0 Raunchy teddy bear 'Ted' tops North America box office

LOS ANGELES: "Ted," a comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and his raunchy teddy bear pal, topped the North American box office this weekend, besting the male strippers of "Magic Mike," industry estimates showed Sunday.

"Ted" -- a film directed by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane in which Wahlberg's childhood toy comes to life -- earned $54.1 million in its debut, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"Magic Mike," starring Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey as male strippers, raked in $39.2 million in ticket sales in its opening weekend.

"Brave," Pixar's 3D fairytale about a Scottish princess trying to rescue her mother from an evil witch, dropped from first to third place, taking in $34 million.

Tyler Perry's "Madea's Witness Protection" debuted in fourth place with $26.35 million in ticket sales. Animated hit sequel "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" dropped to fifth place at $11.8 million.

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," a slasher flick casting America's 16th president as a crusader against both slavery and vampires, earned $6 million for sixth place.

It was followed by Ridley Scott's sci-fi adventure "Prometheus" with $4.9 million in ticket sales.

Eighth place went to "Moonrise Kingdom," the latest from director Wes Anderson starring Bill Murray, Bruce Willis and Edward Norton. The indie coming-of-age film took in $4.87 million.

"Snow White and the Huntsman," a new twist on the classic fairy tale starring Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart, finished in ninth place with $4.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was family drama "People Like Us," which took in $4.3 million in its opening weekend.

Final figures were due out Monday. (AFP)

0 Disney's "Brave" rides to box office win

LOS ANGELES: Disney's new animated movie, "Brave," about a rebellious, red-headed princess battled to the top of movie box office charts over the weekend, scoring $80 million in ticket sales around the world.

The fairy tale from Disney's Pixar studio pulled in $66.7 million at domestic theaters, plus $13.5 million from nternational markets. "Brave" easily topped new historical/horror mashup "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," which finished the weekend in third place.

The 3D "Brave" is set in the ancient Scottish highlands and centers around horseback-riding teen princess Merida, who defies her mother and her kingdom's traditions. Merida, voiced by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald, must then use her courage and archery skills to undo a curse.

The movie brings the 13th consecutive No. 1 opening to Pixar, which has become Hollywood's most reliable studio during its 17-year history of making films. Starting with "Toy Story" in 1995, its 12 films before "Brave" have generated more than $7.2 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to Hollywood.com.

Its 2010 film "Toy Story 3" was the biggest selling film that year, with $415 million in U.S. ticket sales and nearly $1.1 billion worldwide.

"Brave" is a departure for Pixar, and is its first film to feature a strong female as the lead character, following a long Disney tradition with female heroines that in recent years have included "Mulan" and "Pocahontas." "Brave" cost about $185 million to make.

Ahead of the weekend, industry tracking suggested "Brave" would secure between $55 million and $60 million in domestic ticket sales, putting the film line with most of Pixar's recent debuts, but the film topped expectations.

"Brave" knocked another animated family film, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," to No. 2 after its two weeks in the top spot. The movie about a pack of escaped zoo animals took in $20 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters over the weekend, and the worldwide total since its debut rose to $157.6 million.

HONEST ABE BATTLES VAMPIRES

In third place on domestic charts, thriller "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" rung up a solid $16.5 million. The movie imagines the 16th U.S. president fighting creatures of the night that are plotting to take over the country. Benjamin Walker stars as the axe-wielding Lincoln in the $70-million 3D production.

The movie rung up another $8.1 million in international markets.

Distributor 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp, had projected domestic sales would hit around $15 million for the weekend.

In fourth place, "Alien" director Ridley Scott's movie, "Prometheus," about explorers searching for the origins of mankind added $10 million in domestic sales to bring its global sales after three weeks to $108.5 million.

Another new release, "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" pulled in $3.8 million, for a disappointing 10th place. The dark comedy starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley tells the story of a man who goes on a road trip as an asteroid speeds toward Earth.

The film, which cost less than $10 million to make, played in 1,618 theaters, fewer than the 3,000-plus for the weekend's other big movies.

The fifth spot went to Universal's "Snow White and the Huntsman," which took in $8 million domestically to bring its four-week global total to $137 million.

"Madagascar 3" was produced by Dreamworks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. News Corp movie studio 20th Century Fox released "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" and "Prometheus." Focus Features, a unit of Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures, released "Seeking a Friend." (Reuters)

0 'Think Like a Man' tops North American box office

LOS ANGELES: Romantic comedy “Think Like a Man” easily beat four new films to win the U.S. and Canadian box office race for a second time while superhero movie “The Avengers” stormed into overseas theaters with record-breaking sales.

“Think Like a Man” led domestic charts with an $18.0 million total from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters on Sunday. New movies including adult comedy “The Five-Year Engagement” didn’t come close, each grabbing about $11 million or less.

Big-budget, effects-filled “Avengers” hauled in a massive $178.4 million since Wednesday from theaters in 39 international markets, Walt Disney Co said. The 3D film from Disney’s Marvel studio set opening-weekend records in 12 territories including Mexico and Brazil and opening-day records in four countries.

“Avengers” reaches North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters on Friday to kick off the summer movie season. Box office forecasters predict super-sized sales that will rival this year’s record set by teen death match drama “The Hunger Games,” a blockbuster that debuted in March with $152.5 million domestically.

Anticipation for “Avengers” likely kept many filmgoers home from multiplexes this weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office division of Hollywood.com. Overall ticket sales slumped 30 percent from the same weekend last year.

“It just seemed like audiences are saving their time and money for next weekend” and the “Avengers” debut, he said.

“Think Like a Man” brought its 10-day sales to $60.9 million. The movie features an ensemble cast and is based on a best-selling relationship guide by comedian Steve Harvey.

Among the newcomers, animated family film “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” performed best with $11.4 million and second place. The film cost about $55 million to make. Total sales overseas, where the movie has been playing since late March, rang up at $75.1 million through Sunday.

Close behind in third place, love story “The Lucky One” took in $11.32 million domestically during its second weekend in theaters.

Action movie “The Hunger Games” slipped to fourth with $11.25 million. Worldwide sales to date reached $601 million, distributor Lions Gate Entertainment Corp said.

“Five-Year Engagement” opened at a disappointing No. 5 with $11.2 million, slightly below projections by Universal Pictures for the low-teens. The movie stars Jason Segel and Emily Blunt as a couple whose walk down the aisle runs into repeated interruptions. Audiences had a lukewarm reception, grading the movie a “B-minus” in polling by survey firm CinemaScore.

Universal and privately held Relativity Media produced “Five-Year Engagement” for about $30 million. “A reasonably priced film that slightly underperforms is not the worst thing in world,” said Nikki Rocco, Universal’s president of distribution.

New thriller “Safe” secured $7.7 million and the No. 6 slot. The movie stars Jason Statham as a former elite agent who takes on a mission to rescue a kidnapped girl. Another new thriller, “The Raven” starring John Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe, landed in seventh place with $7.3 million.

Sony Corp’s film studio distributed “Think Like a Man” and “Pirates! Band of Misfits.” Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros. studio released “The Lucky One.” “The Five-Year Engagement” was distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp.

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp released “Hunger Games” and “Safe.” Privately held Relativity Media released “The Raven” in the United States, and Alliance Films distributed the movie in Canada.(Reuters)

0 'Chronicle' wins tight box office race

LOS ANGELES: Teen boys with superpowers helped lift the movie box office to unexpected heights over Super Bowl weekend as thriller "Chronicle" edged "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe's haunted house movie "The Woman in Black."

"Chronicle" brought in an estimated $22.0 million from U.S. and Canadian theaters, studio estimates released on Sunday showed. The movie with largely unknown actors finished just ahead of Radcliffe's "Woman in Black," which took in an estimated $21.0 million.

Both performances surpassed projections from studio executives, who had expected weaker sales against competition from Sunday's Super Bowl football championship. The tallies include actual ticket receipts for Friday and Saturday plus estimates for Sunday at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters.

The appearance of young moviegoers, who had shunned some recent films targeted to them, boosted the top two films.

"The teen audience seems to be coming back to movies again. There was serious worry they were fading," said John Davis, who produced "Chronicle."

The movie tells the story of three teenage boys who develop superpowers and find they have a dark side. People under age 25 made up 61 percent of the movie's audience, distributor 20th Century Fox said. Fifty-five percent was males.

The studio produced "Chronicle" for about $12 million and had forecast debut weekend sales below $10 million.

Young moviegoers also propelled "Woman in Black" well past studio expectations of around $10 million. Fifty-seven percent of filmgoers were under age 25, and 59 percent were females.

The movie was Radcliffe's first since the blockbuster "Harry Potter" franchise ended last summer. The film attracted Radcliffe's young female fans plus "an audience that likes to be scared but not grossed out," said Steven Friedlander, executive vice president of theatrical distribution for CBS Films, the unit of CBS Corp that released the movie.

"Woman in Black" scored as the biggest debut weekend ever for CBS Films, which has struggled with its five earlier movies. The studio's biggest previous opening was a $12.2 million debut for "The Back-up Plan."

With "Woman in Black," the studio acquired domestic distribution rights for $3 million and spent about $15 million on marketing.

Elsewhere this weekend, Liam Neeson thriller "The Grey," dropped to third place with $9.5 million. The movie ranked No. 1 last weekend and has brought in $34.8 million domestically after two weekends in theaters.

SUPER BOWL ALTERNATIVES

Total ticket sales outpaced the same weekend last year by nearly 37 percent despite competition from the Super Bowl, according to the box office division of Hollywood.com. Sales for all films reached $119 million.

"Big Miracle," a drama based on the true story of a whale rescue, aimed to offer a non-football alternative to young women and girls. The movie finished the weekend in fourth place with $8.5 million domestically, in line with studio forecasts.

The movie starring Drew Barrymore and "The Office" actor John Krasinski cost less than $40 million to produce.

In fifth place, vampire and werewolf sequel "Underworld: Awakening" starring Kate Beckinsale took in $5.6 million at domestic theaters. To date, the movie's worldwide sales stand at $108.3 million.

News Corp unit 20th Century Fox distributed "Chronicle." "Big Miracle" was released by Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp. Open Road Films, a joint venture between theater owners Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc, distributed "The Grey." The film studio of Sony Corp released "Underworld: Awakening." (Reuters)

0 Cruise rings in New Year at top of box office

LOS ANGELES: Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" topped the North American box office for a second straight weekend, ringing in the New Year with $30 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The action film, the fourth in the series, thus far has taken in $133 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.

In second place was "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," a sequel to the 2009 film about the detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It took in $22.1 million in the third week since its release.

In third place with $18.3 million was "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," the third animated film about the adorable singing critters.

Fourth place went to Steven Spielberg's "War Horse," about the bond between a boy and his horse during World War I, which was expected to reap in $16.9 million.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" -- the Hollywood adaptation of the wildly popular Stieg Larsson novel, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara -- took in $16.3 million for fifth place.

Family film "We Bought A Zoo" starring Matt Damon finished in sixth place, taking in $14.3 million.

Another Spielberg film, "The Adventures of Tintin," about an intrepid Belgian boy reporter, was seventh with $12 million.

Star-studded holiday romance "New Year's Eve" earned $6.7 million for eighth place, while thriller "The Darkest Hour" took ninth place with $4.3 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was "The Descendants" starring George Clooney, which grossed $3.7 million. (AFP)