LOS ANGELES 鈥� Glitz won over guns as the gilded romance 鈥淐razy Rich Asians鈥� debuted at No. 1 in North American theatres this weekend, surpassing industry expectations and beating out action-packed fare like 鈥淢ile 22.鈥�
Warner Bros. estimates that the film earned $25.2 million over the weekend and $34 million since its opening Wednesday. It鈥檚 a surefire win for the film, which cost $30 million to produce and went into the weekend with months of buzz and a 93 per cent 鈥渇resh鈥� rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Breakout star Henry Golding told The Associated Press on Sunday that the film鈥檚 performance is a 鈥渢estament to the people who are turning up.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the Asians who are coming. It鈥檚 people of all colours from all walks of life who are enjoying this cinematic experience,鈥� Golding said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real shift in Hollywood.鈥�
Adapted from Kevin Kwan鈥檚 bestseller, 鈥淐razy Rich Asians鈥� stars Constance Wu as an American woman who gets a culture shock meeting her boyfriend鈥檚 obscenely wealthy family in Singapore. The studio strategically bumped up the film鈥檚 opening to a Wednesday earlier in the summer.
鈥淲e knew we鈥檇 get avids who read the book and a large Asian following,鈥� said Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Jeff Goldstein. 鈥淲e figured OK, we get good reviews, open on Wednesday, word of mouth will spread and really propel the movie into the weekend, and that鈥檚 exactly what happened.鈥�
As recently as July 26, box office experts were predicting that the film would open to at least $18 million over its first five days, but no one expected a launch of over $30 million.
鈥淚 think the audience isn鈥檛 an obvious audience,鈥� Goldstein said. 鈥淲hen you get a culturally important event like this movie, I think it just takes off like wildfire.鈥�
The stakes were high for the first studio-produced 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. Cast members and fans started using the hashtag #GoldOpen to try to encourage more opening weekend support.
Director Jon M. Chu tweeted his appreciation Sunday and asked audiences to keep spreading the word.
鈥淲e still have a long run to go but our message to the world has been heard. We have arrived,鈥� Chu wrote. 鈥淣ow let鈥檚 go tell more of our stories! We have a lot more to say. And I don鈥檛 want to wait another 25 years to see them. This is only the beginning.鈥�
Despite the success of 鈥淐razy Rich Asians,鈥� other films still found audiences this weekend, including Warner Bros. shark movie 鈥淭he Meg,鈥� which fell only 53 per cent in its second weekend, adding $21.2 million. The Jason Statham-led film has now grossed over $300 million worldwide.
Mark Wahlberg鈥檚 action-packed 鈥淢ile 22,鈥� 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, 鈥淎lpha,鈥� an Ice Age-set adventure tale, tied for fourth place in its opening weekend with 鈥淢ission: Impossible 鈥� Fallout.鈥�
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics鈥� 鈥淭he Wife鈥� opened with $111,137, and Roadside Attractions鈥� 鈥淛uliet, Naked鈥� debuted with $60,922. Both films opened in four theatres.
One film that did not find much of an audience was Kevin Spacey鈥檚 鈥淏illionaire Boys Club,鈥� which Vertical Entertainment released in eight theatres this weekend after making it available for purchase on Video on Demand last month. Official earnings were not reported to comScore, but industry trade publication The Hollywood Reporter said Sunday that the film earned a dismal $425.
Hollywood鈥檚 winning streak continues with the summer season up 12.4 per cent from last year and the year overall up 8.9 per cent.
鈥淭he box office is on a roll,鈥� said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian, noting the diverse genre offerings in cinemas this summer. 鈥淭he line-up basically looks like a streaming service. That鈥檚 what people have become accustomed to and the movie theatre is delivering it in a big way this summer.鈥�
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1.鈥淐razy Rich Asians,鈥� $25.2 million ($730,000 international).
2.鈥淭he Meg,鈥� $21.2 million ($67 million international).
3.鈥淢ile 22,鈥� $13.6 million ($538,000 international).
4.鈥淎lpha,鈥� $10.5 million.
4.(tie) 鈥淢ission: Impossible 鈥� Fallout,鈥� $10.5 million ($20.5 million international).
5.鈥淐hristopher Robin,鈥� $8.9 million ($7.9 million international).
6.鈥淏lacKkKlansman,鈥� $7 million ($1.2 million international).
7.鈥淪lender Man,鈥� $5 million.
8.鈥淗otel Transylvania 3,鈥� $3.7 million ($28.3 million international).
9.鈥淢amma Mia! Here We Go Again,鈥� $3.4 million ($15.3 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theatres (excluding the U.S. and sa国际传媒), according to comScore:
1. 鈥淭he Meg,鈥� $67 million.
2. 鈥淭he Island,鈥� $38.7 million.
3. 鈥淗otel Transylvania 3,鈥� $28.3 million.
4. 鈥淢ission: Impossible 鈥� Fallout,鈥� $20.5 million.
5. 鈥淓urope Raiders,鈥� $19.5 million.
6. 鈥淕o Brother!,鈥� $17.7 million.
7. 鈥淭he Equalizer 2,鈥� $17.5 million.
8. 鈥淢amma Mia! Here We Go Again,鈥� $15.3 million.
9. 鈥淥olong Courtyard: Kung Fu School,鈥� $14.8 million.
10. 鈥淚ncredibles 2,鈥� $8.9 million.
