Tyler Perry Says He Still Has ‘Issues Getting Screens in White Neighborhoods’

Tyler Perry won the box office over the weekend, as his latest film “Boo! A Madea Halloween” took in nearly $28 million, but the Hollywood hitmaker feels his movies could still be reaching more audiences, The Wrap reports.

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Although “Boo! A Madea Halloween” displaced Paramount’s Tom Cruise action sequel “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” to earn the top box office spot over the weekend, Perry cited the fact that “Jack Reacer” opened on 3,780 screens, 1,500 more than “Madea.”

“I still have issues getting screens in white neighborhoods believe it or not,” Perry told The Wrap. “I think the numbers could have been bigger had people who are in the white suburbs had the option to go to their own theaters to see it. It’s something I’ve been dealing with for many, many years.”

Interestingly, “Madea” played on far fewer screens despite the fact that the film had significantly broader appeal than some of Perry’s previous films. Most of the “Madea” movies have attracted audiences that were 80 percent to 90 percent black, while audiences who came out for “Boo! A Madea Halloween” were roughly 60 percent black, according to a study.

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Lionsgate told TheWrap the company stands by its initial theatrical release strategy, and said the movie will eventually be released on around the same number of screens as Perry’s prior films. Despite Perry’s convictions about his latest film, he told The Wrap he still finds it “amazing” that his audience is “broadening on its own organically.”

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