Tyler Perry delivered a killing blow to Jason Voorhees, as Madea Goes to Jail dominated the box office this Oscar weekend.
Wow…what a massacre. Just a week after the new Friday the 13th flick opened to a franchise-high gross of $42 million, the pistol-packing star of Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail slaughtered Jason Voorhees at the box office, banking $41.1 million while last weekend’s champ tumbled to sixth place with a frightful $7.8 million. It’s a personal best for writer/director/star Tyler Perry and yet another indication that Madea is the real key to his cinematic success, as such non-Madea flicks as Why Did I Get Married? and Daddy’s Little Girls rank among his lowest earners.
The weekend’s only other new release, the cheerleading comedy Fired Up!, opened in ninth place with $6 million, indicating a speedy trip to DVD and cable television. Next to Madea Goes to Jail, the biggest success stories were two films that have already been out for several weeks. Both the Liam Neeson action flick Taken and Henry Selick’s majestic animated feature Coraline actually moved up the chart this week, to second and third place respectively. That’s great news for the latter film in particular, which is now well on the way towards turning a healthy profit.
Meanwhile, Slumdog Millionaire had reason to cheer beyond winning the Best Picture Oscar at last night’s ceremony. The movie also bounced back from its recent skid, moving up four spots from fifth to ninth place. As of now, the movie’s total gross stands at $98 million and it will easily cross the $100 million mark on its post-Oscar victory lap this coming weekend.
The full Top Ten list is below courtesy of the-numbers.com. Next week, the Jonas Brothers get their own 3D concert movie, which is all but certain to knock Madea out of the top spot, and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li sneaks into theaters just in time to advertise the release of Street Figther IV.
The Top Ten
1. Madea Goes to Jail: $41.1
2. Taken: $11.4/$95.2
3. Coraline: $11/$53.9
4. He’s Just Not That Into You: $8.5/$70
5. Slumdog Millionaire: $8/$98
6. Friday the 13th: $7.8/$55
7. Confessions of a Shopaholic: $7/$27.6
8. Paul Blart: Mall Cop: $7/$121
9. Fired Up!: $6
10. The International: $4.4/$17
