to see this but get down right fetishistic watching Quarterback Tom Brady feeling up center Dan Connolly’s man junk before every hike on Sundays. Men — we’re so complicated.
Only 2% of Americans are gay, and I don’t see the lesbian crowd sprinting to the theatre for this one. Same with straight men (excuse us for not wanting to watch naked men writhe on stage). It will be mostly straight women that carry this film to profitability.
Also, is that what you think quarterbacks do? I think you just outed yourself.
More of those guys might be willing to be dragged along if they knew about all the hot-looking women (many in various stages of undress) that also appear in MAGIC MIKE. Hellooooooo Cody Horn!
Yeah, unfortunately there were more close-ups on boobs than pecs! If MM had been about women, those strip numbers would have been slowed way down and the cameras would have been a LOT closer. The dance numbers in MM had a strange distance to them. I guess it’s Soderbergh’s way of making it more “artsy” (and retaining a shred of self-respect).
As long as Olivia Munn also gets halfway nekkid, then MM isn’t a complete waste of my time. And is OM still willing to eat *anything*, as she has been wont to do?
The reviews make it clear that straight guys refusing to see MM are wrong. Apparently it’s huge fun for them, as well as for females, with lots of raunchy ‘guy’ humor.
“Here’s hoping the masses enjoy the fare though!”
Oh, you know they will. They always do. Just review the box office grosses for ANY major studio blockbuster.
Entertainment doesn’t need to be quality anymore. The masses fork over their hard-earned cash for the lowest type of entertainment these days. Reality TV and overproduced sci-fi/action films, usually based on board games, TV series and comic books, rule the cinema.
Film it . . . they will come.
That’s a description of…neither TED…nor MAGIC MIKE.
What is your point?
Also, people PLEASE stop confusing the words original and good. Those are two different conversations. Both movies are original ideas whether or not they are good ideas or good movies. If your issue is with quality, say good ideas. If your issue is with originality, say original ideas. Simple.
This weekend is without a doubt a triumph of ORIGINAL ideas, whether or not you think the movies are good.
Exactly! I won’t see MM and I’m gay! What trash. Sleaze worshipped. F U!
They will? John Carter, Battleship, dark Shadows, Abe Lincoln… I thought you just said they ALWAYS flock to ANY studio blockbuster?
Guess you’re wrong.
SNAP!!
I was gonna retort, but I can’t say it better than you just did.
Well, there are REASONS people didn’t come to these movies.
John Carter was poorly marketed…the official studio trailers completely misrepresented the movie as pure, meaningless action. I went to see it — and thoroughly enjoyed it — because I saw the fan-made trailer that stressed the emotional story line of movie. And I knew that John Carter was from Edgar Rice Burroughs. So how smart was it to market it without letting people know that the movie had an emotional ride/love story and was from Edgar Rice Burroughs?
The Dark Shadows movie totally disrespected the original Dark Shadows and the Dark Shadows fandom and turned the movie into a farce. The problem with this venture is that the makers of the movie believed that the original was a spoof as well. The fans disagreed and, like me, skipped it. When they do a non-spoof version of Dark Shadows with the quality of the Anne Rice movie that Tom Cruise starred in, it will be a hit. (Of course it will not happen in at least a generation now, since the powers that be will not figure out this simple reasoning.)
As for Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter, I don’t know why it failed. I only know why I, personally, will not be seeing it. (I would be interested in why others decided to skip it.) I like vampire movies, historical drama, and action movies, but the reason I just couldn’t go to this one is that it disrespects one of the greatest presidents that ever lived, in rewriting history in a way that is just totally nonsensical and out of context. If they had made the main character someone anonymous or little-known from that era, I would have checked the movie out.
As for Battleship? Well, it would have helped if they had even listed who starred in it. If I had realized it had the actor that plays Eric in True Blood, along with Taylor Kitsch, I would have seen it. Granted, these are not huge stars, but they would hold my interest. Unfortunately, by the time I saw a preview that actually showed a recognizable face, I no longer had the time to catch it.
Well, if you had actually bothered to see DARK SHADOWS, you’d have seen a smart, thrilling, haunting, at times even poetic, traditional horror film, whose themes include the undying nature of love, the importance of familial bonds, the futility of vengeance, the struggle to adjust to a new environment, and the triumph of will over might. Yes, there is humor, as there is in all great horror movies, but any sentient five-year-old could have watched that blatantly misleading trailer and known that this wasn’t an “Addams Family”-style spoof. That the picture overcame unbelievable odds to still gross close to $80 million domestic and over $200 million worldwide proves that a lot of people saw through the deceptive marketing and were impressed by what they saw.
The smart guy will encourage their women to see Magic Mike, then they can sit back that night and reap the benefits…
Now ‘Brave’, ‘Ted’ and ‘Magic Mike’ all have decent shots at delivering 30M+ weekends AND at least one of them could exceed 40M, as well…but which one ? Brave could easily have the kind of pixaresque 2nd weekend drop that would make that 40M+ possible, Ted is tracking extremely well, meanwhile Magic Mike has through-the-roof pre-sales…and considering the demos don’t seem to clash that much, either (Brave : family audience, Ted : male audience, Mike : female audience), I think all three could easily overperform. Crazy theory ? All three exceed 40M…
1. Ted – 42M
2. Brave – 41M (-38%)
3. Magic Mike – 40M
Unfortunately ‘People like us’ doesn’t seem to have any buzz…hopefully the studio will figure out some kind of ’2for1′ discount or something so their two hits, both huge with families (The Avengers, Brave) could help out their struggling release.
I agree, possible to have three movies at 40M+ this weekend.
But unless, I read this wrong did Nikki say the following quote
“a huge $2.050M from JUST ONE SHOW at midnight in 1,100 location”.
Again, JUST from ONE SHOW correct? I would think Magic Mike looks the more likely for the No. 1 spot, if true = the numbers are much bigger than Ted’s for midnight showings, if you consider the rest of the other locations.
My hope Magic Mike IS No.1 BUT we shall all wait and see.
I wouldn’t dismiss projected profits from ‘Madea’ loyalists. Sure, it’ll place 4th but with a none too shabby $30m+. Technically speaking, there are four horses in this weekend’s B.O. race with all four, set to rake north of 30m.
First time in years (incl’g specialty market) there happens to be a new release–for everyone’s taste.
Enough with Olivia Wilde and Elizabeth Banks. Both are way overrated. Why do they keep showing up in films that no one sees.
Please give us some movies for women. GOOD romantic comedies, naked guys, whatever it takes. Women go to movies. Get it through your stupid, Wharton MBA heads.
Oh hale no. Elizabeth Banks is a star. She just needs to pick better movies.
Pick better movies? She’s in EVERYTHING.
Look, she (and Olivia Wilde) are smart women. That’s part of why people like them. But Banks is not someone who anyone wants to go see in a movie. She should go to her natural hair color, for one. It doesn’t even look like a good fake blonde. Beyond that, she is kind of boring on screen. I don’t really see the funny there. That said, she is a nice person and very sharp. That counts for something *in* Hollywood, but not much outside of it.
PLEASE GIVE US MORE MOVIES FOR WOMEN THOUGH!!!!
She is neither nice nor well liked. She is charmless and mean spirited, and that comes across to audiences.
Agreed. Elizabeth Banks is cookie-cutter. She actually looks like Parker Posey 15 years ago. I guess guys like her because she’s been in a bunch of those shitty Apatow bromance flicks, none of which I’ve seen.
Olivia Wilde may be vapid, but dang, she’s great to look at. Those vaguely Amerasian features <3
And put Blake Lively on that list. Hollywood is working overtime trying to make her happen. The female Taylor Kitsch. Boring.
GO TED. GO TED. GO TED. CAN’T WAIT!
phantom… really all 3 over 40? You might need to put down the pipe.
1. Brave 38M
2. Ted 35M
3. Mike 26M
All Mike’s sales are for Friday. It is a one day picture.
So when you are proven wrong (and you will be especially for MM), whatcha going do? Uh, nothing because ur a troll.
More like 50M+ weekend for TED, 45M for Mike and 35M for Brave.
It always hurts to read early comments that make predictions that are quickly proven wrong by the time Nikki does her 3rd or 4th update.
TolBoothRob, looks like your predictions sucked the big one. R rated movies are killing it this weekend. Just goes to show people that no one really knows anything.
Figured Ted would be a big hit — funny ad materials, clever concept, good stars. But Magic Mike is baffling me.
Because you are a man.
TED is hilarious. The theater was roaring at times. Try and not laugh, schtick or not.
Done! I didn’t laugh once.
TED was awful. Hearing Mcfarlane’s unfunny lines delivered by a CGI bear doesn’t make them any funnier.
Oh, so because YOU didn’t laugh once, it wasn’t funny, is that it, Steve? Pretty arrogant attitude.
I saw it with a sold-out theater and it KILLED. Where did you see it? Were the people in the theater laughing. I’m sure you don’t find many things funny, Steve. You should bring this up at your Smarmy Group this week, while you complain about why YOUR screenplay isn’t getting made.
Think some of you may be underestimating MIKE. It’s going after the EXACT same audience that made SEX IN THE CITY such a huge hit. Or 50 SHADES OF GRAY such a huge best-seller. There is nothing out there for women to go see with all their women friends and talk/gossip/daydream about. The fact that all the erviews are generally very good will only help make it “legitimate” and not just scandalous. There is no competition for this…clearingthe way for it to have a nice long shelf-life for women and gay men.
Very impressed with Ted’s midnight numbers. The movie is not only hilarious, but surprisingly has a nice plot as well with a touching (or as touching as you can get) ending. Macfarlane certainly impressed me given that I find his Family Guy schtick a bit old at this point. Easily $100M+ winner in the long run given the lack of competition for almost a month until Neighboorhood Watch lands (likely with a thud).
I am even more surprised with how well Magic Mike did given a few weeks ago how no one expected it to even crack $20M opening weekend if at all over the entire run. WB really stepped up with the campaign with making this an “event” movie. Unfortunately, the word “event’ usually makes a frontloaded box office unless word of mouth expands beyond the key demo which I don’t see happening here. The Friday to Saturday drop will be the first indicator of the film’s longevity, but with a budget in the single-millions and a fairly cost-controlled marketing campaign, it doesn’t really matter if it holds (kind of like “Devil Inside” except this film actually is getting good reviews).
I think Brave will stick at number one with Ted debuting in the high $30Ms with Mike not too far behind.
I think you’re forgetting about The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises, which both come out in the next few weeks.
“Lack of competion for a month”, man you’re nutty. What the hell do you call “The Amazing Spider-Man”, & “Ice Age”. Since you said nearly a month which is when TDKR opens, so it sounds like you we’re aware of that obviously, But you ablsolutely looked past “Spidey” & “Ice Age”, a very silly mistake to make buddy.
He was referring to (non-animated and/or family oriented) comedy competition, obviously…
That’s because you’re not a woman… im constantly baffled by people being baffled by the fact that when people make movies women actually want to see they show up in big numbers…
I guess I should’ve been more specific: I get that women are underrepresented and will show up in big numbers to certain things. I get that you don’t need male support to have a box office hit. I’m just baffled by how Magic Mike turned into one of those films. It’s not Sex and the City or Twilight, it’s an original story about strippers.
Also, I know anecdotal evidence is the worst kind, but no one I know is talking about this movie. I’m pretty sure my wife has never heard of it. The most I’ve heard is a gay male friend mention he wants to see it on Facebook.
If it works, more power to Soderbergh and Tatum.
A lot of the appeal of Magic Mike is the cast: lots of desirable guys with large female fanbases.
23 of my Facebook friends went to see the midnight show. I think I had fewer friends see the Avengers the entire weekend. Not saying its going to be a $207 million opening weekend or anything, but word is definitely out there.
Women do like men , and men without clothes even more.It’s not magic. Usually all we get is a cheesy romcom.
Agreed, Hannah. Why do people think 300 grossed through the roof? Newsflash: it wasn’t the story line.
You sure Ted won’t be another Bruno?
pretty sure.
TED is tired and weak and flaccid. And the critics pretty much damn agree… 65 percent positive on Rotten Tomatoes. That pretty much, well, sucks — no matter what all the studio plants in this thread want to say. Middling comedy that would cause Billy Wilder to roto-till in his grave.
This comedy sure ain’t no Bridesmaids. Nor is it a Hangover either. It’s just weak celluloid fare filling a ho hum Fourth of July void that used to be occupied by big tentpole, popcorn movies such as Independence Day. Oh well.
Oh well, welcome to Lowest Common Denominator filmmaking.
The puppet demographic. ALF. Unhappily Ever After. MST3K. If TWILIGHT people can have their movies, can’t the puppet people have movies, too?
I thought “the TWILIGHT people” were the puppet people.
Huh? A raunchy comedy gets 65% positive on Rotten Tomatoes and you’re saying that sucks?
TED is brilliant, tons of critics and audience members seem to think so, which means “Bobby the Saint” is either another Family Guy hater or someone who works for Warners – nice try though
Oh c’mon!
JJ, if your definition of brilliant is Peter Griffin as a Teddy Bear, then Roger Rabbit must be your Citizen Kane.
Why drag Roger into this?
Yeah… next he’ll be bad-mouthing Jessica Rabbit by saying mess like, “Angelina Jolie rocks a tight dress and thigh high slit better than J. Rab”. When all of us in Toontown know that J. Rab is “DA BOMB”-LOL!
Yeah, but people love garbage. And ‘daring’ comedy where they will keep making fun of Jesus, but not that ratbag Mohammed. White people joking about how lame White people are. Stupid annoying cartoons with horrible voices and animation just replaying things from old movies and tv shows and that’s the joke.
Apparently, that’s what a lot of people like.
Airplane! wouldn’t work today. it’s too good.
“Airplane! wouldn’t work today. it’s too good.”
Don’t tell that to Seth MacFarlane, who restaged one of AIRPLANE!’s funniest scenes verbatim in TED.
Hangover and Bridesmaids are high art and Ted is complete garbage? That’s such an overstatement.
I haven’t seen Ted (I probably will, and I assume I’ll find it to be alright, but not great), but Rotten Tomatoes is tough with comedies. In my opinion, critical consensus usually goes to the safe brands of main stream comedies and anything absurd/pushing boundaries attracts its share of baffled negative reviews.
I’m not saying that Ted is a genius comedy that critics don’t get, but I hardly expect what are typically old men to understand what is current and fresh in comedy.
The weather will have a major factor on box office this weekend. With historically hot temps in major portions of the country, people will hide out in the movie theater. Women will be there for Channing Tatum and team (and don’t forget the gay contingent,) the straight guys will see TED, and the families will be watching BRAVE. Gonna be a huge weekend because the holiday isn’t until midweek so people aren’t traveling as much.
The winds are blowing in favor of the movies this weekend. And whatever lucky star Channing Tatum is residing under, hey dude, share a little.
My money’s on the Teddy bear. It’s the best of the bunch. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
I’m straight. I will go see Magic Mike with my wife. I put her through tinker toys beating the crap out of each other, or the violence of Savages, then it’s the least I can do.
It will be a huge hit, and Channing Tatum will now be independently wealthy off the back of It. Not bad for a guy who has only been taken seriously recently. Not unlike Mr Wahlberg. Fun fact: he’s made more off Entourage than his film career.
Ted is just good dumb fun.
Here we have two non reboots/ brand extentions doing well (3 with Brave) and all I read is carping. Hopefully Hollywood and Hasbro just learnt a small lesson.
Yeahhh not sure you should admit you are going to see MM
Chances are your wife would rather see the movie without you.
The problem with getting men to go see Magic Mike isn’t the prominence of penis; it’s the prominence of an intimidating penis and an intimidating body we Average Joes simply don’t have the self-respect to achieve. If I really wanted to, I could submit myself to rigorous diet and exercise and eventually look as good as Tatum (at least from the neck down), but why would I do that when I can sit at my computer, read Deadline, and enjoy one-sided relationships with women I’ll never suffer to relate to?
Channing Tatum is a reverie, one unobtainable by the average man or woman. That’s why men won’t go see Magic Mike.
Welcome to our world as women. Every magazine, tv show, billboard, film, commercial, music video, and catwalk is filled with women who intimidate the hell out of girls who may not have big breasts or may have a couple extra pounds or thin lips of whatever small insecurity plagues them. Every day we see men cream their jeans over tan, skinny, big boobed, fake lipped chicks with big hair and a cake of makeup. It’s about time we get to cream our panties over some buff, large packaged men while our male counterparts feel the inadequacy for a change!
Not to mention those women in the magazines are airbrushed and photoshopped to death to remove any perceived imperfections or to make them look more ridiculously disproportioned than they already are. Plus many of these women away from the camera and makeup chair look pretty plain otherwise.
Oh I understand, dear: The media’s definition of feminine beauty is another chimera, and I would argue it’s worse than the one for men. While it’s entirely possible to get Tatum’s body, it isn’t as easy to get bigger breasts, and so on. Furthermore, the media is a lot less restrictive on the male requirement: Ugly guys appear in light-hearted movies all the time, but ugly girls rarely appear outside the horror genre.
Does anyone else find it interesting that so many of the most front-loaded, “Friday night only” films are driven by women? Twilight, Magic Mike, Hannah Montana, Sex and the City, even Harry Potter and most of the horror movies.
I am a woman and would not go to see MM if it were free-of-charge. Don’t like Tatum and the rest of the guys’ pack either. They leave me cold. Worse, I feel sorry for them, as I feel sorry for women who dance around a pole. And, believe me, I am not a nun. I wonder how much money this film will make outside of North America and, perhaps, the U.K. If I want to watch something erotic, I will watch again the DVD of Lust, Caution. Definitely not Tatum or Manganiello.
You might be straight now, but there’s no guarantees afterwards.
Why do you think they call it Magic Mike?
Elizabeth Banks is NEVER over-rated. Olivia Wilde however……………..
Pffft, so the guy who made Family Guy and ran it into the ground, then copied it twice, has made a movie where he follows the same formula.
And wow it will probably wind up making $85-$120 million in theaters domestically, gasp do you know what that means, the same people who go see raunchy comedies every Summer went to see this Raunchy comedy, a lot of them perform at the boxoffice the same way every year.
I’m glad Hollywood is slowly starting to realize that women have sex drives and a sense of humor! GO, Magic Mike!
I’d be interested in seeing demos for these movies. My bet is that the women are flocking to “Magic Mike”, while their male counterparts are filling up seats for “Ted”.
Personally, I’m glad that Hollywood is offering more fare for women, so they will be happily watching “their” chick flicks, while I can sit in peace to watch whatever it is I choose to see. The last time I was at the theatre, my row was completely lit up by cell phones, as 15-20 women furiously texted (each other?) throughout the movie – and it wasn’t a chick flick.
TED is HILARIOUS !! Way to go Seth !!!
I like Olivia Wilde, but she has a bit of that Jenny McCarthy thing going on. Yes, you’re a pretty girl who’s not an idiot. Now please stop talking.
Elizabeth Banks is cute but still stunning, is equally adept at doing comedy and drama… I wish she’d pick better movies, but she’s one of my favorite actresses.
I’d go with Banks as the eventual breakout of the two, but what do I know.
Great. PEOPLE LIKE US is down to 55% on Rotten and dropping like a fly.
STUDIOS — Do not take this as a referendum on original movies. It’s just a sign that this one movie is not GOOD, and was only made because Kurtzman/Orci had pull at the time.
Give us movies like TED (even if it’s not that great) and MAGIC MIKE, because audiences are starved for original movies. I get that you want to bet big, but original movies bring respect back to our profession.
People are not wowed by having a job in film anymore. They’re vowed by folks who work in Silicon Valley or Silicon Alley, by people who work for hedge funds. The smart money and smart people are going to other fields, and original movies of quality will bring respect back to our once glorious business. I don’t care if a book adaptation makes a billion dollars — That’s great and all, make that money, but we need original, quality films to get made. It’s the only thing that will save our business. Not just original movies that get 50% on RT — THAT’S what fails at the box office.
Good reviews travel fast these days via WOM and Twitter and Facebook. Make better films. Please.
And please, please, read scripts that are aimed at women. Not just Written by women, but films that will bring in a female audience. Naked men, romantic comedies, whatever it takes. Just make them interested movies about naked men, well-written romcoms, and the money will follow.
So, Warners first hit of the year was a pick up and not developed or overseen by their “brilliant” executive team overseeing SUCKER PUNCH, JONAH HEX, NEW YEARS EVE, HAPPY FEET TWO, GREEN LANTERN, DARK SHADOWS, ROCK OF AGES, AURTHER, J EDGAR and WRATH OF THE TITANS.
WOW!!!
mj
You’re right! “Wow!!” indeed.
Ebert gave Ted 3 1/2 out of 4. I just got back. It’s hilarious!!!!!
Ebert also gave 3 1/2 out of 4 stars to THE PHANTOM MENACE.
Ebert’s barely relevant.