‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Has Killed It At The Box Office

In terrible news for racists everywhere, Jon M. Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians took in a whopping US$34 million in its opening weekend, proving yet again that moviegoers aren’t just interested in films about white people in capes.

The rom-com took number one spot at the US box office over the weekend, beating out giant shark movie The Meg. It probably helped that Crazy Rich Asians has gotten rave reviews from critics, while The Meg has, uh, not.

But the success of Chu’s film is especially noteworthy given it’s the first Hollywood film in a quarter of a century to feature an entirely Asian cast.

Warner Brothers’ president of domestic distribution Jeff Goldstein told The New York Times that 38 percent of people who bought tickets to Crazy Rich Asians in the US were of Asian descent, which is massive considering Asian moviegoers typically make up less than 10 percent of a movie’s opening weekend domestic take.

“This shows — once again, with emphasis — that true diversity matters,” Crazy Rich Asians producer Brad Simpson told the paper. “Audiences are tired of seeing the same stories with the same characters. And we have to give people a reason to get off their couch or devices. We have to give them something different.”

The film’s big haul comes six months after Black Panther smashed box office records thanks in large part to a massive turnout from African-American moviegoers. Hopefully Hollywood is paying attention.

Crazy Rich Asians hits cinemas in Australia this Thursday, August 23.