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Felix Quinonez: I think a big part of the first film's success had to do with the novelty of the idea and no matter what, that was something that the sequel could never recapture. And when you add in the fact that the movie looked really lame and the reviews support that conclusion, it doesn't seem too surprising that it saw a big drop. Although I am surprised of just how big that drop was. Maybe A Million Ways to Die in the West turned more people off to MacFarlane's brand of humor than I thought.

Michael Lynderey: Well, I have to say that I called this one in my monthly forecast (or, to put a different spin on it, I finally got one right!). Ted was, to put it mildly, a mega-hit. It really captured lightning in a bottle, though, and MacFarlane's brand has slowly been weathered down from its high in 2012. There was always the chance that Ted 2 was going to pull a Hangover 2 and basically double the income from this idea, but I just had a feeling that the first film wasn't well liked enough to guarantee that. I did think the marketing had gotten better lately, and tying the film to current political debates was pretty clever. I'll assume the lack of Mila Kunis really was the deciding factor here.

Kim Hollis: I think we have yet another great example of how internet trends have impacted box office behavior. Ted is a well-liked movie that generated a lot of goodwill, even if it was perhaps not eminently re-watchable. Theoretically, the audience that supported it in later weekends and on home video should have grown enough that we would have seen an expanded opening weekend. Instead, after Seth MacFarlane’s stumbles over the past few years, including hosting the Oscars and the stink of failure around A Million Ways to Die in the West, left an impression. Ted 2 was going to need good reviews and social media/audience response in order to even match the first film. Instead, people are likely thinking to themselves that they can wait to watch it when it’s available to rent or buy on streaming services. It’s simply not critical big-screen viewing.

David Mumpower: I understand that sequels are generally derivative, but Ted 2 in particular lowers the bar. Even the poster tells a less funny story than the original did. The first one had this hysterical shot of a teddy bear sitting at his computer, *ahem* enjoying himself. It was funny, because it showed how the teddy bear was just like the average person. The poster for the sequel has him turned away, looking like someone about to be arrested in an alley for indecent exposure.

Ted becomes the latest example of a one-off concept that never needed a sequel yet got one anyway, causing audiences to shrug collectively. Famous examples include Miss Congeniality, Legally Blonde, and Horrible Bosses. Each of the original titles featured a killer premise with best case scenario execution. The sequels…well, let’s just call them all unfortunate members of the Highlander 2 Club. Ted 2 failed in the greenlight stage, so its failure in theaters was merely a formality.

My final thought here is that Ted was sold on the Seth MacFarlane brand. A Million Ways to Die in the West damaged that brand, possibly beyond repair. It’s to his credit that Ted 2 even managed what it did. That's a lot of people willing to overlook a recent cinematic atrocity.

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