“Crazy Rich Asians” hit it off with moviegoers, becoming the first romantic comedy to top the weekend box office in more than three years.
The highly anticipated movie — Hollywood’s first to feature nearly an entire cast of Asian descent in more than 25 years — took in an estimated $25.3 million this weekend, and $34 million over its first five days, the best debut for any comedy this year.
The last rom-com to top even $20 million in its opening weekend was Amy Schumer’s “Trainwreck” in July 2015. “Crazy Rich Asians” stars Constance Wu as an American professor who meets her boyfriend’s (Henry Golding) wealthy family in Singapore, and co-stars Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong and Gemma Chan.
Read: Why the producers of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ turned down a major Netflix payday
Like “Black Panther” earlier this year, “Crazy Rich Asians,” from AT&T’s T, -0.18% Warner Bros., proved that diversity can draw crowds. Surveys found 40% of the U.S. audience for “Crazy Rich Asians” were Asian American, and 68% female.
“This is a culturally significant movie, period,” Warner Bros. distribution chief Jeff Goldstein told the Hollywood Reporter. “It shows all of us that we need to look outside the box.”
The movie was made for about $18 million, and experts predicted its success could lead to greater on-screen diversity.
See: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ actors hope film’s success will open more doors for Asian Americans
Second place remained in the Warner Bros. family, as the shark thriller “The Meg” earned $21.2 million, for a two-week domestic haul of $83.8 million. Worldwide, the movie has reaped $314.2 million, including more than $100 million in China.
The Mark Wahlberg-led action movie “Mile 22,” from STX Entertainment placed third, with $13.6 million, and “Alpha,” Studio 8’s adventure story of the first pet dog, earned $10.5 million — not a bad debut, but far below its estimated $50 million production budget.
In its fourth week, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout,” from Viacom’s VIA, +0.99% Paramount, kept churning along, tying for fourth place with $10.5 million. Overall it’s earned $180 million domestically, and about $320 million counting overseas sales.
Meanwhile, Kevin Spacey’s “Billionaire Boys Club” may have taken the pointy hat for worst box-office performer of the year. The disgraced actor proved to be box-office poison, as the film opened to almost no publicity and reportedly earned just $287 in its first two days, leading to weekend projections of less than $425.
