ROTTEN TOMATOES: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Tyler Perry, Box Office King

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Tyler Perry, Box Office King

Three other films duke it out for second place.

by Sujit Chawla | October 14, 2007

Tyler Perry once again proved he is a forced to be reckoned with as his latest film Why Did I Get Married? easily took the number one spot at the box office this weekend, nearly doubling the nearest competitor. The other debuting films met with so-so results and there's a tight race for the runner-up spot.

The filmgoing audience showed once again that if Tyler Perry headlines a film, they're going to come out to see it. Why Did I Get Married? brought in an estimated $21.5M this weekend for a powerful per screen average of $10,691. The opening was on par with Perry's first smash, 2005's Diary of a Mad Black Woman which opened with $21.9M and an even stronger $14,771 average. Unlike the last film with Perry's name attached, Daddy's Little Girls, which opened with a softer $11.2M, Why Did I Get Married? features Perry in a starring role. Throw in the popular Janet Jackson as a co-star and you've got a formula for success.

Dropping one spot was two-time box office champ The Rock in The Game Plan which fell only 30% this weekend to an estimated $11.5M. The 30% drop was easily the best hold in the top 10 this week, and its cume now stands at $59.4M. With the recent success of comedies featuring tough guys and cute kids, it seems only a matter of time before there's a sequel to Mr. Nanny.

Battling The Rock for second place were two films that were within $10,000 of each other this weekend. Currently sitting in third is the George Clooney starrer Michael Clayton. Expanding nationally from its successful debut last weekend, the Warner Bros. award hopeful took in an estimated $11M this weekend, for a solid per screen average of $4,385, bringing its cume to $12.1M. Following closely on its heels was the Joaquin Phoenix/Mark Wahlberg thriller We Own the Night which also debuted to an estimated $11M, for a per screen average of $4,179. When the actual numbers come in on Monday, the 2nd through 4th films could easily move around.

Falling 47% from its less-than-powerful opening last weekend was the Ben Stiller R-rated comedy The Heartbreak Kid which laughed up an estimated $7.4M this weekend, bringing its total to a disappointing $26M. Look for a final theatrical run in the $45-50M range, which is reasonable for a lot of films, but not for a Ben Stiller/Farrelly Brothers comedy.

Opening in sixth place this weekend was the historical sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Bringing back star Cate Blanchett and director Shekhar Kapur nine years after the success of the original Elizabeth didn't mean much for audiences as the film brought in an estimated $6.2M this weekend for a per screen average of $3,169. A run on early season awards could help the overall gross of the film, otherwise it may fade away quickly.

In seventh was the war drama The Kingdom which fell 53% from last weekend to an estimated $4.5M. Its total now stands at a shade under $40M. Adding a few hundred screens this weekend and crashing into the top 10 was Across the Universe which features the songs of the Beatles. The film took in $4M in its fourth weekend, according to estimates, bringing its total to $12.9M.

In ninth place this weekend was Resident Evil: Extinction which took in $2.6M in its fourth lap around the country, bringing its total to $48M. And rounding out the top 10 was The Seeker: The Dark is Rising which fell 42% from its soft opening last weekend to an estimated $2.1M. Its cume stands at $7M and it should end up in the $12-14M range with some hope for success on DVD. The only other film debuting this weekend was the high school baseball pic The Final Season which opened to an estimated $665K for a per screen average of a pitiful $658. Look for the film to quickly appear in DVD bargain bins.

The top 10 grossed $81.4M this weekend, which was down 15% from 2006 when The Grudge 2 opened with $20.8M, but up 23% from 2005 when another horror film, The Fog, bowed on top with $11.7M.

Author: Sujit Chawla, www.boxofficeguru.com

Related Items

Movie:	Elizabeth: The Golden Age
	We Own The Night
	The Final Season
	Michael Clayton
Celeb:	George Clooney
	Janet Jackson
	Shekhar Kapur
	Cate Blanchett
	Tyler Perry

(1-20 of 25 posts) | Reply

CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on Oct 15 2007 12:58 AM

wow, its official... anything with tyler perry's name will win box office awards. it

got me think what would happen if he added his name to some other movies such as...

any recent dc comic book movies, perhaps then they could get a marvel size box

office for once, i wish for once:( then what about god awful movies like gigli or

battlefield earth or a cuba gooding jr. movie- maybe even these movies would have made

20 million. and of course how about box office hits like pirates, shrek or titanic,

maybe they could have bought a nation or two with their final box office totals. but

as you can see i am pretty sick of seeing a man put his damn name on a movie and a

bunch of continuing idiotic viewers keep seeing no matter what he puts on the damn

silver screen. but hey, as the infinitely "wise and cerberal" Charles Barkley has stated

while promoting the tbs sitcom of his, "tyler perry understands what black people like"

and there you go, you know its one thing if your were going to watch anything a

director puts out if he was any good, like a spike lee, martin scorse, clint eastwood,

steven spielberg, or i don't know michael bay;) but seriously its unbelievable how lucky

this guy is and its a shame he's gettin rich off crap but hey he ain't the worst or the

first director to do that. see michael bay or that uwe bowl guy for worse

(Reply to this)

jasperoosterveld writes:
on Oct 15 2007 01:19 AM

I really want to see michael clayton, the reviews are amazing :)

who the **** is tyler perry??

(Reply to this)

Metafact writes:
on Oct 15 2007 01:21 AM

In reply to this comment (#1192323)
He's an overrated and mediocre filmmaker who does marginal films for the masses that will be forgotten eventually.

(Reply to this)

jasperoosterveld writes:
on Oct 15 2007 03:14 AM

In reply to this comment (#1192327)
haha ok thx! ;)

(Reply to this)

Gimy writes:
on Oct 15 2007 06:07 AM

go to blockbuster and look up anything madea...thats perry. and "for the masses" is a bit much, i'm not sure you'll see a majority of white people at the movie theater. dude sells though

saw rez evil this week...wish i hadn't. phew, it sucked. i'm talking laugh out loud...sucked. instead of watching the flick...i kept looking for what movie they were trying to rip off next.

coach dude, shutup about bay. dude just made a huge movie AGAIN this summer and you cats are still chuggin the haterade. get over it...jesus christ. whine some more this tues when the dvd breaks records...idiot. its ok to hate the guy but ripping his movies and calling it "luck' is stupid. putting him in the same breath as uwe is borderline retardation

(Reply to this)

xenogears writes:
on Oct 15 2007 06:51 AM

Tyler Perry is a damn good director and a funny actor. Just because his movies actually have a message in them, which you will be hard pressed to find now, and deal with relationships family doesn't make his work mediocre or for the masses. His films are heartfelt and inspiring to anyone who has relationship and faith issues (almost like a black dr. phil but not as dumb) and trust me....no one is going to forget his films....well except maybe Daddy's little girls. If you are to slow to get the message, don't hate. Just sit back and try to get a clue.

(Reply to this)

tawo writes:
on Oct 15 2007 07:00 AM

In reply to this comment (#1192646)
LET EM KNOW XENOGEARS!!!

(Reply to this)

unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Oct 15 2007 07:38 AM

I saw We Own the Night and Michael Clayton this weekend, they were both pretty good with great acting but nothing that original, B's for both. And Bay isn't bad at all, anyone who made The Rock is all right in my book.

(Reply to this)

Sebastion Cole writes:
on Oct 15 2007 09:09 AM

Nothing against Tyler Perry, but after Diary of a mad black Woman, I'm not sure if i can make it through another one of his films. It wasn't all bad, and had a laugh here and there, but it was unbelievably corny. It also had one of the worse romantic lines next to Star Wars Episode 2, "I know you don't believe in fairy tales... but let me be your knight in shining armor"

DONE!

(Reply to this)

Bloody Mathias writes:
on Oct 15 2007 10:07 AM

Don't worry though, 30 Days of Night will put Tyler Perry in his place.

(Reply to this)

daycare writes:
on Oct 15 2007 10:46 AM

Tyler perry new films is already a hit. His movie next year is already a lock for the #1. Some may not like his films but one thing is for sure, his fanbase loved him. That is why when hear his name, look for his film to top the boxoffice.

(Reply to this)

Darule17 writes:
on Oct 15 2007 11:28 AM

How can they love Tyler Perry's movies???? man that guy has to stop making movies.

(Reply to this)

Darule17 writes:
on Oct 15 2007 11:32 AM

This week should be a bigger week with 30 days of night, Gone Baby Gone and Rendition.

(Reply to this)

daycare writes:
on Oct 15 2007 11:40 AM

gone ba y gone and rendition will not even make 10 million.

(Reply to this)

the_don_of_yreka writes:
on Oct 15 2007 01:07 PM

dont even talk about a sequel to Mr. Nanny. that was the idea shouldnt cross your mind,Sujit Chawla.

CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe, i agree with Gimy. never put michael bay and Uwe Boll on the same level of directing. at least michael bay tried for a plot. Uwe Boll just gives nothing but utter crap direction. got back to film school, boll.

as for other weekend films from this pass weekend:

Resident Evil: Extinction

thank god this movie dident do well. tell Screen Gems to hand the series over to Miramax Films or some other film stuido. this time, i want the real Resident Evil to come on screen.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

this not even worth putting up for awards this year.

3:10 to Yuma

this movie seems to doing well. im hinting that this film will get some buzz during award season.

Michael Clayton

i smell a repeat nods for George Clooney.

opening for this week:

Gone Baby Gone

could the Affleck brothers seek nods for this film? maybe. i think ben is seeking a comeback. will he score a hit?

30 Days of Night

has number 1 written all over it.

The Comebacks

who is betting that this film is barely gonna scratch 10% on the Tomatometer?

and thats it from me.

(Reply to this)

bookworm1994 writes:
on Oct 15 2007 01:16 PM

Honestly, what the hell? Tyler Perry is a mediocre director and writer who thinks he is funny but is sorely mistaken. I don't know a single person who likes him, and I barely saw maybe two commercials for Why Did I get Married? Where the heck are these people coming from, out of the woodwork? Can his studio PLEASE drop him, he SUCKS! And why do people watch his films? They're not even funny or entertaining in the least bit!

(Reply to this)

CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on Oct 15 2007 04:38 PM

i am smiling all the way to the bank that such righteous cool guys on this

site, the_don_of_yreka and gimy, would actually go out of their way to defend michael

bay. trust me i hate a lot of things and michael bay is e=not even worth my time m'kay.

i just think its amazing his awful direction continues to be greenlighted each time an

idea passes by the studios and to be fair i have the same shock in how uwe gets the

same oppurtunities. I AM NOT SAYING BAY IS as BAD of a director as uwe no way, anybody

who can take megan fox's acting for more than a minute earns my respect;) oh and once

again mr. perry i have an idea, take some time and make a good movie or just take the

greatest risk and cast even worse actors than janet jackson and see if even then you

can make a profit... okay the deal have ice cube, snoop, cuba gooding jr, monique and

method men and red man... now go tyler create another miracle i believe in you mr.

perry or as will you will be known from now on the prophet perry.

(Reply to this)

eastern2western writes:
on Oct 15 2007 10:25 PM

Why is george coloney still getting jobs in hollywood. Almost every movie that is starring him has been flops and his only hits are the ocean movies. For some stupid reason, hollywood still believes that guy can attract audience. The result of this weekend just shows how weak coloney is because he got hit butt whopped by a guy from wwf.

(Reply to this)

Kimmycat24 writes:
on Oct 16 2007 05:52 AM

I don't understand why Tyler Perry movies are so popular. I really dislike Tyler Perry movies and the majority of Black-oriented films. Why? I am a Black woman and I find his movies and others like "Norbit" to be stereotypical and just plain offensive. I tried to watch "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" on Showtime and couldn't get past the first ten minutes. What is really offensive is when Tyler Perry pulls an Eddie Murphy and dresses in drag. He isn't funny at all. I was so grossed out when I saw the trailer for Norbit. I will never watch another Eddie Murphy movie again. The Black produucers of these movies don't realize that all Black people aren't alike and have different sesibilities and tastes. Why can't Black producers and writers make films for niche audiences like White producers? Aren't there any talented Black writers and producers that can make a serious and uplifting movie about real Black people who are not ignorant ghetto dwellers? I would like to see a professional and educated middle-class Black couple who don't use ghetto slang (like the Cosby Show)and their children in a quality drama. I guess that is just too "White huh? I will continue to go to independent and European films that are about subjects and experiences I can relate to. I know I am a movie snob whose favorite channels are Sundance, IFC, PBS, and BBC America. I am not going to the movies until December until "Atonement" comes out. The actors and actresses in these films are excellent compared to the horrible acting in too many Black films. I will not spend my $9.50 on any Black-oriented movies until they get rid of the ghetto mentality that infests the majority of these films. I don't like too many American-produced movies either but that is a different subject. Sorry about the rant, but this is a sore subject with me.

(Reply to this)

Melchuck29 writes:
on Oct 16 2007 03:44 PM

Why can't Black producers and writers make films for niche audiences?

They do...just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean that they don't exist.
Besides, The Black Middle Class, specifically church going women is a "niche" audience.

I enjoy Tyler Perry movies, and I'm not even the hugest movie person. But I also enjoy classical literature, alternative music, and a host of other not-hugely popular things. I am many different things, and least of all of them is "idiotic." Some of you people need to get your head out of your *** and stop trying to condescendingly project your values on other people (or the masses as one person referred to them.) I like watching movies like Elizabeth, Pan's Labyrinth, Do the Right Thing, et al, but I go to see Tyler Perry's movies for other reasons. One of them is that I don't have to worry about seeing black people portrayed as mainly violent, promiscuous, drug dealing/using, abusing, and every other negative media image you see of Black people. Sometimes I like to see extra regular people (real or imaginary) work out their problems on screen, and I will PAY to see it. After all, I won't find it anywhere else in Hollywood who really doesn't have a clue about the Black Middle Class.

(Reply to this)

RottenTomatoes.com