-LRB- Entertainment Weekly -RRB- -- If anybody had a reason to doubt whether Tyler Perry has become one of the most bankable brands in all of movies , be skeptical no longer . The domestic dramedy maestro 's latest release , Tyler Perry 's `` Madea Goes to Jail , '' ran away with a big victory on the typically slow Academy Awards weekend , grossing a hefty $ 41.1 million , according to early estimates from Media by Numbers . That opening sum is the biggest of all time for a Tyler Perry film , besting the $ 30 million debut of 2006 's `` Madea 's Family Reunion . '' Too , it 's the top bow in the history of indie studio Lionsgate , improving upon all the Tyler Perry and `` Saw '' flicks that came before it . The movie 's per-theater average of $ 20,236 ranks in the top 40 for all wide openers ever . And , no surprise , `` Madea Goes to Jail '' achieved all this success with a solid A CinemaScore grade from a crowd that included mostly older women . Watch Tyler Perry talk about his success '' Second place went to `` Taken , '' which added another $ 11.4 million to its four-week tally , bringing said total to $ 95.2 million . Fellow strong holdover `` Coraline '' -LRB- No. 3 -RRB- was next with $ 11 million . `` He 's Just Not That Into You '' -LRB- No. 4 -RRB- declined a sharp 56 percent to bank $ 8.5 million on its third weekend . And Best Picture favorite `` Slumdog Millionaire '' rounded out the top five with $ 8.1 million -- a sum that brings its domestic total to $ 98 million . Reigning champ `` Friday the 13th '' suffered one of the biggest drops ever , a stunning 81 percent , to finish in sixth place with $ 7.8 million . And this weekend 's other major new release , the cheerleader comedy `` Fired Up ! '' -LRB- No. 9 -RRB- , grossed a weak-but-expected $ 6 million . The film garnered an okay CinemaScore grade of B from a crowd comprised of mostly younger ladies . Overall , the weekend was up nearly 30 percent over the same frame a year ago , when `` Vantage Point '' led the way . Eight of the past nine weekends have improved upon the previous year 's grosses . And I 'd be remiss if I did n't take a quick peek at the main Oscar contenders , for whom the box office report is mixed headed into the ceremony . `` The Curious Case of Benjamin Button '' leads the way with $ 124.2 million . The aforementioned `` Slumdog Millionaire '' should clear the $ 100 million mark in the next several days , whether it wins the top prize or not . Then it 's a big jump down to `` Milk '' -LRB- $ 28.2 million -RRB- , `` The Reader '' -LRB- $ 23.2 million -RRB- , and `` Frost/Nixon '' -LRB- $ 17.4 million -RRB- . And let 's not forget multiple nominee `` The Dark Knight , '' which may not be up for Best Picture , but did finally become the fourth movie ever to cross the $ 1 billion mark at the worldwide box office . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly