Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Why is Tyler Perry so popular?

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 09-22-2009, 10:23 PM:

Seriously. A god damn Medea movie comes out every 4 or 5 months. Is there a huge "black dude dressed up as a raunchy old lady" market?

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 09-22-2009, 10:34 PM:

Well, I guess Martin Lawrence isn't going the man-in-women's-fat-suit thing anymore so someone's gotta.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 09-22-2009, 10:37 PM:

I think part of the problem with him is that he started out doing plays and doesn't understand that film and stage need to be directed differently.

And what's really pathetic is he seems to come up with some decent ideas for a story and get quality actors but each time destroys the entire thing pretty much entirely due to his weak directing.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 09-22-2009, 10:44 PM:

Problem? His movies always seem to do very well.

Allison, what about Eddie Murphy? He also likes dressing up as old raunchy women. It's almost becoming a stereotype.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 09-22-2009, 10:55 PM:

The problem I'm referring to is his problem with being a shitty movie maker.

And he makes money simply because he got popular in the black community. I'd never heard of him until Daddy's Little Girls was released and the booker told us we absolutely had to put it in our largest screen since it was expected to be the #1 that week (ignoring that Redmond, WA is 95% white).

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 09-23-2009, 12:31 AM:

quote: Joe Redifer
Allison, what about Eddie Murphy?

Ahhh, true. Maybe Eddie just ran out of fart jokes, thus no recent movies.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-23-2009, 12:46 AM:

I have a rule not to watch any movie where the title of the movie begins with the director's name. It helps me weed out the tremendously bad movies.

Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 09-23-2009, 02:05 AM:

His success is just a lesson to Hollywood that there is huge underserved market. I watched some of his movies on cable. They are very TV sitcom like in their look, music and tone. Though the movie he made with Janet Jackson, and a bunch of others about a few couples' troubled marriages and they go to some COlorado lodge seemed like an improvement in his direction.

He gets his target audience INVESTED in the outcome of the plot. There is no huge secret. Hollywood is free to find a talented director to mine such an audience, but they don't have a clue. So the monopoly goes to people like Perry.

I don't see how it's any different from some of the 80s cheesy movies some of us enjoyed in terms of cinematic "brilliance".

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 09-23-2009, 02:23 AM:

quote: Brad Miller
I have a rule not to watch any movie where the title of the movie begins with the director's name.

That's a good rule. I also avoid any movie with the word "Movie" in the title.

And I have no idea why Tyler Perry is so popular. And Eddie Murphy hasn't done anything worth watching since "Beverly Hills Cop," "Trading Places" and "48 Hrs."

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 09-23-2009, 08:51 AM:

I have only watched part of one of his movies and that was because my wife was watching it. I didn't like it and I have no desire to watch anything he makes. But that's okay because he obviously makes his shows and movies to cater to a different market than what I am in. However, I too get a little tired of the barage of Tyler Perry movies and tv shows that are on all the time. How the heck does the guy find time to sleep?

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 09-23-2009, 09:02 AM:

quote: Joshua Waaland
How the heck does the guy find time to sleep?

By not putting in enough time directing...

And every time I walk by "I Can Do Bad..." and Adam Rodriguez is there from an early scene I can't help but laugh at how terribly fake his beard looks.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 09-23-2009, 10:32 AM:

I always think it's funny when the film co's promote the latest Tyler Perry movie at the Rocky Mountain convention. A whiter group of people you will never find. The attendees pretty much just shake their heads in bewilderment.

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 09-23-2009, 11:40 AM:

Black people are incredibly loyal. I have many customers coming to I Can Do Bad that have not been to a movie since the last Tyler Perry or Jamie Foxx flick. If any of you know Waterloo, you know the demographics of the city. I was told by a former black employee of mine that the feeling is that such a limited amount of black entertainment is being offered, when something comes along the entire black community joins together in support. It's not strictly about quality of product, it's about supporting your "brothers and sisters." Also, many of the themes in his movies are family and church related, which are very popular within the black community.

All I know is that those movies play very well and I enjoy the grosses in what would otherwise be a horribly slow September. I kind of home Perry keeps taking steroids and makes 20 more movies to keep our attendance strong.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 09-23-2009, 03:55 PM:

I'm reluctant to illegaly download one of his films to see what the fuss is but they just don't exist in the UK, maybe they are on DVD somewhere but you never see them promoted. It's bizarre to see something take $20m+ in the US and not even exist in the UK where there is a sizeable black community and US black culture is followed by people of all backgrounds. I think at my work the Tyler Perry films would do well if we got them day and date with the US and we pushed it in the local area and the right London-wide media outlets. Are the films usually R or PG-13?

Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 09-23-2009, 04:06 PM:

Usually PG-13. When we had madea goes to jail, it was insane. All 3 of our screens saturday opening weekend were sold out by around 2 pm. Several weeks later a box employee accidentally sold the wrong ticket and the customer was told to just let podium know it was ok and they were to see madea, they replied "No, I want my money to go to TYLER PERRY", actually yelling at the employee. So yeah, loyalty seems big for the audiences of his films.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 09-23-2009, 04:44 PM:

Because he tartgets an audience otherwise not targeted by Hollywood--African Americans over 25. Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding for black people.

Yes, white people see his movies also, but the big money is in the target audience, which as noted above, is very loyal and has very few movies to call their own. He's a brand and he's sold it well.

It will be interesting to see how well double branding goes with Precious, which is billed as "Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry Present". It's no happy comedy.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-23-2009, 09:10 PM:

quote: Jonathan Althaus
Several weeks later a box employee accidentally sold the wrong ticket and the customer was told to just let podium know it was ok and they were to see madea, they replied "No, I want my money to go to TYLER PERRY", actually yelling at the employee. So yeah, loyalty seems big for the audiences of his films.

You're not the first theater that exact thing has happened to. I have heard this a LOT from accidents on box office ticket punchups where the black patron throw a tantrum. Now in reality the theater SHOULD have fixed the ticket (I always did when I was managing), but there are a lot of lazy people out there. Regardless, for the occasional goof where a Tyler Perry patron paid for Mission Impossible, the same is true in reverse...but they always think it is a plot "against the black man". [Roll Eyes]

The opening week of "Tyler Perry's I Can Make A Bad Movie All By Myself" there was a crazy black lady who threw an absolute fit, even going so far as to alert the media at one location because she felt the theater was being "racist" over doing security checks at the door since it was a "stereotype" that all black people carry knives and guns. It took quite a bit of explaining to her regarding how the 3D RFI towers worked and how the glasses have a security chip in them to keep people from stealing them and because there was such a demand for the Tyler Perry movie, it got moved into the largest auditorium...that just happened to be equipped with 3D.

Whatever people, get over it.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 09-23-2009, 10:52 PM:

I've never sat through any of Tyler Perry's movies or TV shows and don't really have any plans to do so. It's not like I'm deliberately avoiding his material. The simple matter is none of it appeals to me. Nonetheless, more power to him for gaining a great deal of success by courting a very under-served segment of the marketplace.

This sort of thing reminds me of watching The Notebook a few years ago while on a date. I really had no desire to see that movie, but I let my date pick the show and that's what she wanted to see. Anyway, it seemed like we were by far the youngest people in the audience and we weren't really all that young either. The auditorium was nearly sold out and the vast majority of customers were at least in their 50's if not quite a bit older. The last time I saw a full audience with that kind of demographic was during an "advance screening" of Chicago.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 09-23-2009, 11:45 PM:

Oh man, you need to go to the Tamarac theater in Denver. Nobody under 70 is even allowed inside! [Smile]

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 09-24-2009, 12:34 AM:

Julie/Julia was a film that was packed with 60+ patrons. Had to air out the auditorium between shows.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 09-24-2009, 08:15 AM:

It doesn't matter if Tyler Perry's movies are good or not. It doesn't matter if you or I have not seen them.

What matters is that his movies generate business during our typical slow times of the year.

Tyler Perry's popularity works for my theatre's bottom line.

As a business person - that works for me.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 09-24-2009, 08:44 AM:

Speaking of demographics, I'm beginning to think The Onion is reading our list [Wink]

quote:
Man Not Belonging To Movie's Target Demographic Escorted From Theater By Hollywood Officials
SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 | ISSUE 45•39
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/man_not_belonging_to_movies?utm_source=b-section
ST. LOUIS—Hollywood officials removed David Sinclair, 24, from the AMC Esquire 7's 9 p.m. showing of The Time Traveler's Wife Monday for failing to meet the minimum gender, age, and socioeconomic status requirements set forth in new guidelines to ensure marketing is reflected in movie audiences. "Looks like this punk is a little too young and a little too male to be here," said Toby Emmerich, president of New Line Cinema, who spotted Sinclair trying to discretely watch the film from the back of the theater. "Didn't your mother ever teach you that a romantic thriller starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana is for professional women aged 26 to 40 who make between $45,000 and $60,000 a year?" Despite Sinclair's promises that he would buy a Coke and popcorn, officials escorted the single, college-educated city-dweller out of the theater complex and issued him a $1,500 fine.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 09-24-2009, 11:39 AM:

quote:
Why is Tyler Perry so popular?

Because everyone has a grandmother who bitches, curses, and apes out over inconsequential things. [Big Grin]

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 09-24-2009, 01:13 PM:

quote: Pravin Ratnam
His success is just a lesson to Hollywood that there is huge underserved market.

I totally agree but I'm sure there's a level of difficulty involved with creating something that a community can really get behind. If Hollywood just started pumping out movies "that appeal to African Americans" then we'll end up with a huge glut of crap that eventually somebody will use to accuse Hollywood of being racist toward African Americans.

I know that everybody wants to watch movies that they can personally identify with and I'm sure Tyler Perry puts a lot of material into his films that a number of African Americans can better identify with vs. non-African Americans. At this point though it has to be getting redundant.

I enjoy the occassional movie geared toward the gay community, but there are only so many movies I can watch about people coming out, having difficulty just being gay, contracting HIV, or talking about how tough it is to find a man before I just have to stop watching. While I would love to support every gay film director making gay movies, most of them are just crap and I'm in no rush to run out and support them. Not to mention that half the gay films out there I find overly stereotyped and am somewhat embarassed they exist.

I guess what I'm saying is that I want to hang out with the black guy that just cringes every time he hears a Tyler Perry is coming out.

And if any of you want to see the generation gap meet the minority gap just wait for the next Sex & The City movie to come out. You'll see gays and old women flocking to the theatres. And god forbid they make another musical like Mama Mia into an awful film... the damn theatre will smell like a nursing home shuttle crashed into a gay bar.

Posted by Robert Crabtree (Member # 4795) on 09-24-2009, 09:22 PM:

I agree with you to a point on gay movies, Scott. AMERICAN gay movies tend to cast hot guys that can't act to cover up a stupid plot (Eating Out 1-3, for example).

Gay movies from abroad, however, generally manage to have a unique story, with less emphasis on casting the hottest piece of ass available (All About My Mother, Walk on Water, Touch of Pink). And as crazy as his stuff is, I've seen all but one Almodovar feature (Kika), and can't wait for Los Abrazos Rotos to come stateside.

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 09-25-2009, 05:52 PM:

Tylor, who wants to be called Mr. Perry, acts like a spoiled 5 year old. I worked on some of the early "House of Payne" TV shows, until I could not take any more, and ran out of there screaming. He does not have a clue about how to rehurse. He tries to shoot stuff that is nowhere ready to be shot, then complains about how much time it is taking to post the dis-jointed mess he is giving the editors. The two people directly under him are just yes men, so no one has the balls to tell him he doesn't know what he is doing.

Posted by Geena Phillips (Member # 3726) on 09-29-2009, 11:15 PM:

The only thing worse than Straight Drag Comedy is Religious Drag Comedy.

Oh, and does anyone else find it at least a little crass that a movie extolling the "virtues" of religion was released on 9/11?

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 09-29-2009, 11:41 PM:

To be honest, I think it's a bit worse that everything that ever happens that has nothing to do with the attacks is automatically connected to them simply because of a date.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 09-30-2009, 09:30 AM:

9/11 was a Friday this year. The majority of movies presently open on Fridays. No conspiracy or commentary by the distributor. If 9/11 had been a Monday or Tuesday and the movie opened, however, then I might suspect something.

Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 09-30-2009, 10:45 AM:

I would respond to the idea that 9/11 proves that religion is a bad thing, but I don't think the discussion nor even the premise is allowed here.

Posted by Karl Borowski (Member # 5424) on 09-30-2009, 12:17 PM:

11 Sept. was eight years ago. Unless you live in the Tri-State area, or have a personal reason to remember it, like losing a loved one on that day, I'd seriously consider getting over it.

People don't still fashion conspiracy theories about 7 Dec. even though that attack was more deadly, and happened on a Sunday morning.

Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 09-30-2009, 04:07 PM:

I "have a personal reason" because I'm an American. Nobody has the right to tell me when to "get over it."

Posted by Karl Borowski (Member # 5424) on 09-30-2009, 05:03 PM:

OK Greg [Eek!]

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 09-30-2009, 08:05 PM:

Whatever.