No Academy Award for entrepreneur Tyler Perry, but MADEA GOES TO JAIL should easily win the Oscar weekend box office battle!
by Steve MasonFilmmaker Tyler Perry, with Oprah Winfrey as a role model, has consistently outsmarted Hollywood moguls since his debut feature Diary of a Mad Black Women. That Gospel-infused “fat-suit-in-drag” comedy was made for a mere $5.5M and scored an opening weekend of $21.9M, ultimately generating $50.6M in domestic sales.
The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well with Tyler Perry
At only 39, Perry is building an empire. He officially christened Tyler Perry Studios last October in Atlanta with a star-studded event. The multi-million dollar project is a sprawling 30-acre working production facility in southwestern Atlanta, and the opening night party featured appearances by legendary African American actors like Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee, Lou Gossett, Jr. and Will Smith.
Oscar winner Sidney Poitier attended the opening night gala of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta
The 81-year-old Poitier, who won a hard-fought battle for his place in Hollywood with brilliant performances in films like Blackboard Jungle, The Defiant Ones, Lilies of the Field and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, saw the importance of Perry’s achievement. “I’ve spent 56 years in this business, and tonight is the reward,” said the Oscar winner. “To see the people who have followed me and to see the success of the extent of this man is a real gift.”
Perry as Madea
Not only does he produce, write, direct and star in his own movies, he also helps to finance them. His second movie, Madea’s Family Reunion, was his biggest with a terrific $30M 3-day and over $63M domestic during its theatrical engagements. Like Diary of a Mad Black Woman, it featured Perry’s outrageous Madea character. But even his non-“fat-suit-in-drag” pictures have performed well.
ALL-TIME TYLER PERRY OPENINGS
1. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion – $30M opening – $63.25M cume
2. Diary of a Mad Black Woman – $21.9M opening – $50.6M cume
3. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married – $21.3M opening – $55.2M cume
4. Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns – $20.1M opening – $42M cume
5. Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys – $17.3M opening – $37.1M cume
6. Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls – $11.2M opening – $31.3M cume
Who is Perry’s audience? “It’s about 50% Christian churchgoing. It depends on what part of the country I’m in,” the filmmaker tells the Hollywood Reporter. “If I’m in the Bible Belt it’s 90% churchgoing. If I’m up north in Newark it may be 30%, so it depends on where you are.” He fine-tuned his characters doing live stage shows around the country. “I used to adjust the shows to where I am. If I was in the Bible Belt I made it more Christian, God-themed. If I was up north I could get away with saying ‘ass’ a little more. I would say 75%-80% women, 10%-20% men and about 5% children. What I’ve learned is you treat the women right and they bring everybody else.”
Now in addition to his two TBS television series’ Meet the Browns and House of Payne, he unleashes his seventh movie for Lionsgate this weekend, marking the return of his most popular character in Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail. Industry tracking is remarkably unreliable when it comes to Perry’s movies and Hollywood execs like to look down their noses at him, but my prediction is for a very solid $23M opening, which would mark the second-best 3-day start of his career, and more than enough to win the weekend.
Holdover horror pic Friday the Thirteenth (Warner Bros) will take a mighty tumble, down at least 60%, but it should still manage about $16.25M or so for its second weekend for Platinum Dunes. That will put Jason in second-place for Oscar weekend and give the slasher reboot a new cume of about $63M by Monday.
It will be a battle for third-place between rom-com He’s Just Not That Into You (Warner Bros) and Taken (Fox). Both movies will be in the $10.5M range with the Drew Barrymore-produced Not That Into You likely just shy of $72M domestic, meanwhile the action import from France starring Liam Neeson will probably top $93M, and the Luc Besson written and produced action flick should surpass $100M by the end of next week.
Henry Selick’s Coraline (Focus), a truly spectacular 3-D experience from the genius behind Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, will likely reach a very solid $9.6M for 3-days, blowing past $50M in domestic sales.
Sony has a low budget non-starter on its hands as Fired Up, a misguided comedy about two high school football jocks who join an all-girls’ cheer team, looks like a disaster in pre-opening tracking, and it will almost certainly be limited to about $5M or so.
FINAL PREDICTIONS FOR FEBRUARY 20-22
1. NEW – Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes To Jail (Lionsgate) – $23M
2. Friday the Thirteenth (Warner Bros) – $16.25M
3. He’s Not That Into You (Warner Bros) – $10.53M
4. Taken (Fox) – $10.44M
5. Coraline (Focus) – $9.6M
6. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Disney) – $8.2M
7. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (Sony) – $6.1M
8. The International (Sony) – $5.8M
9. Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) – $5M
10. NEW – Fired Up (Sony) – $4.9M
11. Pink Panther 2 (Sony) – $4M
12. Push (Summit) – $3.56M
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter.
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25 Comments
oh yes, f13 rocks!
I'm not so optimistic about Perry's future as an independent.
Recent actions where he fired writers for asking the WGA to get some answers about royalties that he was trying to avoid paying to them doesn't bode well. He might think he was being a "tough businessman" but all it got him was trouble, now employees will be expecting to get ripped off, this will eventually cause his costs to rise, his profit margins to shrink, the guilds will be watching him like a hawk, and he won't be able to form the relationships he'll need to expand his empire beyond his own personal brand. And he needs to get beyond his own brand, because sooner or later, you'll just stop selling tickets on your name.
Still, it is an interesting development as far as entertainment goes – making movies to appeal to a particular American audience, and taking every care not to trample heavily all over that audience's values, or offend them for the ostensible reason of trying to 'teach' them something…. Gee, who woulda thunk it?
Tyler Perry is an incompetent hack who makes Minstrel Show movies.
Actually, if you look at those box office stats for Perry, his films open really well the first weekend, and then completely drop off the rest of the way out. Take Madea's Family Reunion. First three days $33 million, rest of the theatrical run $30 million. According to Steve Mason's estimates, Friday the 13th will equal that gross in just two weeks. So, let's not be too eager to crown this guy the next great American entertainer.
[...] in theaters this weekend and industry experts expect it to open at #1 with $23 million in sales. Big Hollywood has more on Perry. Filmmaker Tyler Perry, with Oprah Winfrey as a role model, has consistently outsmarted Hollywood [...]
Tyler Perry isn't a triumph against Hollywood's ignoring of the Black Middle Class – he's the sad, pathetic end result of it. By willfully ignoring this audience (on a level that should SHAME white "Christian conservatives" who think they're sooooo ill-respected by the industry) they allow this monstrously untalented pandering hack to become filthy rich by being their only game in town.
I'm surprised that this site even mentioned Perry. After all, he was an Obama supporter
He's got a schtick, and it works. These aren't big budget productions, so he's making a good return on his investment. I don't think he's angling for a handful of Oscars.
He's got a schtick, and it works. These aren't big budget productions, so he's making a good return on his investment. I don't think he's angling for a handful of Oscars, so let those who like him, like him. The rest of people, just don't watch his movies.
I agree. If people like a movie, they should watch it. If they don't like a movie, they shouldn't watch. Maybe BH will remember that the next time they are calling for people to boycott particular movies or actors
Some people's ideas are dangerous. If an actor or director is actively campaigning against America, they deserve to be boycotted. Sean Penn comes to mind. But c'mon? Tyler Perry? He makes this generation of Ernest movies. It's not exaclty fomenting rebellion, or promoting cultural upheaval. Not every movie has to have deep, anti-American, pro-gay themes. Some people still go to the movies to be entertained for two hours, to forget all that crap that's on the news.
Hmm.. I am not so sure about that. So let's say that he has problems with writers and they want more money, do you really think that in the world of Hwood, where people will sell their souls to get work, especially on something relatively "high profile" that it will really affect him all that much? I doubt it. Even if it did and he had to pay more, what is a few hundred thousand when you are making pics for 5 mil and making 55? What he has going for him is the "black audience" market, he is marketing exclusively to them and to the all inclusive family genre. I think that he will just get bigger, especially since he is a minority, not to take anything away from him, but hollywood is the ultimate PC zone, they will fund him as long as he needs them to, especially since he obviously has talent.
Back in the day, freedom of speech was considered a "dangerous idea"
I can see how Madea might be considered a dangerous idea. But that doesn't mean Tyler Perry should be tried for treason. Sean Penn, on the other hand, should be.
It's a shame the government didn't enlist the help of the print industry for this war.
http://tinyurl.com/atnpun
I can see how Madea might be considered a dangerous idea. But that doesn't mean Tyler Perry should be tried for treason. Sean Penn, on the other hand, should be.
The government has always place restrictions on free speech. Speech that promotes panic or violence, and speech that helps our enemies in a time of war has, in the past, been punished. Would that they'd enforce those laws today.
It's a shame the government didn't enlist the help of the print industry for this war:
http://tinyurl.com/atnpun
I had written a whole blog post about how that stunt with the writers will cost him in the end.
http://dknowsall.blogspot.com/2008/10/hollywood-b...
Treason? That's a pretty strong word to throw around.
Technically, we're not actually at war with either Venezuela or Iran. We're not buddies with them to be sure, but we're not legally in a state of war with them, so this talk of "treason" is not appropriate or Constitutional. You don't get to put people on trial just because you don't like either them personally or their politics.
That was a very good analysis of the situation.
That's a good point. Were we to go to war with Iran, or were Penn to kowtow to the Pakistanis who allow Al-Quaeda to use their land as a base of operations, then treason could be thrown around.
If I remember correctly, several years ago, there was an American who joined Al-quaeda. Whatever happened to him?
Last I checked, Perry isn't the only Black filmmaker out there. So, why aren't Spike Lee, John Singleton, or Tim Story (Barbershop) cranking out family-friendly Black films with Christian themes?
Hence, Perry is the only game in town due to disinterest in family fare among Black filmmakers as well as White execs running Hollywood.
Madea would be considered dangerous if you are a thug, adulterer, smartmouth kid, hypocrite, or wifebeater.
I think this is why Madea has earned a begrudging respect. The character simply refuses to kiss up to the immoral, criminal, or foolish.
Don't you wish more people in real life would stand by their principles instead of cave to political correctness?
Have you forgotten he went to see and covort with Saddam? Said he wasn't a bad guy?
Pay attention!!!
Ooppsss.. ok guys. We forgot about the fact we're all bigoted, intoerant, gun toting, clinging to our Bibles exclusive conservatives. We can't be giving space to supporters of beloved leader.
Oh yeah, I forgot….. we are tolerant, unlike the other guys! Let's try posting a conservative based article on one of their blogs. After all, they are the genuine tolerant ones, right??
watch "my thoughts on MADEA GOES TO JAIL" over on youtube.
TYLER PERRY = SATAN
he's the most unfunny man alive. and woman, too.
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