Top 5 Reasons Madea Movies Are Still Coming Out

In Chris Rock’s critically-acclaimed film “Top Five,” he took a jab at the Madea franchise by parodying the long-running series with the suggestion of a seemingly too-ridiculous-to-be-true holiday film. He even gave it a name: “Boo!”. Perhaps to his chagrin, the idea actually resonated with Lionsgate studio.Though Perry was reportedly initially resistant, he eventually came around. And wouldn’t you know it, Madea’s first Halloween outing made a whopping $74.8 million - nearly three times the haul of “Top Five”. Both “Boo!” and its sequel, “Boo 2!” have opened as #1 at the box office, beating out more conventional horror films, a disaster film, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise in the process. If Madea can own Halloween… why stop?

These days, it’s a lot easier to attract audiences if you're operating under a familiar banner. With this zany grandmother character, Tyler Perry has created a recognizable figure with real draw. Of course, for any long-running franchise, box office burnout is a significant risk. If you keep churning out the same film… people might stop coming. As we’ve seen with the “Boo!” films however, Tyler Perry knows how to switch up the formula. Though each film is comedic, some lean significantly further into drama than others. He also does a good job of using Madea as either a leading lady or a secondary character, depending on the narrative. Though you’ll always get Madea, you’ll rarely get the same film twice.

Like Big Momma and Mrs. Doubtfire before her, Madea gets a base level of interest because of the cross-dressing angle, though Madea IS actually female within her cinematic world. More importantly for the audience, however, is that while Madea Simmons is certainly over-the-top in her antics, the reality is that most of us have a relative like that: whether an aunt, great-aunt or grandmother. She’s silly, caring, crass and loving all at once. Though she might feel like a caricature, she’s undeniably endearing in that sort of “shake your head and smile” kind of way, and in this modern age of gross out humor… that sort of old-fashioned fun is actually refreshing.

There is simply no denying the reality of racial inequality in the film industry. According to a University of Southern California study, over 73% of roles in the 100 biggest films of 2014 were played by caucasian actors. Black actors made up just 12.5% of that pie chart. And even within that 12.5%, a major problem remains in the types of roles given to black actors. And as of 2016, 55% of Oscar winners won for playing stereotypical black roles. Tyler Perry’s movies have often been described as “black film”; and if that means a primarily black cast playing nuanced, diverse and realistic roles that move beyond labels… no wonder people want them to keep getting made.

Though the majority of them have been badly reviewed, not a SINGLE ONE of Tyler Perry’s Madea films has performed poorly at the box office. That’s ten movies to date . . . and counting. For Lionsgate, that is a STRONG motivator to keep churning these films out as long as Tyler Perry is willing. And even if a Madea film were to finally tank, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal for the company. Over the years, Madea films have cost anywhere between $5 and $25 million to produce; and they have, without fail, made $50 to $90 million at the box office. With numbers like that, Madea isn’t likely to leave theaters anytime soon. Or ever.