R-Rated Coup for 'Ted,' 'Magic Mike'

By MICHELLE KUNG

A pair of R-rated films ruled the North American box office, showing that movies made for adults can sometimes outperform ones aimed at teenagers or families.

"Ted," from Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures, earned $54.1 million, while "Magic Mike," from Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. Pictures, took in $39.2 million, according to early studio estimates. It is the first time two R-rated movies have both opened with more than $21 million in the same weekend, according to Dan Fellman, Warner Bros.' president of domestic distribution.

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'Ted,' which stars Mark Wahlberg, topped the box office this weekend.

"It's one for the books," he said.

R-rated films tend not to perform as well as films that are open to a wider number of patrons. For instance, this year's top-grossing film, Walt Disney Co.'s "The Avengers," is rated PG-13, as are the coming superhero films "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Dark Knight Rises."

"Ted," about a grown man and his foul-mouthed talking teddy bear, is the first live-action feature from writer-director Seth MacFarlane, creator of the animated television show "Family Guy."

The opening of the roughly $50 million film, which was financed by Media Rights Capital and sold to Universal, had a stronger debut than "The Hangover," which opened at $45 million in 2009. It is the eighth-highest opening for an R-rated film and third-highest opening for an R-rated comedy, according to Hollywood.com.

Relativity Media LLC is also a partner in the film.

According to exit-poll data provided by the studio, "Ted" appealed primarily to males, who made up 56% of the audience, and ticket buyers over the age of 30, who made up 52% of the audience.

In second place, the male-stripping film "Magic Mike" grossed $39.2 million from 2,930 locations. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Channing Tatum as a male exotic dancer mentoring a new recruit.

The $7 million film, which was acquired by Warner Bros., appealed primarily to females, who made up 73% of the audience, and those under the age of 35, who made up 57% of the audience.

The weekend's other new releases were more mixed. "Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection," from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, grossed $26.4 million from 2,161 theaters—a sum in line with other titles in Mr. Perry's "Madea" franchise. However, the family drama "People Like Us," from DreamWorks Pictures and distributed by Disney, debuted in 10th place with $4.3 million from 2,055 theaters.

Last week's top-grossing film "Brave," from Disney's Pixar Animation Studios, dropped to third place, earning $34 million. The film's domestic cumulative gross now stands at $131.7 million.

Write to Michelle Kung at michelle.kung@wsj.com