Crazy Rich Asians is No. 1, proving power of diversity (again)

LOS ANGELES — “Crazy Rich Asians,” powered by jubilant reviews and pent-up demand for a major Hollywood film led by Asian stars, took in a strong $25.2 million at North American theatres over the weekend, easily enough for No. 1.

It was the best result for a PG-13 romantic comedy in six years — since “Think Like a Man,” which featured an allblack primary cast and collected $33 million over its first three days. Among all nonsequel comedies, “Crazy Rich Asians” (Warner Bros.) posted the biggest turnout since the R-rated “Girls Trip,” which was released last summer and focused on four black women, a rarity.

“This shows — once again, with emphasis — that true diversity matters,” Brad Simpson, a “Crazy Rich Asians” producer, wrote in an email Sunday. “Audiences are tired of seeing the same stories with the same characters. And we have to give people a reason to get off their couch or devices. We have to give them something different.”

“Crazy Rich Asians,” starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding in a love story complicated by dazzling wealth (his) and a treacherous mother (his), is the first Hollywood studio movie in 25 years to have an all-Asian cast. The last one was “The Joy Luck Club,” which Disney released in 1993. As a result, “Crazy Rich Asians” was seen as a watershed moment by many Asian Americans, echoing the emotional manner in which African-Americans responded in February to “Black Panther,” which was rooted in black culture.

About 38 per cent of ticket buyers for “Crazy Rich Asians” were Asian, according to Jeff Goldstein, Warner’s president of domestic distribution. Asian moviegoers typically make up less than 10 per cent of the opening-weekend audience for a film. About 68 per cent of the audience was female.

“Crazy Rich Asians,” which cost an estimated $30 million to make and tens of millions more to market, took in $34 million since arriving Wednesday. (The film will roll out overseas in the weeks ahead.) To compare, the hit romantic comedy “27 Dresses,” starring Katherine Heigl, took in the same amount over its first five days in domestic theatres in 2008, after adjusting for inflation, going on to collect $200 million worldwide.

The movie business has changed dramatically in the last decade, however, making the turnout for “Crazy Rich Asians” all the more impressive.

As living room entertainment services like Netflix and Amazon have grown in popularity, filling seats in theatres has become much harder. To compete, studios have moved to the extremes: horror movies made on shoestring budgets, and lavishly expensive franchise films aimed at the broadest possible audience.

In turn, studios have largely abandoned midmarket movies like romantic comedies and uplifting sports dramas.