Tyler Perry To Stop Filmmaking, Focus On OWN Projects

Award winning, actor, director, screenwriter, playwright and producer Tyler Perry released his 17th film in 10 years earlier this month. The Single Moms Club marked Perry‘s final film under his lucrative partnership with Lionsgate. It also marked the end of Perry‘s career as a filmmaker (well for now).

The Hollywood powerhouse plans to take a break from making movies for now to work on his four television series. Perry is really devoted to making his television series for Oprah Winfrey’s Network.

The Single Moms Club was a film that Perry always wanted to do-saluting single moms is how Perry wanted to make his anniversary. The film which stars Nia Long and Amy Smart opened March 14th with $8.3 million at No. 5 ($10 million short of studio expectations). As of last weekend, the film had grossed $12.9 million.

Perry‘s Diary of a Mad Black Woman landed him a lucrative first-look, multiyear distribution deal with Lionsgate Entertainment. Last month, the two parties decided not to renew that deal. According to TheWrap.com, “Both flourished during their partnership, with Perry building an Atlanta-based film and TV production empire and Lionsgate growing into a major Hollywood studio. The Twilight and Hunger Games franchises obviously played a major factor in that growth, but Perry helped the studio—which launched in 1997—find its early footing with films that African American audiences, in particular, loved“.

Perry is now focusing on producing projects for mentor-friend Oprah Winfrey. He has a multiyear partnership to produce, write and direct scripted content for OWN. It is being reported that Perry is the only producer to have scripted series’ on the network in addition to an equity stake in the company. His series The Haves and the Have Nots, For Better or Worse, and Love Thy Neighbor, are scoring strong ratings on OWN. The Haves and Have Nots has generated the network’s highest ratings.

On March 20th, Perry wrote to his fans in an e-mail letter that “this is the first time in 10 years that I don’t already have my next movie written or shot and ready to come out. That is because my focus for this past year has been on my TV shows on OWN. Just so you know, that’s where you’ll find me until I do another movie.”

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Photos Credit: Uptown