The report from last week’s edition of EW.com’s famed fall Box Office Challenge is another one marked by confusion and most folks’ failure to come anywhere close to picking the weekend winner correctly. (Yes, I was among them, mea culpa.) While just about everybody thought that We Own the Night or Michael Clayton were headed to the top, a mere 16 percent of players accurately predicted that Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married would finish No. 1, and only 40 percent even saw the film cracking the top three.
One dude who did was Eric T. from Manistee, Mich. (a.k.a. "TheBigE," pictured, the handsome devil, let’s hope he’s not an MSU fan), who tied fellow soothsayer "MHilson" for first place after playing a nearly perfect game. Yowza! The Big E took a brief break from his victory lap around the local Meijer to breathlessly report that, "I picked Tyler Perry’s movie to win because there are too many R-rated films out thereright now competing for the same audience, and Perry offered a PG-13alternative." Simple as that, huh? Well, let’s see how The Pride of Manistee fares next weekend, when something like 42 movies are opening in 1,000 theaters each. (No, seriously, almost.)
Anyway, think you can beat The Big E — or The Big Me — in the prediction game? Just log onto EW.com’s Box Office Challenge before Friday evening to give it a shot.
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The Bige gets some props for making the right choice! Having seen “We own the Night” this last Friday, it surprised me that the 7:30 PM Friday night screening hadn’t sold out. Tyler Perry’s movie, on the other hand, was sold out for the 7:30 AND 10:30 slots. Michael Clayton looked like a dud from the start, and after sitting through “We own the night” and it’s unintentionally funny attempts at drama (think what The Departed would have been like if it had been written and directed by the guy who did “Independence Day” to get an understanding of this under-performing movie), I was wishing I’d opted for Perry’s movie myself.
Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I See This Movie”
Tyler Perry’s fans were not surprised at the number one spot. His main base, a.k.a black people, were eagerly awaiting this one. The movie was great!
I don’t completely understand why very few people thought “Why Did I Get Married?” would be a contender last weekend.
The word-of-mouth has been growing about this movie (especially in the black community). Janet Jackson is its star (despite all of her ups and downs, she is still JANET JACKSON). The last movie Tyler Perry directed and starred in, Madea’s Family Reunion, made over $23 mill in its first weekend–in February, no less. His last three movies (made on low budgets) grossed over $145 million.
He continues to write and produce his plays to sold out audiences. He has a loyal following of fans that report bootleg sellers to his website, to ensure that they are shut down. His sitcom, “House of Payne” has some of the highest ratings ever on TBS.
Seriously, people didn’t see this coming?