Warner Bros

With the help of excited Asian-American audiences, Warner Bros.’ “Crazy Rich Asians” has posted the biggest opening for a romantic comedy in three years with a $25 million weekend total and a $34 million five-day opening from 3,384 screens, beating tracker expectations.

With a 92 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and an A on CinemaScore, Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s best-seller has earned acclaim both as a fun rom-com and as a rallying cry for Asian-Americans looking for more representation in media.

While the MPAA reports that Asian audiences account on average for about 6 percent of total domestic grosses last year, they accounted for 40 percent of this film’s opening weekend audience, according to comScore’s PostTrak, a demographic share unheard of for a Hollywood film.

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And with a $30 million budget, “Crazy Rich Asians” is on track to be a hit quite similar to Universal’s “Girls Trip,” an African-American comedy made on a similar budget that became a quiet smash hit with black women with a $115 million domestic run. As romantic comedies have struggled since the success of “Trainwreck” in 2015 and fewer mid-budget films top the charts, “Crazy Rich Asians” is another sign that diversity is a way back to profitability for both film categories.

In second place is Warner Bros.’ release from last weekend, “The Meg,” which now appears to be on solid ground with a $21.5 million second weekend and 10-day total of $84 million. Overseas, this Chinese-American co-production stayed strong with $67 million, including $30.5 million in China to bring its total in that country to $117 million. Overall, the Jason Statham giant shark movie has a global total of $314 million.

Combined with holdover numbers from Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” the two WB releases have made the August box office a much better ending to the summer season for movie theaters than last year. This weekend’s total box office revenue is up 36 percent from this same weekend in 2017, while August totals are up 16 percent from last year.

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In third is STX’s “Mile 22,” which fell below tracker expectations with a $13.6 million opening from 3,520 after receiving poor reception with a 20 percent RT score and a B- on CinemaScore.

The fourth collaboration by Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg, it’s down 64 percent from the duo’s biggest box office success, “Lone Survivor,” which opened to $37.6 million in 2013. The film’s main competitor, fellow action film “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” made $10.5 million in its fourth weekend for a $180 million total.

Also Read: 'Crazy Rich Asians' Film Review: Constance Wu Stands Out in Culturally Rich Rom-Com

Sitting alongside “Mission: Impossible” for fourth place on the charts is Sony’s “Alpha,” which is estimated for a $10.5 million opening from 2,719 screens. While it is above tracker expectations, it is still well-below what this film needed with a reported $50 million budget, even with an 84 percent RT score and B+ on CinemaScore.

Finally, while Focus Features’ “BlacKkKlansman” fell out of the top five this weekend, the film had a strong hold as it expanded to 1,788 screens and earned $7 million in its second weekend. That’s just a 35 percent drop off from the film’s $10.8 million opening and gives it a 10-day total of $23 million.

From 'The Cheat' to 'Crazy Rich Asians,' a Brief History of Asian-Americans in Film (Photos)

The widely-lauded romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians" is creating buzz for being both great and also the first major studio film since 1993's "Joy Luck Club" to feature a mostly Asian-American cast. The history of Asian-Americans in movies has spanned more than a century, before the inception of color film. Here is a chronological look at films starring Asian-Americans from the past -- and the future.
“The Cheat” (1915) Asian men are rarely painted as sex symbols even in contemporary media, but Japanese-American actor Sessue Hayakawa became a veritable heartthrob, especially after starring in Cecil B. DeMille’s silent thriller, “The Cheat.” Though monumental, his role was that of a predatory antagonist, a typecast that stuck with him during the anti-Japanese sentiments of World War II.
Paramount
“The Toll of The Sea” (1922) Anna May Wong, who was born in Los Angeles to a Chinese-American family, became essentially the first Chinese-American movie star. At the age of 17, she had a leading role as the character of Lotus Flower in one of the first color films made, “The Toll of The Sea,” which was inspired by the play “Madame Butterfly.”
Metro Pictures Corporation
“Daughter of Shanghai” (1937) Anna May Wong starred alongside Korean-American actor Philip Ahn, who played a government agent trying to bust an alien smuggling ring in San Francisco. Ahn later became the first Asian-American to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Paramount
“Sayonara” (1957) Japanese-American actress Miyoshi Umeki starred in “Sayonara” as one-half of a scorned interracial marriage in the midst of the Korean War. Umeki won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role, becoming the first and only Asian-American actress to do so.
Warner Bros.
"Flower Drum Song" (1961) This turducken of a film is a movie adaptation of the musical that was based on the 1957 novel written by Chinese-American author C.Y. Lee. The film was set in San Francisco's Chinatown and the cast was flanked by Japanese-American actor James Shigeta and Chinese-American actress Nancy Kwan.
Universal Pictures
“Enter the Dragon” (1973) Bruce Lee’s most notable film was released six days after his death in 1973. In addition to critical acclaim, the martial arts movie was inducted into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally significant." Though Lee died young, at the age of 32, he became a symbol of cool strength and surmounting the impossible.
Warner Bros.
“Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979) George Takei played Hikaru Sulu aboard the USS Enterprise in the first installment of the “Star Trek” film franchise. The role was reprised by John Cho in the more recent slate of “Star Trek” films.
Paramount
“The Karate Kid” (1984) Even while the titular “Kid” changed throughout the franchise, Mr. Miyagi was the constant. California-born Pat Morita got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the humble and patient karate master.
Columbia Pictures
“The Joy Luck Club” (1993) The 1993 film based on Amy Tan’s novel is often named these days as an antecedent to “Crazy Rich Asians” -- a big studio film with Asian-American leads. It also featured breakout roles for actresses Ming-Na Wen and Lauren Tom.
Buena Vista
“Mulan” (1998) Mulan was the eighth Disney princess, the second Asian Disney princess, and the first to, well, not technically be a princess. Ming-Na Wen voiced the titular character in the Disney animated film that took place in Han China, while BD Wong voiced General Li Shang. Mulan's sung lines were supplied by Filipina actress, Lea Salonga, who previously lent her voice to the "Aladdin" soundtrack.
Disney
“Charlie’s Angels” (2000) Lucy Liu has had a robust film and television career, from “Ally McBeal” to “Kill Bill” to “Elementary.” One of her first big movie roles was as Alex Munday, an overachieving spy with a diverse skill set, in the 2000 “Charlie’s Angels” film.
Columbia
“Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” (2004) A modern day stoner comedy starring two Asian-American leads (John Cho and Kal Penn) may seem absurd -- but that’s exactly what this film is. Subverting stereotypes and utilizing humor that didn’t solely rely on race, “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” told the epic journey of two guys just trying to satisfy their munchies.
Warner Bros.
“The Big Sick” (2017) Kumail Nanjiani both co-wrote and starred in this Oscar-nominated film. Though technically a romantic comedy, Nanjiani exercised more solemn themes in the movie, which explored his Pakistani upbringing and his real-life relationship with his wife Emily V. Gordon.
Lionsgate
“Crazy Rich Asians” (2018) This opulent film marks a watershed moment in Asian-American film history -- a marriage of an older and revered generation of actors such as Michelle Yeoh, as well as an ushering in of new talent which includes Constance Wu and Awkwafina. And like “The Joy Luck Club,” which came before it, both the film’s director and the novel it’s based on are Asian-American as well.
Warner Bros.
“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018) Very rarely do we see a well-rounded love story involving an Asian-American character on screen, and even less so that depict teenagers. In Netflix's new film, "To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before," star Lana Condor (from "X-Men: Apocalypse”) plays Lara, an endearing adolescent who finds her world upended when the letters she’s written to her crushes are mysteriously released.
Netflix
"Mulan" (2020) This Disney animated film is getting the live-action treatment with a cast led by Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei as the titular character, as well as prominent non Asian-American performers Donnie Yen and Jet Li. The film will also feature Asian-American actors Jason Scott Lee and Rosalind Chao, the latter of whom starred in "The Joy Luck Club."
Disney

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Study up ahead of the raved-about rom-com

The widely-lauded romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians" is creating buzz for being both great and also the first major studio film since 1993's "Joy Luck Club" to feature a mostly Asian-American cast. The history of Asian-Americans in movies has spanned more than a century, before the inception of color film. Here is a chronological look at films starring Asian-Americans from the past -- and the future.

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