Summary Universal's "Ted 2" debuted to an underwhelming $32.9 million across 3,442 theaters.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The party wasn t as wild the second time around.
Universal s "Ted 2" debuted to an underwhelming $32.9 million across 3,442 theaters, roughly $15 million less than most analysts had expected the pot-smoking teddy bear comedy would bring in during its opening weekend.
The mellow-harshing start was largely 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.
"It s forging new ground," said Nicholas Carpou, head of domestic distribution at Universal. "Every time we turn around there s a new milestone we re checking off."
With "Jurassic World" continuing to be an indomitable box office force, "Inside Out" took runner-up position for the second consecutive weekend. The critically heralded family film has earned a sizable $184.9 million since opening last weekend.
"Ted 2" got off to a more sluggish start than its predecessor, "Ted," which got things going with a massive $54 million start on its way to a $549.4 million global haul. Perhaps 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.
"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 Universal s "Furious 7" and "Pitch Perfect 2" buck that trend.
Whatever the case, it s a disappointment considering that many box office sages had predicted "Ted 2" would be the summer s biggest comedy. Media Rights Capital helped fund 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.
The weekend s other new release, "Max," an uplifting drama about a military dog combined pooches and patriotism to the tune of $12.2 million across 2,855 locations. Shot for $20 million, the Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer co-production, was expected to open to roughly $10 million. Females accounted for 55% of tickets sold, while the audience was 57% over the age of 25.
The film did well in the South and the Mid-West, areas with a high percentage of military families, said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution executive vice president.
"The patriotic core audience in those places played a big part in its success," said Goldstein, adding, "This is the kind of movie that in the summertime can hang around and get a good multiple on its opening."
"Spy," the Melissa McCarthy espionage comedy, took fifth place with $7.8 million, bringing its total to $88.3 million.
In addition to "Max," Warner Bros. also fielded "Batkid Begins," a documentary about how thousands of volunteers banded together to make a 5-year-old leukemia survivor s wish to become a superhero for a day, a reality. The picture debuted in four locations, picking up $23,000.
