Tyler Perry has another streaming hit on his hands.
“Why Did I Get Married Again?” reached the top spot on Nielsen’s U.S. streaming movie chart. The film recorded 908 million viewing minutes during the week of Sept. 7 through Sept. 13.
The Netflix movie also ranked third among all streaming titles measured by Nielsen during the same period. Only “Reacher” and “The Big Bang Theory” generated more viewing minutes.
“Reacher” led the overall chart with 1.182 billion minutes watched. “The Big Bang Theory” followed with 971 million minutes.
Perry’s film managed to reach 908 million minutes with only one title available to viewers. Nielsen’s measurements cover U.S. television viewing and do not include computers or mobile devices.
The performance came during the film’s debut week on Netflix. “Why Did I Get Married Again?” premiered Sept. 9. Netflix’s own figures also showed a strong opening for Perry’s latest project. The film earned 19.3 million views during its first week. It became Netflix’s most-watched English-language movie for the period.
The gang reunites nearly two decades later
“Why Did I Get Married Again?” marks the third installment in Perry’s popular relationship franchise.
The original “Why Did I Get Married?” arrived in 2007. Its sequel, “Why Did I Get Married Too?,” followed in 2010. Sixteen years later, the longtime friends are back together. This time, a destination wedding takes them to Lake Como, Italy.
The story centers on Jasmine, the daughter of Angela and Marcus. She is preparing to marry Wesley, whose mother is Roselyn. However, the reunion forces the older generation to confront the examples they have set for their children.
Several familiar faces returned for the new film. Perry reprises his role as Terry alongside Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White, Jill Scott and Lamman Rucker. Sharon Leal and Richard T. Jones also return.
Taraji P. Henson joins the franchise as Roselyn. Perry wrote, directed and produced the third installment. Angi Bones and Tony Strickland also served as producers.
The film’s production was completed at Perry’s famously fast pace. Smith revealed the Italy portion was filmed in only four days.
“We get less days of filming,” Smith said during a BlackTree TV interview. “When we first did the movie, I think we had three weeks or something. Then we shot this movie … I don’t know if I can say it out loud. Four days. Which is insane.”
Sharon Leal jokingly described the experience as “refined insanity.” Smith said Perry’s approach works because he enters production with a clear understanding of what he needs.
“He knows what he wants. And he’s a technician at what he does,” Smith said. “He knows exactly what’s going on. He knows exactly what he has, what he doesn’t have.”
Perry revisits love and marriage
The film also arrives as Perry publicly reflects on his own relationship with marriage. While promoting the movie, the filmmaker discussed his views on love during an interview with “TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle.”
“I think there is only one kind of love, and that’s real,” Perry said. “If it’s real, it’s enough.”
He later made it clear that marriage is not currently part of his personal plans. During an appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” Perry answered “Nope” when Hudson asked whether he would ever marry.
“It’s not the marriage that bothers me, it’s the divorce,” Perry said.
Despite Perry’s personal reservations, marriage remains at the center of his latest movie. Nearly 20 years after audiences first met the characters, their complicated relationships are once again attracting viewers.
This time, audiences did not have to head to theaters to reconnect with the group. With 908 million minutes watched, “Why Did I Get Married Again?” claimed the No. 1 movie position on Nielsen’s streaming chart. It also gave Perry another strong showing in his ongoing partnership with Netflix.