‘Ralph’ repeats as No. 1, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ flops in China
On a typically sleepy post-Thanksgiving weekend in U.S. movie theaters, leftovers led the box office and Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” repeated as number one with $25.8 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The “Wreck-It Ralph” sequel dropped steeply (54 percent) after nearly setting a Thanksgiving record last weekend. But with only one new film in wide release, nothing came close to “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” which sends John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman’s video-game characters into cyberspace. In 11 days of release, the $175 million film has cleared $207 million worldwide.
“Crazy Rich Asians,” Warner Bros.′ breakout summer hit, was a dud in China. Warner Bros. said the acclaimed romantic comedy, which earned $173 million domestically, debuted in China with just $1.2 million. John M. Chu’s Singapore-set film, which opened Aug. 14 in the U.S., took months to secure a release date in China, a delay some have attributed to the film’s depiction of extremely wealthy Chinese Singaporeans.
“Crazy Rich Asians” was a hit at the Singapore box office, but, like most comedies, it hasn’t been as much a sensation abroad as it was in the U.S.; it’s earned $64 million overseas. The film’s performance in China, though, is potentially worrisome for Warner Bros. Its planned sequel, “China Rich Girlfriend,” aims to better capitalize on the world’s second largest film market.