Seth MacFarlane's debut comedy feature Ted has grossed more than $8.7 million in its opening weekend to take the top spot at the local box office.
The film, which follows 30-something year old John (Mark Wahlberg) and his friendship with his childhood teddy bear (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), posted an impressive screen average of $23,965 across 365 screens.
Including previews, Ted has already grossed $13.13 million in Australia while in the US it has grossed an estimated $US120 milion according to Box Office Mojo.
Australian visual effects company Iloura created the original design of Ted, splitting the visual effects work with Tippett Studio. Iloura had 75 artists in Melbourne who created more 500 shots for the film in total. MacFarlane is the creator of popular animated TV series Family Guy and American Dad.
The film outpaced Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man which grossed $5.45 million across 581 screens (for a screen average of $9387) in its opening weekend. It was followed by Ice Age 4: Continental Drift ($4.94 million), Brave ($2.06 million) and Snow White and the Huntsman ($1.91 million).
Local festival favourite I Am Eleven was also released at Cinema Nova and posted a strong result compared to other recent documentaries. The film, which features eleven year-olds from 15 countries speaking candidly about their lives, grossed $14,046 over the weekend (including preview screenings it has grossed $22,839).
Last year's highest-grossing documentary, Mrs Carey's Concert, grossed $9276 in its first weekend, at the same venue, according to Cinema Nova.
Meanwhile, among Australian releases, Not Suitable For Children posted $19,230 in previews across 38 screens. The comedy, starring Ryan Kwanten, is offiically released on July 12.
Australian Films at the Box Office 2012