Academy Awards heavyweights such as George Clooney and Cate Blanchett were no match for another of Tyler Perry’s populist tales.

The Lionsgate release Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?, debuted as the No. 1 weekend movie with $21.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Perry’s flick came in well ahead of Clooney’s legal drama Michael Clayton, Blanchett’s historical pageant Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg’s crime saga We Own the Night, which all pulled in modest crowds.

Universal’s The Golden Age, was No. 6 with $6.2 million at 2,001 locations. The historical drama’s marketing tried to dazzle with colorful imagery, but the picture didn’t stand out among recent productions about England’s queens. Its 1998 predecessor, Elizabeth, was a platform release, peaking at 624 theaters, and grossed $30.1 million by the end of its run, a total that The Golden Age is not likely to come close to.

1.) Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?, $21.5 million.
2.) The Game Plan, $11.5 million.
3.) Michael Clayton, $11.01 million.
4.) We Own the Night, $11 million.
5.) The Heartbreak Kid, $7.4 million.
6. Elizabeth: The Golden Age, $6.2 million.

Source: Yahoo! Movies & Box Office Mojo