Lionsgate roared at the box office yesterday.
"Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" raked in a boffo estimated $14.7 million, making it the second highest opening day for the studio and the top opening day ever for multi-hyphenate Perry.
With a first day that's in sync with the $14 million-plus Fridays posted by each of the last three annual "Saw" installments, "Madea's" final three-day gross could rival the $33.6 million opening weekend of 2006's "Saw III," Lionsgate's top bow.
Playing at 2,032 venues, "Madea's" first day ranks just below the $14.76 million posted by 2007's "Saw IV" which holds the opening day record for Lionsgate.
"Madea" is the seventh film that Perry has directed. 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion" marked Perry's previous opening B.O. high with a $10.5 million Friday and a $30 million weekend.
In January, Lionsgate saw a bit of a bump at the box office with its horror pic "My Bloody Valentine 3-D" which has reaped $62 million worldwide to date from an estimated production cost of $15 million. Having consistently made its mark with urban and horror fare, "Madea" returns Lionsgate to form after a string of lackluster holiday pics.
Previous weekend holdovers dominated the rest of the day's standings at the B.O. with Fox's "Taken" notching second with $3.5 million on 3,102, a 26% dip, and a running cume of $87.3 in its fourth Friday.
Warner Bros./New Line's "He's Just Not That Into You" took third with $2.9 million off 3,050, a 42% decline, with a total B.O. of $64.4 million.
Focus Features' moppet pic "Coraline" took fourth with $2.74 million, inching ahead of Warner Bros./New Line-Par's "Friday the 13th" which placed fifth with $2.73 million.
The second Friday for "13th," which was playing at 3,105, registered an 86% drop. Though steep, such declines are typical for slasher fare. In its first eight days, "13th" has pulled in $50 million.
In its third Friday at 2,155 sites, "Coraline" dipped 9% and has earned $45 million to date.
Yesterday's second wide bow, Sony's PG-13 high school comedy "Fired Up!" slotted eighth with $2.3 million off 1,810.
Friday crowds looking to catch up on their Oscar noms gave most of the best picture contenders a bump yesterday. Fox Searchlight-Warner Bros.' "Slumdog Millionaire" saw a 37% spike, generating $2.7 million in sixth place off 2,244. "Slumdog's" domestic cume stands just under $93 million. Weinstein Co.'s "The Reader" saw a 49% gain with $707,000 off 962 for a cume of $21.1 million. Focus Features' "Milk" followed "Reader's" Friday gain with 47%, collecting $263,000 off 411. Pic's cume is $27.4 million. Universal's "Frost/Nixon" surged 31% with $141,000 off 380 for a total of $16.8 million while Par-Warner Bros.' "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" dipped 3% with $324,000 off 754 for a domestic B.O. of $123.3 million.
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