‘Crazy Rich Asians’ dazzles at box office
Groundbreaking flick earns $34M
LOS ANGELES — Glitz won over guns as the gilded romance “Crazy Rich Asians” debuted at No. 1 in North American theaters over the weekend, surpassing industry expectations and beating actionpacked “Mile 22.”
Warner Bros. estimates that the film earned $25.2 million over the weekend and $34 million since its opening Wednesday. The film cost $30 million to produce and went into the weekend with a 93 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Breakout star Henry Golding said Sunday that the film’s performance is a “testament to the people who are turning up.”
“It’s not just the Asians who are coming. It’s people of all colors from all walks of life who are enjoying this cinematic experience,” Golding said. “It’s a real shift in Hollywood.”
Adapted from Kevin Kwan’s best-seller, “Crazy Rich Asians” stars Constance Wu as an American woman who gets a culture shock when she meets her boyfriend’s wealthy Singapore family.
The stakes were high for the first studioproduced movie led by Asian-Americans in 25 years. The filmmakers even turned down a big offer from Netflix to give the historically significant film a theatrical platform.
Coming in second, Warner Bros. shark movie “The Meg” fell only 53 percent in its second weekend and added $21.2 million. It has now grossed over $300 million worldwide.
Mark Wahlberg’s action-packed “Mile 22,” his fourth collaboration with director Peter Berg, debuted in third place with an estimated $13.6 million. The STX film had a $35 million production budget.
Launching with $10.5 million, “Alpha,” an Ice Age-set adventure tale, tied for fourth place in its opening weekend with “Mission: Impossible — Fallout.”
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics’ “The Wife” opened with $111,137, and Roadside Attractions’ “Juliet, Naked” debuted with $60,922. Both films opened in four theaters.
One film that did not find much audience was Kevin Spacey’s “Billionaire Boys Club,” which Vertical Entertainment released in eight theaters this weekend after making it available for purchase on Video on Demand last month. Official earnings were not reported, but industry trade publication The Hollywood Reporter said Sunday that the film earned $425.