Tyler Perry Stuns box office stalwart Clooney, doubling his take

By Jeffrey Jolson

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 10/14/07—George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg got trounced at the box office by Janet Jackson and the crew from “Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?” which opened at No. 1 with a projected $21.5 million.

Clooney’s power-suited legal beagle “Michael Clayton” saw his appeal fall on deaf ears as the film only grossed about $11.5 million. Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix “We Own the Night” didn’t own the weekend, either, with the crime thriller grossing in the $11 million range.

Meanwhile “The Game Plan” continued to score touchdowns with the family crowd as the Duane “The Rock” Johnson comedy came in second place with $12 million.

Perry (“Madea’s Family Reunion”) relationship comedy was not reviewed well in the mainstream media, though we at Hollywood Today felt Janet Jackson turned in a surprisingly good performance. Still, no pundits last week expected it to double box office powerhouse Clooney and the others.

But Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, for all her fine films in the pipeline, couldn’t help “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” from being dragged to the Tower. With mixed reviews and an odd take on the monarch’s personal life, the film only did about $6.2 million in its first weekend.

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, OCTOBER 12-14, 2007

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor) Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married (Lionsgate) $21.5 million | 2,011 | $21.5 million | 1

2. The Game Plan (Buena Vista) $11.5 million | 3,128 | $59.4 million | 3

3. Michael Clayton (Warner Bros.) $11.0 million | 2,511 | $12.1 million | 2

4. We Own the Night (Sony / Columbia) $11.0 million | 2,362 | $11.0 million | 1

5. The Heartbreak Kid (Paramount (DreamWorks) $7.4 million | 3,233 | $26.0 million | 2

Figures courtesy of BoxofficeMojo.com