For nearly two decades, Tyler Perry has been making audiences chuckle by starring as the hilarious Madea, and the beloved character is now garnering plenty of laughter among Netflix subscribers. After arriving on the streaming platform on Friday, March 31 alongside titles like Copycat Killer, Murder Mystery 2, and new episodes of Love Is Blind Season 4, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, the first film in the Madea franchise, has hit Netflix’s Top 10 streaming charts.
Inspired by the play of the same name and directed by Darren Grant, Diary of a Mad Black Woman stars Perry as Madea, a grandmother who helps her granddaughter destroy her estranged husband’s property after they divorce following 18 years of marriage. Along with Perry, the film also stars Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, and Cicely Tyson. The film marked Perry’s debut feature film and proved to be a massive hit following its 2006 theatrical debut. Diary of a Mad Black Woman grossed $50.7 million worldwide against a $5.5 million budget and was a hit among audiences.
Since arriving on Netflix, Diary of a Mad Black Woman has enjoyed plenty of success. Just a day after its Netflix launch, the movie broke into the streamer’s Top 10 rankings, taking the No. 4 spot on April 1, per FlixPatrol data. While the movie’s ranking has faltered slightly, Diary of a Mad Black Woman has not yet dropped out of the running. As of the streamer’s latest Top 10 rankings on the platform, the movie is the seventh most-popular film currently streaming on Netflix in the U.S. It falls behind Over the Hedge, Murder Mystery, The Thing, Shark Tale, The Bourne Legacy, and Murder Mystery 2.
While Netflix hasn’t released viewership data for the film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman is the third highest-ranked film in the Madea franchise by audiences, per Rotten Tomatoes. The movie holds an 85% audience score, with only 2009’s Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself (81%) and 2006’s Madea Family Reunion (93%) ranking higher. The film, however, is among the lowest-ranked films in the franchise among critics, only holding a 16% critics score with a critics consensus reading, “Tyler Perry’s successful play can’t make the move to the screen; this mix of slapstick, melodrama and spirituality lacks a consistent tone.” Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween, released in 2017, is the only other Madea film to hold a lower critics score.
In addition to Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Tyler Perry’s A Madea Homecoming is also streaming on Netflix. You can view what else is set to arrive on Netflix this month by clicking here.
