'Crazy Rich Asians' Has a Solid Preview Debut
by EG
Jon Chu's romantic comedy could earn back most of its modest production budget if it continues to perform the way it did in Wednesday-night previews. The ground-breaking movie is on pace to be the top movie of the weekend. Read on for details.
Warner Bros. and director Jon M. Chu's high-profile Crazy Rich Asians is off to a rich start at the box office, where it is pacing to earn at least $5.5 million to $6 million on Wednesday, according to early estimates.
That puts the rom-com on course for a five-day debut in the $28 million-plus range, with some box-office observers predicting it will top $30 million. Warners insiders are being more conservative in putting the opening at $25 million-plus. So far, the film is doing best in Asian markets and big cities, according to the studio and comScore.
Crazy Rich Asians is expected to best STXfilms and Peter Berg's male-fueled Mile 22, starring Mark Wahlberg, and Studio 8's prehistoric adventure-drama Alpha, both of which bow Friday.
Chu's modestly budgeted $30 million film, based on Kevin Kwan's best-selling 2013 novel of the same name, is the first Hollywood studio movie since 1993's The Joy Luck Club to feature an all-Westernized Asian cast. Warners hosted paid sneaks in more than 350 theaters across the country last Thursday to further increase the profile of the pic. Grosses from the sneaks were folded into Tuesday night's previews, and are believed to total about $350,000.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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