Four newcomers entered the fray in this crowded pre-Fourth of July weekend with “Ted” from Universal, Warner Bros.’ “Magic Mike,” Lionsgate’s “Tyler Perry’s Witness Protection” and “People Like Us” from Disney all making their wide release debuts. This was a very tough weekend to predict but “Ted” and “Magic Mike” came out on top!
R-rated films were well represented this weekend with Warner Bros.’ “Magic Mike” taking it all off for an appreciative female fan base with much better-than-expected $39.1 million. Much like the “Sex and the City” films, this movie will be the centerpiece for a perfect “girls night out” and as we have seen in the past, this can be a powerful draw at the box office. Channing Tatum, who has been on a box office roll of late will bring out his devotees as well as fans of Matthew McConaughey and Joe Manganiello who take it all off for acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh. A terrific marketing campaign as well as solid word-of-mouth could fuel an even stronger than expected debut for this film that is tailor-made for the female demographic. Magic marketing gave the film a terrific better-than-expected debut as women stuffed the box office with singles and giving Soderbergh (beating 2004′s “Ocean’s Twelve” ($39,153,380) the best debut of his career if estimates hold. Channing Tatum is box office gold (had “The Vow” ($41.2M debut in Feb.) and “21 Jump Street” ($36.3M debut in March).
Source: Hollywood.com
