Crazy Rich Asians dominated the box office this weekend, taking in $25.2 million over three-days and totaling a $34 million tally in its first five-day debut. Despite its lavish title, Jon M. Chu‘s romantic comedy, the first American studio film in decades to feature an all-Asian cast, only cost $30 million to make.
This is fantastic news for anyone who still believes in the power of the rom-com, a genre that has seen a steady downward slope right out of the box office. The last romantic comedy to tune up a debut like Crazy Rich Asians was the Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow vehicle Trainwreck, which bowed to $30.1 million in 2015.
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Jon M. Chu’s acclaimed movie, based on Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel, is clearly long overdue, but it couldn’t have arrived at a better time. And that’s not just because August is a notoriously slow month at the box office. Crazy Rich Asians comes on the heels of a number of movies this summer that demonstrate the value of representation of the big screen.
Crazy Rich Asians simply changes the game. It shows that minorities don’t need Spandexed suits or powers to be bankable. They can be glamorous and sassy and intimidating and genuine, and still relate to virtually all audiences.
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.
Source: Collider
