‘Crazy Rich Asians’ doesn’t click 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.

That compared with the $25.6 million grossed by the Chinese crime drama “A Cool Fish,” according to data from analyst Comscore.

Chinese film industry veteran Wei Junzi says the romantic comedy’s focus on Southeast Asian culture did not resonate with mainland Chinese, despite the cast’s ethnic makeup.

“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 Shi Hang 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 turn-off 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.