The character is a cash cow, but is the physical transformation to play her worth the continued effort?

Tyler Perry has been pretty vocal about his bittersweet relationship with Madea, the pistol-toting grandma character he created and portrays on both the stage and the big screen to much financial success.

      While Perry’s non-Madea movies have been well received at the box office, the films in which he stars as the character fare substantially better in ticket sales, which puts the filmmaker in a quandary.

       “Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail” topped the U.S. box office last weekend with $41 million in its first three days of release. It marks his best opening weekend of all-time and is poised to sprint past the take of his top-grossing film, “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion” (2006).      

       Still, Perry confesses: “I would love to see Madea die a slow death in the next film.” The reason? It takes a lot of effort to turn the 6-foot-5-inch Perry into big momma Madea.      

       He knows she’s “a whole lot of fun to watch. But to do it is a nightmare,” Perry tells the Associated Press. “It’s all one suit that I’m zipped into, so it’s all heavy. The hips are heavy. And the more I sweat, the heavier it gets. I see why women have back problems who have large breasts. Holding those things upright can be tough.”      

       Come summer, the 39-year-old Perry — whose Atlanta-based media empire includes films, books, videos, theatrical productions and TV shows — will be back on the big screen making a cameo appearance in director J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek.” Next is Perry’s own period drama “A Jazz Man’s Blues.” Then, more Madea, with “Madea’s Class Reunion.”      

       Perry said that it’s clear that fans want more of her. “As long as they want to see her, she’ll stay around. But, I’m telling you, if they ever stop coming, she’s going to die a quick death. ‘Madea’s Funeral.’ That’s what you look forward to.”