Crazy Rich Asians falters in China
Chinese audiences aren’t exactly going nuts over the U.S. box office hit Crazy Rich Asians, despite its all-Asian cast and theme of rising Asian prosperity.
Industry data show the film made just $1.2 million over the three days of its initial release, far behind local productions in the world’s second-largest movie market. (All figures in U.S. dollars.) That compared with the $24.2 grossed by the Chinese crime drama A Cool Fish, according to data from the consultancy Artisan Gateway cited by Variety, an industry journal.
Chinese film industry veteran Junzi Wei says the romantic comedy’s focus on southeast Asian culture did not resonate with mainland Chinese.
“It’s a good genre movie,” Wei said. “It’s also an interesting comparison with the current China-U.S. relationship. You think you know about China, but in reality you don’t.”
The film’s poor performance in China contrasts sharply with its near-rapturous reception in the Chinese diaspora, especially in the U.S. where it was hailed as the first all-Asian box office smash.
Critic Hang Shi said Chinese audiences are so used to all-Asian productions that the casting didn’t hold much novelty.
“What the public was excited about abroad was all-Asian faces, but, sorry, we watch all-Asian faces every day so it is less valuable here,” Shi said.
The film’s over-the-top displays of wealth and entitlement may also have been a turnoff for some viewers in a country where the widening gap between rich and poor rankles many.
“It is understandable in a comedy atmosphere, but it gets harder for me to get into the story,” he said.
The Warner Bros. breakout romantic comedy earned $173 million in the U.S. and was a box office hit in Singapore, where it is set. Like most comedies, Jon M. Chu’s film hasn’t been as much of a sensation elsewhere. It took months to secure a China release date, a delay some attributed to its portrayal of extremely wealthy Chinese Singaporeans at a time when China’s ruling Communist Party is cracking down on corruption and displays of crass consumerism.
That time lag may also have enabled many Chinese viewers to access pirated versions online or through streaming services, diminishing their desire to splash out on theatre tickets.
The film’s performance in China is potentially worrisome for Warner Bros. Its planned sequel, China Rich Girlfriend, is expected to better capitalize on the world’s second largest film market.
Another upcoming film targeting Chinese audiences is a live-action version of Disney’s 1998 animated classic Mulan, which told the story of a plucky Chinese girl who took her father’s place in battling invaders from the north. That film also boasts an almost entirely Chinese cast, led by popular actress Yifei Liu in the title role.
However, Wei said the film’s success will be based on how authentic it feels to Chinese audiences.