Friday Box Office – Tyler Perry’s I CAN DO Bad ALL BY MYSELF Leads a Crowded Field of New Fall Features

Welcome to fall at the box office, where the releases are smaller and so are the returns!  Four new titles hit multiplexes this week – all competing for the limited dollars that this, traditionally slower, weekend has to offer.  Producers Tim Burton and Timon Bekmambetov got an early jump on the frame by releasing their animated feature “9″ to 1,661 theatres on Wednesday (09-09-09).  In a crowded field this marketing ploy seems to have paid off and “9″ goes into the weekend with a $4.4 million head-start.  Wider openers include the Summit Entertainment slasher “House on Sorority Row” and “Whiteout”, which launched on 2,775 screens but couldn’t crack Friday’s top five.  The one to watch, however, is Tyler Perry’s latest Madea flick “I Can Do Bad All By Myself”.  On 2,255 screens “Bad” is playing for number one - hoping to outdo the $17.4 million Perry earned for “The Family That Preys” on this same weekend back in 2008.  Check back tomorrow to see if he makes it.