After surprising us on Friday with its first-place debut, Think Like A Man has surprised again with its estimated $33 million haul from 2,015 locations.  That is the best per-screen average of the week (wide releases) and it nearly doubles expectations for the comedy. In second place, The Lucky One earned a solid $22.8 million and then there’s The Hunger Games… not sick of hearing about that one yet, are you?

I admit it: I never see Tyler Perry coming.  The writer/director who has watched six of his eight feature films open at number one at the domestic box office always sneaks up on me somehow.  So while I was busy watching “Inglourious Basterds” crawl past $100 million this week, Perry’s latest Madea-melodrama had an unchallenged run at the top spot once again.  Meanwhile, other new releases like the Kate Beckinsale thriller “Whiteout” had less success finding a fanbase, leaving “I Can Do Bad” to rack up $24 million for Perry’s third-highest opening to date.

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.