LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Highly anticipated rom-com “Crazy Rich Asians” — the first Hollywood film with an mainly Asian cast in a generation — dazzled the North American box office in its debut weekend, claiming the top spot, industry estimates showed Sunday.
The Warner Bros. adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel of the same name raked in $34 million since hitting theaters on Wednesday, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said. Of the total, the film took in $25.2 million at the weekend.
Starring veteran actress Michelle Yeoh, British-Malaysian former BBC host Henry Golding and American sitcom star Constance Wu, the film tells the story of a American economics professor who meets her super-wealthy boyfriend’s family in Singapore — and all the drama that ensues.
It is the first Tinseltown film with a predominantly Asian cast since “The Joy Luck Club” in 1993.
Shark thriller “The Meg” tumbled to second place in its second week, taking in $21.2 million. It stars action movie regular Jason Statham as a rescue diver who tries to save scientists in a submarine from an attack by a huge, prehistoric shark.
“Mile 22” — a new spy thriller-action flick starring Mark Wahlberg — opened in third place at $13.6 million.
Another debut film, prehistoric adventure tale “Alpha,” shared fourth place at $10.5 million with summer blockbuster “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.”
The latest installment in the “M:I” franchise has now taken in $180.7 million overall.
Rounding out the weekend’s top 10 were:
“Christopher Robin” ($8.9 million)
“BlacKkKlansman” ($7 million)
“Slender Man” ($5 million)
“Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” ($3.7 million)
“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” ($3.4 million)
© Agence France-Presse