LITTLE ROCK — Ted, an R-rated comedy featuring a foul-mouthed teddy bear, unseated Pixar’s Brave as the top film in the United States and Canada last weekend with $54.4 million in sales for Universal Pictures.

Magic Mike, about the world of male strippers, was second in its debut with $39.1 million in sales for Warner Bros., according to Hollywood.com Box-Office.

Ted, which was made for about $50 million and stars Mark Wahlberg, beat out three other new releases, including Madea’s Witness Protection. Universal, controlled by Comcast Corp., stands in third place this year with $767.5 million in domestic revenue as of June 24, behind Walt Disney Co. and Columbia, according to Box Office Mojo.

In Ted, Wahlberg plays a man whose teddy bear comes to life as a result of a childhood wish. He must choose whether to stay with his girlfriend or keep his friendship with the bawdy teddy bear. Mila Kunis co-stars in the picture, which was directed by Seth MacFarlane.

Warner Bros.’ male-stripper movie Magic Mike, also rated R, features Channing Tatum in the title role. An experienced stripper, Mike teaches a young performer named The Kid how to party, pick up women and make easy money. Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer and Olivia Munn co-star. The picture was made for about $7 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Brave, from Disney’s Pixar studio, finished in third place with $34 million, falling 49 percent from the weekend before, when it opened at No. 1. The film tells the story of the rebellious princess Merida, who prefers riding horses and archery to the more sedentary palace duties of a princess. Her refusal to hew to a traditional role at the royal court leads to unforeseen consequences that place her family in jeopardy. It has taken in $131.7 million in two weeks of release.

“Even with Brave’s drop, this is the kind of movie that can hang in for some time,” Sweeney said.

Finishing fourth in its opening weekend with $25.4 million in sales was Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.’s Madea’s Witness Protection, the latest film about the fictional Aunt Madea and her family.

In the latest installment, Eugene Levy plays a Wall Street banker who gets caught up in his company’s mob-backed Ponzi scheme and moves to Aunt Madea’s Southern home. The PG-13 film features Perry in multiple roles, including Madea, and also stars Denise Richards.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, from Dream-Works Animation SKG Inc., fell to fifth place from second, with sales of $11.8 million. The movie, featuring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett-Smith, follows Alex the lion and his urbanized animal friends as they leave Africa to return to their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo.

Weekend revenue for the top 12 films rose 3 percent, to $197.1 million from a year earlier, Hollywood.com reported. Domestic film sales this year have risen 7 percent, to $5.43 billion, with attendance up 10 percent.

“It’s continuing to be a decent summer for Hollywood, and an even better year,” Sweeney said. “It shows that good product still brings consumers out to the big screen.”

MovieStyle, Pages 34 on 07/06/2012