Three years ago this month, Perry stunned the film industry with a $30M bow and $13,688 average for his hit comedy Madea's Family Reunion setting a career high he still hasn't topped. Now, the foul-mouthed matriarch is back in Madea Goes to Jail which puts the spotlight back on the favorite character of his fans. The PG-13 film should play to the filmmaker's core audience of African-American women but should do well with males too. Perry has been a consistent draw at the box office with powerful openings for recent films like Why Did I Get Married? ($21.4M opening, $10,618 average), Meet the Browns ($20.1M opening, $10,011 average), and The Family That Preys ($17.4M opening, $8,397 average). But with two movies per year in theaters and two hit sitcoms on TBS, he does run the risk of oversaturating the marketplace.
Lionsgate has been pushing the Madea brand big time with posters featuring the title character's mugshot. The built-in audience is huge and the debut figure should exceed what Perry has been seeing with his last few films. Competition is weak as no current hit comedy is catering to the same demographic. Perry should be on top, something he missed out on with his pair of films from last year. Opening in 2,032 locations, Madea Goes to Jail could gross about $25M this weekend.
For those looking for laughs, but not from cross-dressing movie moguls, Sony offers the teen comedy Fired Up! The PG-13 pic finds two high school football players attending cheerleading camp in order to meet some ladies. Teens and young adults are the target audience here so expect most of the business to come from the under-30 set. With no major stars, the studio has focused its campaign on the jokes and the overall humor of the story. The marketing has been commendable so look for a decent showing before the eventual DVD which will reach an even bigger crowd. Jumping into more than 1,800 locations, Fired Up! could take in about $8M this weekend.
Madea Goes To JailCopyright © 2009 Lionsgate Pictures
The Lionsgate comedy centers on Madea (Perry), whose penchant for trouble-making lands her behind bars. She comes to the rescue of Candy (Pulliam), a fellow inmate preyed upon by a large woman named Big Sal.
 | February 20th, 2009 |
 | Tyler Perry |
 | Tyler Perry |
 | Tyler Perry, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Derek Luke, Tamela Mann, David Mann, Salli Richardson, Viola Davis, Judge Mablean, Sofia Vergara, Aisha Hinds, Ion Overman, Ronreaco Lee, Vanessa Ferlito |
 | Lionsgate |
 | Comedy |
 | madeagoestojailmovie.com |
 | PG-13 for mature thematic material, drug content, some violence and sexual situations |
 | 1 hour 43 minutes |
Fired UpCopyright © 2009 Sony Pictures
Shawn Colfax (Nicholas D'Agosto) and Nick Brady (Eric Christian Olsen), the stars of the Gerald R. Ford High School football team, are dreading the prospect of another summer at football camp. When Nick hatches a scheme for the two to join their school's cheerleaders at cheer camp instead, they find themselves awash in a sea of gorgeous young women. It all goes great until Shawn falls for Carly (Sarah Roemer), the beautiful head cheerleader who sees right through them.
| February 20th, 2009 |
| Will Gluck |
| Freedom Jones |
| Nicholas D'Agosto, Eric Christian Olsen, Sarah Roemer, John Michael Higgins, Molly Sims, David Walton, Danneel Harris, Hayley Marie Norman, Margo Harshman, Edie McClurg, Philip Baker Hall |
| Screen Gems (Sony) |
| Comedy |
| sonypictures.com/movies/firedup |
| PG-13 crude and sexual content throughout, partial nudity, language and some teen partying |
| 1 hour 34 minutes |
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