With $22 mil opening weekend, will Tyler Perry get Hollywood’s attention?

With $22 mil opening weekend, will Tyler Perry now get Hollywood’s attention?

By Rachel Abramowitz
Los Angeles Times
(October 16, 2007) How much money does a guy have to mint before he gets some respect around Hollywood?

That's the question buzzing around town in the wake of "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" $22-million-dollar opening weekend, just the latest in a string of No. 1 openings for the 38-year old actor-writer-director.

The Atlanta-based artist-entrepreneur and his Christian African American marriage dramedy knocked out the recent efforts from George Clooney, the Rock, Cate Blanchett and Joaquin Phoenix. That's worth noting because there's a long list of Hollywood stars who get paid far more upfront than Perry -- and whose salaries would consume more than the entire budget of his oeuvre.

Not that Perry's suffering, with proceeds from a bestselling book, stage plays and the $200 million TBS shelled out to make his cable sitcom "House of Payne."

Still the core audience for Perry's vision of upscale black life is not the go-to demographic for Hollywood moguls -- the young white male -- but African American women.

According to Lionsgate, which released the film, about 90% of the audience for "Why Did I Get Married" was African American. The film was also the best reviewed of Perry's career, although some of the reviews (as in this paper) were mere inches in length.

Ken Sunshine, the veteran public relations expert who represents Perry (along with Leonardo DiCaprio) says he got a lot of calls Monday morning from "major television outlets who I could not interest in covering him in the last year."

Going forward, Sunshine says, "I don't think it's going to be difficult."

Perry has been fairly straightforward about the disdain he holds for the mainstream white-run studio system, telling Entertainment Weekly recently that no one's showering roles on him. He said he even went to visit a studio chief recently and was told, "So who are you now and what do you do?"

That's an even more shocking pronouncement when one realizes Perry has opened three films for more than $20 million apiece on his appeal alone. Perry has also made sure to work the branding angle ferociously. Taking a lesson from his friend and mentor Oprah Winfrey, Perry has taken great notes to label every piece of his empire with the Tyler Perry moniker, just like Nike or Apple does with sneakers and computers.

Hollywood has also been wary about working with Perry in part because of the total control he demands for each project, and the fact that his films have limited foreign appeal. (Generally speaking, international box office brings in more than half the revenue for most films.)

Still his relatively low profile is surprising when one considers the adulation Hollywood showers on, let's say, Adam Sandler, a mainstream yuppie comic whose foreign appeal is weak. Sandler's recent film, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" earned $119 million at the domestic box office, which is probably more than "Why Did I Get Married?" will earn. (Perry's top-grosser "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion garnered only $63 million domestically.) But Sandler's film also cost, according to Boxofficemojo.com, some $85 million to produce, at least $75 million more than any Tyler Perry film.

Go to Target Market News homepage


HOME \| STATS \| PUBLICATIONS \| REGISTER \| CONTACT US \| SEARCH \| ARCHIVE
Departments Advertising & PR News Marketing News TV & Cable News Radio News Magazine News Newspaper News Internet News Retailing News Consumer Research Expenditure Data People in the News Industry News Company Bios and Background Register Here STAY IN-THE-KNOW! Are you getting the latest industry news when it happens via e-mail? Click here for free delivery of the Target Market News Bulletin You'll receive news of breaking stories, exclusives, updates and headlines on the latest developments in African American marketing and media Black Stats Frequently requested data on African American consumers Black Buying Power: $719 Billion (2005) Black U.S. Population: 38.3 million Top Five Black Cities - New York - Chicago - Detroit - Philadelphia - Houston Top Five Black Metros: - New York-New Jersey - Washington-Baltimore - Chicago-Gary - Los Angeles - Philadelphia Top Five Expenditures: - Housing $110.2 bil. - Food $53.8 bil. - Cars/Trucks $28.7 bil. - Clothing $22.0 bil. - Health Care $17.9 bil. Click here for more stats from "The Buying Power of Black America." ______________________ Get quick access to key U.S. Census Bureau Data Click here to go to African-American Census Bureau data _____________________ Copyright `© 2007 by Target Market News Inc.` All rights reserved Business address: 228 S. Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	With $22 mil opening weekend, will Tyler Perry now get Hollywood’s attention? By Rachel Abramowitz Los Angeles Times (October 16, 2007) How much money does a guy have to mint before he gets some respect around Hollywood? That's the question buzzing around town in the wake of "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" $22-million-dollar opening weekend, just the latest in a string of No. 1 openings for the 38-year old actor-writer-director. The Atlanta-based artist-entrepreneur and his Christian African American marriage dramedy knocked out the recent efforts from George Clooney, the Rock, Cate Blanchett and Joaquin Phoenix. That's worth noting because there's a long list of Hollywood stars who get paid far more upfront than Perry -- and whose salaries would consume more than the entire budget of his oeuvre. Not that Perry's suffering, with proceeds from a bestselling book, stage plays and the $200 million TBS shelled out to make his cable sitcom "House of Payne." Still the core audience for Perry's vision of upscale black life is not the go-to demographic for Hollywood moguls -- the young white male -- but African American women. According to Lionsgate, which released the film, about 90% of the audience for "Why Did I Get Married" was African American. The film was also the best reviewed of Perry's career, although some of the reviews (as in this paper) were mere inches in length. Ken Sunshine, the veteran public relations expert who represents Perry (along with Leonardo DiCaprio) says he got a lot of calls Monday morning from "major television outlets who I could not interest in covering him in the last year." Going forward, Sunshine says, "I don't think it's going to be difficult." Perry has been fairly straightforward about the disdain he holds for the mainstream white-run studio system, telling Entertainment Weekly recently that no one's showering roles on him. He said he even went to visit a studio chief recently and was told, "So who are you now and what do you do?" That's an even more shocking pronouncement when one realizes Perry has opened three films for more than $20 million apiece on his appeal alone. Perry has also made sure to work the branding angle ferociously. Taking a lesson from his friend and mentor Oprah Winfrey, Perry has taken great notes to label every piece of his empire with the Tyler Perry moniker, just like Nike or Apple does with sneakers and computers. Hollywood has also been wary about working with Perry in part because of the total control he demands for each project, and the fact that his films have limited foreign appeal. (Generally speaking, international box office brings in more than half the revenue for most films.) Still his relatively low profile is surprising when one considers the adulation Hollywood showers on, let's say, Adam Sandler, a mainstream yuppie comic whose foreign appeal is weak. Sandler's recent film, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" earned $119 million at the domestic box office, which is probably more than "Why Did I Get Married?" will earn. (Perry's top-grosser "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion garnered only $63 million domestically.) But Sandler's film also cost, according to Boxofficemojo.com, some $85 million to produce, at least $75 million more than any Tyler Perry film. Go to Target Market News homepage	________________________ This is the industry's only symposium examining the latest research, trends and opportunities for African-American magazine publishers and advertisers TOPICS TO BE COVERED - Successful Start-up Strategies - Improving Advertising Sales - Building Your Magazine’s Brand - Successful Website Strategies - Opportunities From Editorial - Latest Black Magazine Research Click for more info and to register ___________________________ 13th Annual Edition Buying Power report shows more spending by black consumers on 'necessities' Thanks to economic gains in the past two years, black households across the U.S., especially middle-class families, are increasing their purchases of lifestyle and leisure items. According to the newest edition of “The Buying Power of Black America,” there are indications that black households are feeling more confident about making purchases that... Story continued... _________________________________________________________________________________________ The African-American Book Publishing Authority Now in its ninth year of publication, Black Issues Book Review is the only nationally distributed magazine devoted exclusively to covering the latest news and reviews on black books. BIBR also provides up-to-date news on forthcoming author signings, book fairs and book clubs. Want this issue? Get it with your new subscription. Click Here A TARGET MARKET NEWS PUBLICATION _________________________ SUBSCRIBE TODAY! The trade publication for in-depth coverage of Black Consumer Marketing and Media news