There’s no stoppingCrazy Rich Asians. In its third week of release, theJon M. Chu-directed romantic comedy is once again coming in ahead of expectations, scoring $5.8 million on Friday with the Labor Day weekend box office record in its sights. That four-day holiday record is currently held byRob Zombie’sHalloween, which pulled in $30.6 million in 2007, butCrazy Rich Asiansis projected to make $30 million or more for the same frame.
This is quite literally crazy. While these numbers aren’tAvengers-level, if you look at the week-to-week performance,Crazy Rich Asiansis consistently performing above expectations and barely losing any of its audience. The traditional box office track, even for successful films, is a steady drop-off.Crazy Rich Asians, meanwhile, is just a straight line thanks to extremely strong word of mouth and repeat business. By the end of this weekend, the film will have crossed $100 million at the domestic box office to become the highest-performing comedy since 2016’sGirls Trip.
This is all the more impressive when you consider the fact that Chu and authorKevin Kwanhad a hefty offer from Netflix to makeCrazy Rich Asiansfor the streaming service (plus an automatic greenlight for the two sequels), but turned it down in favor of taking their chances with a theatrical release. The film has surpassed any and all expectations, and I’m excited to see how the industry responds to this genuine blockbuster success. Warner Bros. isalready developing the follow-upChina Rich Girl, with Chu and other key creatives looking to return.
Elsewhere,The Megtook the #2 slot on Friday with a projected four-day pull of $12 million, while theJohn Cho-fronted thrillerSearchingis performing extremely well despite only playing in a third of the theaters asCrazy Rich AsiansandThe Meg.
As for new releases, the historical thrillerOperation Finaleis eyeing an opening of around $8 million, while the sci-fi filmKinlooks to pull in just $4 million.
Check back tomorrow for full weekend estimates, and take a look at Friday’s numbers below.
Crazy Rich Asians
$5,865,000
$94,591,388
$2,285,000
$112,271,416
$1,955,000
$2,463,480
Operation Finale
$1,716,000
$3,443,085
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
$1,560,000
$198,906,529
