Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
April 6, 2010
Matt Huntley: I've also never seen a Tyler Perry movie, so I can't say with utmost certainty if I'm happy with this result or angry that it will result in even more Tyler Perry movies (based on his typical critical reception, I'm leaning toward the latter). If I was a Lionsgate executive, I'd be ecstatic over Perry's ability to consistently bring in box-office and I might even take a gamble with him on a bigger budget project (that is, if it had enough universal appeal outside of the usual African American demographic).
Michael Lynderey: Matt, as someone who has seen all but one of his films, I thought this was the worst Tyler Perry movie since his first, Diary of a Mad Black Woman (that was a film he did not even direct). Perry seemed to be sharpening his skills somewhat as a filmmaker with the first Why Did I Get Married, but he's not really improved since, and Married Too plays like a kind of highlight reel of his faults as a filmmaker. And don't get me started on the last ten minutes, which qualified for worst ending of the year as soon as they transpired on screen.
Max Braden: I'm sure I've said this before, but putting aside box office for a moment and just looking at content and style, Tyler Perry is the John Hughes of his market. The films Hughes directed were consistent openers but not phenomenal box office performers, opening in the range of $4-8 million, which ranked around the middle of movies opening in their respective years. Surprisingly, though, Hughes peaked higher than Perry has to date. Hughes' best performer, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, was the #10 grosser of 1986 at $77 million. Perry's best performer, Madea Goes To Jail, was the #36 grosser of 2009, with $90 million. The moviegoing environments of the two directors are different, but looking at Perry's numbers, it makes me see Perry as a consistently frontloaded director.
Jim Van Nest: I'm not a numbers geek, but I can't imagine there's anyone out there right now who has a better ROI on his films than Tyler Perry.
Reagen Sulewski: See, now all I can think about is putting Tyler Perry in a Saw movie, in some elaborate setup with a fatsuit. Thanks, Josh.
But the lesson is sound - when you've found a market, keep hitting it again and again and again. Especially one that likes family dramas, which are much less likely to get tired of what you're giving them like action junkies, aren't reliant on big stars and require very little risk on your part. Even the one acknowledged "failure" cost just $10 million to make and brought in $30 million. John Saw: "Hello, Tyler Perry. I want to play a game. You've spent your life pretending to be someone else. Someone much fatter. But how much weight will you actually gain to stay alive? Locked with you in this room is an endless supply of calory-rich delicacies..."
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