'Madea's Destination Wedding' Looks Pretty Tropical, But It Wasn't Filmed in the Bahamas

The story of Madea started long before the film franchise. Actor and comedian Tyler Perry has used the Madea character in his stand-up comedy for years, long before 2005 saw the release of the first Madea film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

And somehow through the years, she has become a symbol of comedy, strength, honesty, absurdity, and stereotypes.

Twenty years after the first film launched, Madea returned for a 2025 film titled Madea's Destination Wedding. Even while Perry battles allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior, the franchise continues to succeed. Here's what we know about where the visually stunning newest Madea movie was filmed, and why her story continues to resonate so much with people despite the franchise's over-the-top nature.

If you watch the movie, you see a tropical paradise with a little Madea flavor. It all starts when Madea's great-grandniece, Tiffany, announces that she is marrying a rapper she met on a yacht named Zavier.

Not only that, but they're having a destination wedding in the Bahamas. It's more than a bit of a shock, and at first, Madea comes up with several reasons why she can't make it to a destination wedding.

However, once she finds out that there's going to be an open bar, she's all in. The family gathers up their best dysfunctional travel skills and makes it to the Bahamas, where things go right and very wrong, in the best Madea tradition.

So it would seem simple: They had to film in the Bahamas, right? Wrong.

According to IMDb, there are two locations listed for filming the movie. Of course, they include Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Ga. But the list also includes a surprising locale: the Dominican Republic.

Therefore, the movie was filmed on set stages in Atlanta and on location in the Dominican Republic. The archival site notes that filming occurred between Jan. 16, 2024, and March 1, 2024.

While Madea movies are all fun and games on the surface, there's a history to the franchise that can't be ignored. Perry's occasionally problematic past has intertwined with the movies, and has stacked some controversy on top of his use of the Madea character.

However, there's more to Madea than her creator. She's taken on a life of her own.

It started with Diary of a Mad Black Woman in 2005. From there, the franchise continued:

• 2006: Madea's Family Reunion
• 2008: Meet the Browns
• 2009: Madea Goes to Jail and I Can Do It All By Myself
• 2011: Madea's Big Happy Family
• 2012: Madea's Witness Protection
• 2013: A Madea Christmas
• 2015: Madea's Tough Love
• 2016: Boo! A Madea Halloween
• 2017: Boo 2! A Madea Halloween
• 2019: A Madea Family Funeral
• 2022: A Madea Homecoming

Through it all, Perry has used a comedic and satirical lens to face topics that the public often ignores in the Black community, such as family dynamics, major events, stereotypes, friendships, family relationships, changing generational dynamics, health, incarceration, and most of all: love.

In 2016, Perry told the Los Angeles Times that through the movies, he's woven the themes of "faith, family, and forgiveness." Inspired by his abusive childhood, Madea is a nurturing and healing character, despite her gun-toting, ex-stripper ways.

Whether or not one is a fan of Madea and her franchise, it has undeniably had an impact on both the realms of comedy and filmmaking. Some have accused Perry of stereotyping and offending with his over-the-top portrayal of Black family dynamics, but Perry has weathered the criticism with patience, acknowledging that he knows the character can be divisive.

With Madea's Destination Wedding bringing the powerful matriarch back for another installment, it's clear that her story isn't over yet.