2/22/2009

in

The latest installment of the "Madea" franchise opens at No. 1.

Yong Lee

Reuters reported that Tyler Perry, the actor/producer/director behind the "Madea" movies, had his biggest opening weekend ever on Sunday. *Madea Goes to Jail* led box office sales, racking up $41 million on Oscar weekend.  
  
The films are popular with black female audiences, but the latest in the franchise saw boosts in other demographics. Although women accounted for 71 percent of audiences and blacks 72 percent, the Hispanic segment grew from 5 percent to 13 percent. The percentage of viewers under the age of 25 doubled to 35 percent when compared to the turnout from his previous film, *The Family that Preys*.  
  
Four of Perry's seven films have made their debut at number 1, and the box office take on his latest was nearly double for the first "Madea" film, *Diary of a Mad Black Woman*.  
  
The film was also the biggest opening for Lionsgate, the film's distributor. Lionsgate's previous big opener was *Saw III*, which opened with $33.6 million. The film was also the fifth-biggest opening film ever in February.  
  
The *Los Angeles Times* reported that movies have done well this year as more people seek distraction from their financial woes. Total box office sales since January 1 have reached $1.65 billion, up 23 percent from the same period last year. According to Paul Dergarabedian, head of Media by Numbers, "The mood of the country is one of looking for escapism."