WILL A TEDDY BEAR TRIUMPH AT BOX OFFICE?

A bunch of male strippers led by Matthew McConaughey and Channing Tatum are expected to be no match for an animated obscenity-spouting teddy bear and his best friend, played by Mark Wahlberg, at the weekend box office. Analysts are predicting that Ted, directed by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, will debut with around $35-40 million, while Magic Mike comes in at around $20-25 million. (Warner Bros. has more modest hopes for it, predicting it will earn around $15 million.) But both films could be overtaken by the second week of Disney/Pixar’s Brave, which received outstanding grades from moviegoers following last week’s opening. Most analysts agree it will probably earn around $30-35 million this time around. Both films have received mostly positive reviews. Also opening this weekend will be Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection, his 13th film and his seventh featuring his Madea character. It was not shown to critics. A fourth film, DreamWorks’ People Like Us, has received nearly universal pans form critics. It’s expected to open with about $5 million. (It only cost $16 million to make.)