Slapped with mixed-to-negative reviews, Universal’s “Ted 2″ debuted to an underwhelming $32.9 million across 3,442 theaters, about $15 million less than most analysts expected the pot-smoking teddy bear comedy would bring in during its opening weekend.
The shock value of a foul mouthed bear is not shokcing anymore. The over familiarity certainly hobbled “Ted 2,”
“Ted 2″ got off to a more sluggish start than its predecessor, “Ted,” which got things going with a massive $54 million debut on its way to a $549.4 million global haul.
The plot, in which Ted tries to convince a court that he’s a person so he can have a child with his wife, was too downbeat, or the post Deflate-gate Tom Brady cameo proved more polarizing than tantalizing to audiences.
Sequelitis
Universal is citing sequelitis as a major cause of its weak results. But, as the trades suggested, the film’s timing of release was a factor, too. The mellow-harshing start is also attributable to the presence of two box office juggernauts in Disney-Pixar’s “Inside Out” and Universal’s “Jurassic World,” which racked up $52.1 million and $54.2 million, respectively.
“Jurassic World” now ranks as the fifth highest-grossing domestic release of all time with $500 million in stateside receipts, behind “The Dark Knight’s” $534.8 million haul. It marks the third consecutive weekend that the dinosaur thriller has topped North American charts, and the fastest that a film has ever crossed the $500 million mark. Aside from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” it’s hard to see another 2015 release matching its massive box office results.
With “Jurassic World” continuing to be an indomitable force, “Inside Out” took runner-up position on the charts for the second consecutive weekend. The critically heralded family film has earned a sizable $184.9 million since opening last weekend.
“This year, a lot of sequels are a bit more challenged, with the possible exception of some of the ones that we’ve had,” said Carpou, noting that Universal’s “Furious 7″ and “Pitch Perfect 2″ buck that trend.
It’s a disappointment considering that many box office sages predicted “Ted 2″ would be the summer’s biggest comedy. Media Rights Capital helped fund and produce the $85 million production, which brought back original star Mark Wahlberg and director, co-writer and vocal maestro Seth MacFarlane. “Ted 2’s” opening weekend audience was 49% under the age of 25, and 59% male.
