Tyler Perryis known for pumping out movie after movie despite what critics have to say about them, and whileDivorce in the Black, his worst movie to datewith a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes, has certainly garnered a lot of negative attention, Perry can feel vindicated knowing that it has now driven more subscriptions toPrime Videothan any other original Amazon MGM film in the platform’s history.
PerVariety, 498 million minutes ofDivorce in the Blackwere watched during its first four days, equaling about 3.5 million views. For the week of July 8-14, the film managed to crack the Nielsen Top 10 streaming charts, coming in at number three behindBeverly Hills Cop: Axel F, and John Krasinski’sIF. In the weeks that followed,Divorce in the Blackcaptured an additional 93.2 million minutes watched for the week of July 26 to August 1, and while that drop off might seem significant, it’s quite the accomplishment for a movie that had already been out for three weeks.
Why Prime Video’s Most-Watched Movie Has a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes
Despite receiving a 0% Rotten Tomatoes Score Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black still managed to climb the Prime Video charts to number one.
While Amazon did not release specifics (they never do), the company did proclaim thatDivorce in Blackhas generatedthe most subscriptions to the streaming service than any other original production in its history. Despite what critics have to say, the film holds a 74% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s clear that people are loving the story of a preacher’s daughter who realizes her husband has given up on their marriage, and the consequences that follow her actions. Starring Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict,Divorce in Blackis the fourth movie Perry has directed since 2022.
Tyler Perry Responds to Divorce in the Black Criticism
Not one tokeep his thoughts to himself, Perry has been swift to respond to the critics that have lambasted his latest movie. Said to feature “cartoonish dialogue” by some, and full of “soap opera clichés" by others, the director seems to be taking it all in stride, and is relying on his faith to get him through it all. Appearing on theBaby, This Is Keke Palmerpodcast (viaComplex), Perry says he knows who he is, and exactly what he is supposed to be doing.
“You got to drown all of that out because if you let somebody talk you out of a place that God has put you in, you are going to find yourself in hell. I know for a fact that what I’m doing is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing because for everyone who is a critic, I have thousands of emails from people saying ‘This changed my life.’ ‘Oh my God, you know me.’ ‘Oh my God, you saw me, how did you know this about my life, my family?’ So that is what is important to me.”
Critics be damned, it seems that Perry knows who his audience is, and – unlike other big-budget productions from major studiosthat can be either hit or miss with fans– has managed to tap into what his admirers like in a way that strikes a soulful chord time and time again. One thing is for sure: with the success ofDivorce in the Blackon Prime Video, he won’t be going away anytime soon.
