| Ted | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Seth MacFarlane |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by | Seth MacFarlane |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Michael Barrett |
| Edited by | Jeff Freeman |
| Music by | Walter Murphy |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50–65 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $549.4 million[1] |
Ted (stylized inall lowercase) is a 2012 Americanfantasybuddycomedy film directed and co-produced bySeth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane,Alec Sulkin, andWellesley Wild based on a story written by MacFarlane. The first installment in theTed franchise, the film starsMark Wahlberg andMila Kunis, withJoel McHale andGiovanni Ribisi in supporting roles, and MacFarlane providing the voice andmotion capture of the title character. The story follows John Bennett, a Boston native whose childhood wish brings histeddy bear friend Ted to life. However, in adulthood, Ted and John's friendship begins to interfere with the progression of John's worklife and his relationship with his girlfriend, Lori Collins.
MacFarlane's feature-lengthdirectorial debut,[3] the film was produced byMedia Rights Capital,Fuzzy Door Productions, Bluegrass Films and Smart Entertainment, and distributed byUniversal Pictures. It was released in theaters in the United States on June 29, 2012, and was a box office hit, grossing $549.4 million against a $50–65 million budget.Ted was the highest-grossing comedy film of the year and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song. It received generally positive reviews and successfully launched afranchise, with asequel released in 2015 and aprequel television series in 2024.
In 1985, 8-year-old John Bennett is a friendless only child living inNorwood, Massachusetts. On Christmas Day, he wishes for his new gift, a jumboteddy bear named Ted, to come to life and become his friend. The wish coincides with a shooting star and comes true; word spreads, and Ted briefly becomes a celebrity.
In 2012, the now 35-year-old John and Ted are still living together in an apartment inBoston with John's girlfriend Lori Collins, and are staunch companions enjoying a hedonistic life. As the couple's fourth anniversary approaches, Lori hopes to marry John, but feels he cannot move forward in life with Ted around. He is hesitant about making Ted leave, but is persuaded to act when they find Ted at home with a group ofprostitutes, including one who defecated on the floor, while they were out for their anniversary dinner.
John finds Ted his own apartment and a job at a grocery store, where he begins dating his co-worker, Tami-Lynn. Lori learns that John has been skipping work, using her as an excuse, to spend most of his time with Ted. John and Lori are invited to a party put on by Lori's womanizing manager Rex, but Ted lures John away to a party at his apartment with the offer to meetSam J. Jones, the star of their favorite film,Flash Gordon.
Intending to stay only for a few minutes, John gets caught up in the occasion. Lori finds John there and kicks him out of their apartment, breaking up with him. Devastated and furious, he blames Ted for ruining his life and ends their friendship.
Ted then goes to John's hotel room to inform him that Lori and Rex are attending aNorah Jones concert on a date together. Their conversation becomes an argument and then a violent brawl, but they reconcile. To repair John's relationship with Lori, Ted arranges for Norah Jones, an old lover of his, to help by having John express his love for Lori with a song during Norah's concert.
John does anoff-key rendition of "All Time High", the theme song ofOctopussy, which he and Lori watched on their first date. He is booed off stage, though the attempt touches Lori. She returns to her apartment, where Ted confesses to his role in John's relapse and offers to leave them alone forever if she talks to John, to which Lori agrees.
After Lori leaves, however, Ted is kidnapped by Donny, an obsessive stalker who has idolized him since he was a child. Donny plans to make Ted into his son Robert's new toy. Ted obtains a phone to contact John, but is recaptured.
Realizing Ted is in danger, John and Lori locate Donny's residence and track him. They chase them toFenway Park, where Donny rips Ted in half. Two police cars arrive, forcing Donny to flee the scene. John and Lori gather Ted's stuffing, and Ted relays his wish for John to be happy with Lori before the magic in Ted fades away, making him a normal teddy bear again.
Unable to accept the death, John and Lori unsuccessfully attempt to repair Ted. Saddened about the incident, Lori makes a wish upon a shooting star. The following day, Ted is magically restored due to the wish and reunites with John and Lori. John finally proposes to her, and she accepts. Sometime later, John and Lori get married (with Sam Jones as the presiding minister).
In the film'sepilogue, the narrator says that Ted comfortably accepted having a life of his own, as he and Tami-Lynn continued their love affair; Sam Jones attempts to restart his film career and moves into a studio apartment withBrandon Routh; Rex gives up his pursuit of Lori, goes into a deep depression, and dies ofLou Gehrig's disease; Donny gets arrested by theBoston Police Department for kidnapping Ted, but the charges are dropped, due to the situation sounding ridiculous. Robert hires a personal trainer, loses a significant amount of weight, and goes on to becomeTaylor Lautner.
This film serves as the feature directorial debut ofSeth MacFarlane, his first time as director in any capacity. Compared to most of his other work, such asFamily Guy,American Dad!, andThe Cleveland Show, this film is alive-action effort, with computer animation handled by visual effects facilitiesTippett Studio and Iloura. MacFarlane wrote the screenplay with hisFamily Guy colleaguesAlec Sulkin andWellesley Wild based on a story idea written by MacFarlane himself.[5] MacFarlane originally wanted to makeTed into an animated television show, much like his previous works, and later revealed in an interview withTheWrap ahead of the release of the prequel series in 2024 that he had pitched the idea as a family-oriented series during his time working atHanna-Barbera, wherein Ted would be what MacFarlane described as a "leech on the family" as the boy went on to grow up, go to college and start said family. While MacFarlane himself admitted he "never did anything with" the original incarnation of the project, he came back to it when considering ideas for his first feature film, realizing it "seemed like an idea that had some legs... and since it was a movie instead of a TV show and an ongoing group of characters, it seemed like telling a love story from start to finish and using that framework was maybe a better way to go. So the dad became a single guy trying to get his relationship back together".[6][7]
Originally,20th Century Fox was offered to finance and distribute the film, given how it ownsFamily Guy,American Dad!, andThe Cleveland Show, all created by MacFarlane. However, MacFarlane wanted a budget of $65 million for the film, which Fox considered to be too high for a R-rated comedy film, let alone one from a first-time director, and was skeptical about the film's future success. They also wanted it to be rated PG-13 instead of R, which MacFarlane, Sulkin, and Wild ended up writing a version of. However, despite this, Fox backed out, and MacFarlane began to take the project elsewhere.[8] On April 12, 2010,Universal Pictures announced that it had acquired the full rights toTed after it agreed to the $65 million budget he requested and to direct the R-rated version of the script.[2][9]
On October 26, 2010,Mark Wahlberg joined the project as the lead actor opposite MacFarlane.[5] Two months later, on December 14,Mila Kunis, MacFarlane'sFamily Guy co-star, also joined the cast.[10] On February 23, 2011,Giovanni Ribisi signed on to the film to play the film's villain.[11] Filming began in May 2011 inBoston,Norwood and other locations in Massachusetts.[12]
The film was scheduled for release in the United States on July 13, 2012, but it was moved up to June 29, both to avoid competition withIce Age: Continental Drift and following the delay ofG.I. Joe: Retaliation.[13] Internationally, the film was released in Australia on July 5, 2012,[14] and on August 1, 2012, in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[15]
The film's soundtrack was released byUniversal Republic Records on June 26, 2012. It features the score byWalter Murphy and songs by various artists such asNorah Jones andQueen. Seth MacFarlane co-wrote the opening theme "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" with Murphy.[16] The song was later nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song at the85th Academy Awards.[17]
To promote the film,Universal Pictures teamed up withAxe in a marketing campaign that involved the title character and the brand's hair care product Axe Hair.[18] In one commercial, Ted takes a woman on a date to a fancy restaurant, where he brings her to orgasm under the table before handing another man a box of Axe Hair gel.[19]
To promote the film inJapan,United International Pictures teamed up withSpike Chunsoft in a marketing campaign that involved the title character andDanganronpabearmascotMonokuma.[20]
In February 2013, Wahlberg and MacFarlane (as Ted) made an appearance at the85th Academy Awards, which MacFarlane himself hosted.[21]
Ted grossed $218.8 million in North America and $330.6 million overseas for a total gross of $549.4 million, against a budget of $50 million.[1] It was Universal's highest-grossing film in 2012, ahead ofSnow White and the Huntsman andBattleship[22] (the only one to pass $400 million[23]), and the12th-highest-grossing film of 2012.
Ted debuted in first place in Taiwan and got the best comedy opening ever there.[24] It also debuted in Hong Kong, with $1.4 million, and grossed $571,000 in its first week in South Korea,[25] eventually grossing $8 million, $3.8 million and $1.8 million respectively.[26] It also grossed $2.1 million in bothIndonesia andSingapore, and $1.4 million inThailand.[26]
In January 2013, the film opened at number one in Japan, its final market, with $4.5 million, the best start ever for an R-rated comedy there. In comparison, it grossed more in its opening weekend thanThe Hangover Part II made in its entire run.[27] The following weekend, it retained the number one spot for the second consecutive frame, grossing $3.6 million at 137 dates, for a 10-day market cumulative total of $11.2 million.[28] By its third weekend, the film stayed at the number one spot for a third week, with earning down less than 10%, pushingTed's overseas total past the $300 million mark, and making it the top grossing R-rated comedy of all time in Japan.[29] It then had its fourth consecutive weekend at number one, drawing another $3 million at 354 locations in the country.[30] Its cumulative total stands at $44 million grossed.[31]
Ted debuted with $14.3 million in the United Kingdom, making it the third-best debut ever for aUniversal film behindBridget Jones: The Edge of Reason andKing Kong,[32] eventually grossing over $48.9 million in the country.Ted was released in cinemas across the United Kingdom on August 3.[26]
The film had a $7.4 million launch in Germany,[32] holding #1 spot for three-straight weeks,[33] eventually grossing over $31.4 million.[26]
In Spain, it opened with $2.3 million, which is the highest ever for an original R-rated comedy there,[34] eventually grossing over $14.3 million.[26]
The film also had the best Hollywood comedy debut ever in Russia, grossing $5.5 million,[32] eventually grossing $17 million.[26]
Ted spent its first four weeks atop the weekend box office in both the Netherlands,[35] andAustria,[36] eventually grossing $8.4 million, and $6.2 million in those countries respectively.[26] The movie also opened at number one in Belgium, with $587,000, eventually grossing $4.4 million.[26]
In Italy, the film had a second place start, grossing $3.3 million in its opening weekend there,[37] moving up to number one on its second week, with $4.2 million grossed.[38] It has since grossed $14.1 million there.[26]
In France, the film debuted at number two, grossing $3 million in 348 theatres during its opening weekend,[39] eventually grossing $11.5 million in the country.[26]
Ted earned $2.6 million in midnight showings in the United States and Canada.[40] For its opening day,Ted scored one of the best R-rated comedy debuts ever sinceThe Hangover with an estimated $20.2 million.[1][41] The film earned a total of $54.4 million in its opening weekend, well over second-place R-ratedMagic Mike's $39.2 million.[42] Its overall weekend gross set a record for the highest original R-rated comedy opening in history.[43] It was the first time two R-rated films grossed more than $21 million each during a weekend.[44] Overall,Ted had the eighth-highest opening weekend for any R-rated film, behindThe Matrix Reloaded,The Hangover Part II,The Passion of the Christ,300,Hannibal andWatchmen.[45]
In Mexico, the film debuted in first place with $2.1 million,[23] grossing $13.4 million.[26]
Ted also debuted at number one in Australia and New Zealand, grossing over $35.5 million and $3.5 million respectively.[26] Its $13.1 million opening in Australia, of which $4.5 million were from previews, was Universal's biggest opening ever in the country.[24] In Australia,Ted was rated MA 15+,[46] whereas in New Zealand, it was rated R13 for its theatrical release and R16 for the extended DVD/Blu-ray release.
In Brazil, the film opened with $1.4 million at 273 sites,[47] moving up to 1st place in the country on its third week of release.[48] It has since grossed $8.8 million there.[26]
The film also grossed $4.6 million in Argentina, 2 million in Chile, 1.9 million in Peru, and 1.7 million in Colombia.[26]
Most of the reviewsTed received were positive.[49][50][51] On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 69% of 223 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.40/10. The website's consensus reads: "Ted's 'romance versus bromance' plot is familiar, but the film's held aloft by the high-concept central premise and a very funny (albeit inconsistent) script."[52] OnMetacritic, the film has an average score of 62 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[53] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[54]
Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, citing the film as "the best comedy screenplay so far [this year]," also praising the film on the fact that it "doesn't run out of steam."[55]Nathan Rabin ofThe A.V. Club gave the film a "B" grade.[56] On the other hand,A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times calledTed "boring, lazy and wildly unoriginal."[57]
DirectorPaul Thomas Anderson has stated that he is a big fan of the film, calling it great and also putting it on his favorite films of the 21st century list.[58][59]
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen Choice Award (2012) | Choice Summer Movie: Comedy | Ted | Nominated | [60] |
| Choice Movie: Voice | Seth MacFarlane as Ted | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie: Chemistry | Seth MacFarlane andMark Wahlberg | Nominated | ||
| International Film Music Critics Association Award (2012) | Best Original Score for a Comedy Film | Walter Murphy | Won | [61] |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Award (2012) | Breakthrough Performance Behind the Camera | Seth MacFarlane | Nominated | [62] |
| Jupiter Award (2012) | Best International Film | Seth MacFarlane | Won | [63] |
| St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award (2012) | Best Comedy | Ted | Won | [64] |
| People's Choice Award (39th) | Favorite Comedy Movie | Ted | Won | [65] |
| Favorite Movie Actress | Mila Kunis | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Comedic Movie Actress | Mila Kunis | Nominated | ||
| Critics' Choice Movie Award (18th) | Best Comedy | Ted | Nominated | [66] |
| Best Actor in a Comedy | Mark Wahlberg | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress in a Comedy | Mila Kunis | Nominated | ||
| American Cinema Editor Award (2012) | Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical | Jeff Freeman | Nominated | [67] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association Award (2013) | Best Original Song | "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" — Seth MacFarlane and Walter Murphy | Nominated | [68] |
| Academy Award (85th) | Best Original Song | "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" — Seth MacFarlane and Walter Murphy | Nominated | [69] |
| Empire Award (18th) | Best Comedy | Ted | Won | [70] |
| MTV Movie Award (2013) | Movie of the Year | Ted | Nominated | [71] |
| Best Female Performance | Mila Kunis | Nominated | ||
| Best Shirtless Performance | Seth MacFarlane | Nominated | ||
| Best Kiss | Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg | Nominated | ||
| Best Fight | Seth MacFarlane and Mark Wahlberg | Nominated | ||
| Best On-Screen Duo | Seth MacFarlane and Mark Wahlberg | Won | ||
| Best WTF Moment | Seth MacFarlane | Nominated | ||
| Saturn Award (39th) | Best Fantasy Film | Ted | Nominated | [72] |
| ASCAP Award (2013) | Top Box Office Films | Seth MacFarlane and Walter Murphy | Won | [73] |
| Spike Guy's Choice Award (2012/2013) | Guy Movie of the Year | Ted | Won | [74] |
| Best Fight Scene | Mark Wahlberg | Won |
The film was released onDVD andBlu-ray in theUnited States on December 11, 2012, byUniversal Studios Home Entertainment.[75] Both formats featured an unrated version of the film (112 minutes) and were also released inAustralia on November 21, 2012, in an "Extended Edition".[76] It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in theUnited Kingdom on November 26, 2012.
On May 3, 2016,Ted vs. Flash Gordon: The Ultimate Collection was released on Blu-ray plus Digital HD, featuringFlash Gordon and the unrated versions ofTed andTed 2.[77]
Ted was released on4K Ultra HD Blu-ray as acollector's edition on December 10, 2024, byShout! Factory.[78]
During the 2012American Dad!Comic-Con panel, MacFarlane stated that he would be open to asequel toTed.[79] In September 2012, chief executiveSteve Burke said that the studio would be looking to make a sequel toTed "as soon as possible".[80]
OnAnderson Live, Wahlberg confirmed that a sequel was in the works and that it would be the first sequel in his career, while also revealing that he and Ted (as voiced by MacFarlane) would appear at the85th Academy Awards.[81]
In February 2014,Deadline reported thatAmanda Seyfried had been cast as the female lead, and that Kunis would not return.[82] On July 8, MacFarlane announced that work had officially begun on the sequel.[83]Ted 2 was released in the United States on June 26, 2015.[84] It was neither critically nor financially as successful, though it still turned a profit, grossing $215.9 million on a $68 million budget.
In June 2021, it was announced that a live-action prequel television series of the film had been ordered atPeacock. It is a co-production betweenUniversal Content Productions,Fuzzy Door Productions and MRC Television with MacFarlane and Erica Huggins as executive producers.[85] The series centers on John and Ted as teenagers in 1993.[86] In April 2022, it was announced thatGiorgia Whigham,Max Burkholder andScott Grimes were cast as series regulars, in addition to MacFarlane reprising the voice of Ted.[87] In May 2022,Alanna Ubach joined the cast as a series regular.[88] The series premiered on January 11, 2024.[89] A second season of the series was announced in May 2024, after the first season premiered as Peacock's most-watched original title. The second season wrapped filming on January 23, 2025.[90]
In May 2025, it was announced that an animated television series was in the works at Peacock, with MacFarlane, Wahlberg, Seyfried and Barth reprising their roles from the films. MacFarlane would also be as writer and executive producing, with Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh serving as writers, executive producers, and showrunners. Corrigan and Walsh are also showrunners on the prequel series. The series is also a co-production between MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door Productions and MRC Television.[91]
The first Ted film was released in 2012 and received largely positive reviews and was a huge commercial success grossing over £500m at the global box office.
