*The latest Madea installment, “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” has been No. 1 at the box office two weekends in a row, however, writer/director Tyler Perry thinks the film could be earning more if it had been released to more screens in white neighborhoods.
“I still have issues getting screens in white neighborhoods, believe it or not,” Perry tells The Wrap. “I think the numbers could have been bigger had people who are in the white suburbs had the option to go to their own theaters to see it. It’s something I’ve been dealing with for many many years.”
The movie brought in $27.6 million during its debut weekend, beating out Tom Cruise’s action sequel, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.”
“All I know is, I have 1,500 less screens than ‘Jack Reacher,'” Perry added.
And then in its second weekend, all it did was douse Tom Hanks and Ron Howard’s “Inferno” with a $17 million take to their $15 million.
READ RELATED STORY: Tyler Perry & ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween’ Cast do YouTube Space LA Q&A (WATCH)
“Boo! A Madea Halloween” was Perry’s first film with a large Caucasian audience. He started performing as the feisty Madea character nearly 10 years ago in the franchise’s first film, “Madea’s Family Reunion.”
Perry’s movies mainly center on African-American families and star a predominantly black cast. Still, he said he’s happy that his audience is diversifying even without his projects being shown in more cinemas.
“I think that it’s just broadening on its own organically, which is really amazing,” he said, adding that the next film will have “more international appeal.”
The movie mogul intends to tackle the international audience next by teaming with British comedian Brendan O’Carroll, who famously cross-dresses as the Irish widow character Agnes Brown on the sitcom “Mrs. Brown’s Boys.”
“I’m working very closely with him,” Perry says. “I’m putting a movie together for the two of us—Mrs. Brown and Medea.”
The opening weekend’s “Boo!” viewers were 60% African-American and 40% Caucasian. While in the past, audiences were 80% to 90% African-American, according to Lionsgate.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
