Tyler Perry - Emerging Heavyweight
"Hollywood's hottest investments”
“The actor with the highest return on investment for movie studios? It's not Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp or even Ben Stiller. Believe it … Tyler Perry.”
By BusinessWeek
“As a movie star, Adam Sandler has been a walking -- make that stumbling -- anomaly. His comic bits are, well, dopey to the point of distraction. He does his best work when he's mumbling, often in a faux hillbilly accent. And the critics darn near hate him.
But his films work where it counts, with the folks who plunk down their $9 or so for his films. His latest, "Click," a shameless takeoff on the old holiday chestnut "It's a Wonderful Life," uses a remote control that allows a workaholic architect to fast forward and rewind his life. It was skewered by critics ("It's not worth wasting money on," wrote Claudia Puig in USA Today), but it opened strongly on June 23 with a $40 million first weekend.
That marks the continuation of a remarkable streak for the 39-year-old Sandler, who also has had big-league hits in recent years with dope-fests like "Mr. Deeds" and "50 First Dates." The former "Saturday Night Live" cast member is among the most bankable actors in Hollywood, a guy who usually posts hefty returns for the studio brass who trust millions to put him, and his antics, on the big screen.
Still, Sandler is not the leader among the most bankable guys to mug for the camera and see their name up in lights. That distinction goes to a little-known comedian named Tyler Perry, who has burst out of nowhere with a couple of midsize hits in the past two years –- "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" in 2005 and "Madea's Family Reunion" this year.
Neither film passed the magic $100 million mark reserved for blockbusters, but neither cost more than $6 million to produce. The result: the 37-year-old writer and comedian takes top honors in BusinessWeek.com's ROI Award for Hollywood's big earner.”
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/News/...
Craig,
That's a very good question. An answer? Well, journalists each have their own style of writing. Some tell a narrative (introductory story) that leads to their overall point and others go directly to the point. And since I didn't write the article or know the person who did personally, I could only surmise that the writer of that article wanted the reader to associate the success of the other more familiar icons with Perry being the "surprise" ending.
Anyway, that's the reason I chose the word "Emerging" in the title for posting that article. In other words, I was attempting to prepare the reader to look deeper to see Perry is coming into his own (in Hollywood terms).
As for whether Perry is a comedian or an entertainer? He's both with the inclusion of director, playwright/writer, and producer.
Anyway, try to remember as you read any sort of news and information, that there are varying styles of writing exhibited by writers with their own way of telling a story or disseminating information.
BTW, I applaud your criticism of that article – You are the critical reader much needed in the world of journalism.
Jane