CULTURE

Crazy Rich Asians Takes First Place at the Box Office

Insert ‘crazy rich’ pun here.


Warner Bros. Pictures' "Crazy Rich Asians" Premiere - Arrivals
Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Crazy Rich Asians has taken the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office, beating out shark-attack thriller The Meg and Mark Wahlberg’s movie about…some guy with a gun?...Mile 22. Warner Brothers opened the romantic comedy, the first all-Asian-American film by an American studio in 25 years (the last was 1993’s The Joy Luck Club), with a wide release on Wednesday, a canny move that got good word-of-mouth brewing before the weekend. With rom-coms, audiences often like the films more than critics, so getting the buzz going may be what helped launch CRA to the top spot. That and the fact that Asian-American audiences are understandably hungry to see themselves represented onscreen.

According to Deadline, the flick finished with $25.2 million for the weekend, and has amassed a total of $34 million since its midweek release. That means the film has already easily made back its reported $30 million budget. It is also the best debut for a romantic-comedy since Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck in 2015. For a fuller perspective, the opening weekend was bigger than for those recent classics of the genre like How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Crazy, Stupid Love, Notting Hill, and all of the Bridget Jones films, among others.

The site also reports that the film’s opening week audience is around 38 percent Asian, one of the highest turnouts of all time, but indicating wide appeal with the 62 percent that is not Asian. Sixty-eight percent of the audience is female, not surprising for a romantic comedy. Still, the big business would also suggest that audiences were more than ready for the first true event rom-com in some time.

Headlined by fast-rising star Constance Wu, Crazy Rich Asians is the story of Rachel Chu (Wu), an American-born professor who suddenly finds herself in a world of high glamour when she visits Singapore with her boyfriend, Nick Young, who, it turns out, is from one of the richest families in the country. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film is adapted from Kevin Kwan’s popular novel of the same name. In fact, it’s just the first in a series of three novels about Rachel and the Young family. So, does the strong turnout mean we’re going to see big screen versions of China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems? Nothing’s been announced yet. But we wouldn’t be surprised. It’s a film literally about the buying power of the Asian market, which Hollywood studios are more and more dependent on for tentpole superhero franchises. It’s about time the romantic comedy world wises up to it, too!

Related: Constance Wu’s Hand-Embroidered ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Premiere Dress Took 765 Hours to Make

2017 Beauty Trends: See the Best Hair, Makeup, and Nails of the Year

At the Prada Spring 2017, models wore sleek, side-parted ponytails with a simple barrettes.

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Models at the Altuzarra Fall 2017 show channeled Blair Waldorf wearing embellished headbands.

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At Tory Burch Fall 2017, ponytails were wrapped in oversized black bows.

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In keeping with the playful look at the Fendi Spring 2017 show, models rocked colorful hair clips.

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Model Irina Shayk proved that exaggerated hair barrettes are the ultimate standout accessory at the Bottega Veneta’s Spring 2017 show.

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Models at Chanel‘s 2017 Fall Haute Couture show sported rainbow eyeshadow with colorful strikes of orange, blue and green.

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An exaggerated dusting of magenta shadow around the eye was the look at the Gucci Fall 2017 show.

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Models at the Valentino Fall 2017 wore sleek, maroon eyeliner with a matching lip and mini braids.

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At the Prada Fall 2017, makeup artist Pat McGrath used electric blue eyeshadow and messy, heavy eyeliner for a rock and roll look.

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Model Greta Varlese wore colorful eyeshadow in playful shades of green, yellow and purple at the Maison Margiela Fall 2017 fashion show.

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At the Isabel Marant Fall 2017 show, models wore their hair in loose, messy waves with natural makeup.

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At the Louis Vuitton show, models wore their hair in wild, voluminous curls with a pale lip.

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At the Celine Fall 2017 show, model Birgit Kos effortlessly rocked middle-parted air-dried waves.

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At the Lanvin Fall 2017, model Bella Hadid proved that a sleek, side-parted pony is the ultimate French girl hairstyle.

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Models at the Christian Dior Fall 2017 paired voluminous, brushed out curls with chic black berets.

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At the Versace Fall 2017 show, models like Gigi Hadid wore playful highlights in shades of blue, yellow and red.

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The wet, slicked-back hair at the Paco Rabanne Spring 2017 show had frosted blue and red roots.

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At the Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 show, hair was styled into colorful dreadlocks and worn in a top knot.

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At Mary Katrantzou Spring 2017, hair accessories matched the lip color.

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The combination of slicked back hair, bleached brows and maroon lips was a bold success at the Aquilano.Rimondi Fall 2017 show.

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At the Marco De Vincenzo Spring 2017 show a mauve berry lip proved a simple look can still be special.

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At the Jason Wu Fall 2017 show, models rocked glossy, cherry red lips.

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Red lipstick was the perfect addition to the over-the-top look at the Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2017 show.

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Model Catherine McNeil cut her hair into a tousled pixie with heavy bangs at the Alexander Wang Fall 2017 show.

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At the Alexander Wang Fall 2017 show, models wore their cropped hair with heavy eyeliner.

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Model Irina Kravchenko wore her bowl cut with blunt bangs at the Alexander Wang Fall 2017 fashion show.

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Model Ysaunny Brito wore her buzz cut with some length on top at the Alexander Wang Fall 2017 show.

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Backstage at the Fenty x Puma Spring 2017 show, models showed off their long, embellished matte black nails.

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At the Balenciaga Spring 2017 show, models wore long acrylic nails in various shades of hot pink and orange with crystal embellishments.

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At the Marc Jacobs Fall 2017 show, long, dark purple nails, some detailed with logos, were the ultimate beauty accessory.

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