'Crazy Rich Asians' sparkles at North America box office

By AFP   August 19, 2018 | 08:57 pm PT
Highly anticipated rom-com "Crazy Rich Asians" dazzled the North American box office in its debut weekend.

The first Hollywood film with a mainly Asian cast in a generation claimed 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)

 
 
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