The midnight numbers are out, and movie studios are certainly surprised to say the least. Both of Hollywood’s latest R-rated efforts debuted strong last night as Ted and Magic Mike each cracked the $2 million mark. The Seth MacFarlane directorial debut found the most with $2.6 million while the Channing Tatum stripper fest started things off with $2.1 million. Both have big stories of their own, so it is best to acknowledge what they are.
Ted is the first feature-side effort from MacFarlane who made his name with Family Guy and his other Animation Domination shows: The Cleveland Show and American Dad. He successfully spun this off into movies and that is why today’s news is such a big deal. We can definitely to expect to see more of this in the years ahead provided the super producer has the time.
Magic Mike is the third hit of the year for Channing Tatum. The actor was presumed to be down and out after fumbling with G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, but having success in The Vow and 21 Jump Street before this adds credibility to the notion that Tatum has turned into a bankable movie star. This is also not bad for Steven Soderbergh who has been talking about quitting directing. I am not sure he would want to bow out now though considering his career is about to get a major injection as the public is finally recognizing that he stands for quality film making.
I’ll keep you posted as the weekend progresses on whether these two films can maintain their early momentum.