Tyler Perry’s beloved character Madea is back and the statistics are in: a lot of people watched her return. A Madea Homecoming debuted on Netflix last week and quickly became the No. 1 movie on the streamer, not only in the United States but in numerous countries around the world. As Perry celebrates the milestone, he’s reflecting on how the success of the movie opposes the messages the industry initially told him about the viability of his films.
A Madea Homecoming is the first of the franchise to come directly to Netflix, which also means it's the first installment in the long-running franchise to become instantly available to audiences around the world. The Netflix numbers show that the comedy was in the Top 10 of 33 countries worldwide, including in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. When sharing the news, Tyler Perry said this:
Since the beginning of my career, I was always told that “black movies” don't do well in other countries. I want to say, ‘thank you’ to not only my ride or dies in the USA, but to all of you in the rest of the world that helped Hollywood see what I’ve always known! Movies with Black people in them can appeal to the entire globe. Thank you, thank you, thank you. THANK YOU NETFLIX!!
The director's words come via his Instagram, where he published some incredible statistics about his new dramedy. According to Netflix, the comedy was viewed for 31 million hours within its first week on the streamer. The movie debuted at No. 1 in the United States alongside nine other countries: the Bahamas, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and South Africa. Check out the stats yourself:
It must be pretty amazing to be Tyler Perry and see how his latest feature is tracking in countries all over the globe. The actor, filmmaker and producer decided revive his gun-toting matriarch (after previously saying goodbye to the character) in order to bring more laughter to the world during a particularly trying time in our history. He can definitely be proud of his reach along with proving to Hollywood that “Black movies” can be commercially successful in places all around the world.
Tyler recently celebrated 17 years since he released his first Madea film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Over the years, he has certainly learned a lot about Hollywood and knows his audience. Madea movies are typically panned by critics, and A Madea Homecoming is no exception, but people certainly showed up to see the beloved character after her time away from the screen.
Given there’s not a ton of other high-profile Netflix releases until next week’s The Adam Project, starring Ryan Reynolds (who broke Netflix records last year with Red Notice) I’d guess A Madea Homecoming will continue to remain among the Top 10 this week as well. Check out what 2022 Netflix movie releases are arriving next here on CinemaBlend.
