Director/actor Tyler Perry continues his successful saga as his latest outing I Can Do Bad All By Myself takes the crown at the box office this weekend with more than $24 million in ticket sales.
The movie–staring Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson, Adam Rodriguez, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight and Perry as Madea, his brash, cross-dressing alter ego–cost under $20 million to produce, inking a profit for Lions Gate Entertainment out the gate.
I Can Do Bad is Perry’s second winner since February when Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail debuted at No. 1, raking in $41 million. Last year, he opened Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, the first African-American-owned movie studio in the country.
Elsewhere, the animated film 9 came in second with sales of $15.3 million, Inglourious Basterds took No. 3 with $6.5 million, while Sorority Row opened at No. 6 with $5.3.