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Tyler Perry=$$$$$

Kim Hollis: Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too? opened to $29.3 million, up considerably from the original film's $21.4 million. What do you think of this result? Also, where does Tyler Perry rank among the most consistent movie directors in terms of box office.

Michael Lynderey: It's a predictably excellent number, and the two Why Did I films really mirror the performances of Diary of a Mad Black Woman ($21 million opening) and its sequel Madea's Family Reunion ($30 million opening). Indeed, I would rank Tyler Perry as, uh, #1 in terms of consistent directors. Sure, his numbers vary a little - they're somewhat higher for Madea movies, a little less so for original fare like Family That Preys. But in general, no one else has directed so many films in such a short period of time, all of which fall into basically the same range of box office. Right now, Perry's audiences are an unadulterated example of a dedicated fanbase whose movie-going habits are as close to consistent as they get. And that'll probably stay the case for a few more years.

Josh Spiegel: Michael's hit the nail on the head. Even if his movies don't make $100 million or more, Tyler Perry is remarkably consistent. I'm sure that Lionsgate wishes that the Saw films were as consistent, but they can always bank on Perry bringing in a lot of cash for his films. This new result is just as impressive as anything else he's done. Perry's not going anywhere for a long time.





Tom Houseman: I've never seen a Tyler Perry movie and I'm totally okay with that, although I'll admit that I was intrigued by "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," in part because the title is so awesome. It's interesting that there aren't more imitators. Nobody else is trying to do what Perry does, so he has a complete monopoly on his audiences. He's like the Roger Federer of films targeting African-American adults. Where is his Rafael Nadal?

David Mumpower: Since I feel that Michaal has already eloquently stated why Perry is the most consistent director in the industry, I'd like to address where he ranks overall in terms of box office champion directors. We have frequently discussed how few of them make a distinct impact on the overall revenue of a title. Even the best of them such as Michael Bay, Stephen Spielberg and M. Night Shyamalan (who does belong in this category independent of what you think of his work) have missteps. The Island, The Terminal and Lady in the Water all fall in this category just as Perry was susceptible to this with Daddy's Little Girls (paradoxically his best film). What none of them can claim is the sheer volume of work that has been mentioned about him as a filmmaker. He is a tireless worker, which differentiates him from most people in his craft. He doesn't need anywhere near the amount of pre-production preparation that most do. Because of this, he's already earned half a billion dollars at the box office at a safe pace of $40-$60 million per title. It's a commendable way to work the system.

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