With no competition opening up against him and the return of a familiar character to the screen, experts knew 'Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail' would be #1 at the box office; they just didn't know by how much.

Most predicted that 'Jail' would generate somewhere in the neighborhood of $25-$26 million. But the film took in a stunning $41 million, making it the biggest haul for any Perry film and any Lionsgate film.

Playing in a little over 2,000 theaters, 'Jail' grossed $20,236 per screen. His loyal audience didn't care what the critics had to say, good or bad. They wanted to see Madea Simmons back on the screen and they came out in droves.

'Jail's' opening tally even outperformed the overall gross of his last film, 'The Family That Preys', which starred notable actors Sanaa Lathan, Alfre Woodard, Taraji P. Henson and Academy Award winner Kathy Bates. That film, considered his "best" by some, ended its run in the theaters at $37.1 million.

Coming in second place, this weekend, with $11.4 million and continuing to play well is the Liam Neeson thriller, 'Taken.' The action-packed film has brought in a total of $95 million; and should break the $100 million plateau by next week.

Kid-friendly animated film 'Coraline' did well enough in its third weekend to land in third place with $11 million. Voiced by Dakota Fanning, the film has taken in $53.3 so far. Coming in fourth place was the romantic comedy, 'He's Just That Not Into You' with $8.5 million. Featuring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, and Justin Long in the cast, the film has grossed a total of $70 million.

Rounding out the top five was this year's Oscar winner for Best Picture, 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The Danny Boyle helmed film took in $8 million and is well on its way to the $100 million with $98 million in tow so far.

Dropping 80% from last week's take and knocked off from its #1 position was 'Friday the 13th', which landed in sixth place with $7.8 million. Its box office gross is $55 million, so you can probably expect another Jason Vorhees film in the future.