Tyler Perry's "Madea" Is #1 This Weekend

[JamesG]

Weekend Report: Tyler Perry Can Do Good at the Box Office
by Brandon Gray
September 13, 2009

Tyler Perry's Madea swung her weight at the box office again, handily topping a modest weekend at the box office with her latest appearance in Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

The weekend also saw a passable start for the animated 9 and the failures of two thrillers, Sorority Row and Whiteout. Overall business was off seven percent from the same weekend last year, when Burn After Reading and Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys opened.




I Can Do Bad All By Myself yanked an estimated $24 million out of approximately 3,200 screens at 2,255 sites. It was the third highest-grossing debut for a Tyler Perry movie, though slightly above average in terms of attendance, and a new high for one of his Fall releases, topping The Family That Preys ($17.4 million) and Why Did I Get Married? ($21.4 million). Though not named in the title like Perry's biggest hits, Madea was front and center in I Can Do Bad's marketing, suggesting the character's continued popularity with Perry's audience.

At this point, a new Perry movie delivering a sizable opening is the norm, so the more interesting happenings lied below I Can Do Bad All By Myself on the weekend chart.




Sold on its striking visuals and post-apocalyptic storyline, 9 posted an estimated $10.9 million on around 1,700 screens at 1,661 sites for a $15.3 million total in five days. By computer animation standards alone, the debut was below par, but for a science-fiction or action-oriented cartoon it was decent, surpassing such titles as The Iron Giant and Battle for Terra. This type of picture typically disappoints, from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within to Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and, while initial turn-out was smaller those two pictures, 9 coasted by on considerably less hype.




The latest horror remake, Sorority Row, was perhaps the most startling failure of the weekend, due to how consistent horror pictures may have appeared lately.

Heavily promoted, the picture grabbed a mere estimated $5.3 million at 2,665 sites, which was a fraction of recent remakes like Prom Night (2008) and When a Stranger Calls, not to mention the like-minded I Know What You Did Last Summer movies.

The original, The House on Sorority Row from 1983, made $10.6 million in its entire run, or the equivalent of around $25 million adjusted for ticket price inflation, which the new version will fall far short of. More in line with Black Christmas (2006), Sorority Row came off as a generic slasher in its marketing, but the greater issue was the lack of a sympathetic central character for potential moviegoers to relate to.




Weakest of the new releases, Whiteout nabbed a chilly estimated $5.1 million at 2,745 sites. The advertising for the picture focused on two things: the movie's Antarctic setting and the presence of Kate Beckinsale. The setting might have been compelling if the storyline was, but all that was presented was a blur of thriller action that could have been a murder mystery or a creature feature. The poster artwork was particularly nondescript and unattractive, showing a frosted closeup of Beckinsale's face. The ads also made the mistake of assuming that Beckinsale was a draw herself, presumably because she has appeared in some popular movies.




Marching past the $100 million mark in 23 days, Inglourious Basterds grossed an estimated $6.5 million, down 44 percent.

All About Steve had a standard drop of 48 percent, making an estimated $5.8 million for a $21.8 million tally in ten days.

With the sharpest third weekend decline of its franchise, The Final Destination fell to fifth place, drawing an estimated $5.5 million for a $58.3 million total in 17 days. However, it did eclipse Final Destination 3 to become the franchise's highest grosser.



Meanwhile, it was practically game over for Gamer, which had the steepest slide among nationwide releases.

Mustering an estimated $3.2 million for a $16.1 million ten-day tally, its 66 percent plummet was worse than most similar movies at the same point.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2614&p=.htm




USA Weekend Box-Office Summary
week of 11 September 2009

1. Tyler Perry's: I Can Do Bad All By Myself $24,030,000
2. 9 $10,856,000 / $15,264,000
3. Inglourious Basterds $6,546,000 / $104,309,000
4. All About Steve $5,800,000 / $21,812,000
5. The Final Destination $5,500,000 / $58,258,000
6. Sorority Row $5,268,000
7. Whiteout $5,100,000
8. District 9 $3,600,000 / $108,517,000
9. Julie & Julia $3,300,000 / $85,360,000
10. Gamer $3,150,000 / $16,120,000

[Brian Damage]

[JamesG]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

not a "Madea" fan?

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by JamesG

not a "Madea" fan?

No not at all. I just don't laugh at his stuff. I don't get it.

[comedyfreak]

Never heard of the newest Tyler Perry movie, 9, Sorority Row, or Whiteout.

[PlayOn]

I've heard of "White Out" (I want to see it) but that's about it.
Anyway, congrats to Tyler. Here's to many more number 1s.

[Cactus Jack]

9 was great, and I Can Do Bad All By Myself should be the name of anything Tyler Perry touches